MADISON, Wis. — Since 2019, Ben Wikler has been at the helm of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. However, in less than 24 hours, he could be at the helm of the national party with a leadership election scheduled for Saturday.
The Wikler campaign told Spectrum News 1 that Ben has momentum at the perfect moment, including the support of 183 Democratic National Committee (DNC) voting members as of Monday.
To win, it takes a simple majority of votes from a total of 448 DNC members, so doing the math, Wikler likely already has almost 40% support going into Saturday’s election.
“There [are] two major candidates running—one is kind of the inside, establishment person. If you thought November went well, he’s your guy — and Ben’s the outsider,” Rep. Mark Pocan told reporters this week.
“I think people are recognizing that the party needs to communicate differently. It needs to have a different approach than perhaps it has in the past, and I think Ben is that agent of change,” Pocan, who hopes Wikler wins and can bring change to the party, added.
In just the last week, Wikler touted support he had received from DNC voting members in California, New York, Florida, Hawaii, Texas, Illinois and Massachusetts, along with the backing of seven unions, nine governors, and recently, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“I think the endorsements help in maybe letting people see that maybe people they know, or respect are with him, but at the end of the day, it’s making sure each one of those 448 people, 225 in the end, are the ones that are with you to win that race,” Pocan added.
Wikler isn’t the only Wisconsinite hoping to win on Saturday.
Jason Rae, who grew up in Rice Lake and now lives near Milwaukee, is hoping to stay in his spot as the party’s secretary, which is a position he has held since 2017.
The third day of the DNC’s winter meeting in National Harbor, Maryland on Saturday will be an all-day affair of electing officers to top spots within the party.
