Ben Wikler hints at book project after tenure leading Wisconsin Democratic Party

Ben Wikler, the outgoing chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, hinted at what might be in his future Thursday, after months of speculation about why he was leaving an organization he’s widely credited with transforming. 

At a lunchtime event in Madison hosted by WisPolitics, Wikler said he’s hoping to write a book that will offer lessons from Wisconsin to Democrats across the nation. 

“I want to try to tell the story of what we’ve done here and how it’s made a difference,” he said. “My hope is that … our state can finish going all the way to where I think most Wisconsinites at this point would like it to go, and also support folks across the country who want to do the same thing.”

Wikler announced in April that he would step down from leading state Democrats, after serving two terms since 2019. He will officially leave office at the state party convention later this month. 

The announcement fueled rumors that Wikler, who is widely respected in Democratic circles for his fundraising prowess, would campaign for national office. 

It also came on the heels of Wikler’s loss in a race to chair the Democratic National Committee.

In April, Wikler told WPR he was looking for other ways to “contribute to communicating, to organizing, to building the kinds of coalitions that can make the difference here.”

Speaking on Thursday, Wikler said he thought that his party’s transformation in Wisconsin, and the organizing apparatus he helped build, offers a model for Democrats still reeling from major losses in November, when President Donald Trump swept every swing state, and Republicans maintained their majority in the U.S. House and took the U.S. Senate. 

“I think there’s a lot to learn from in Wisconsin. I think we had a preview of what’s happening nationally,” he said. “It’s taken years to fight back and organize and build at every level of government to get to the point now where we are truly a purple state.”

Wikler’s comments came during an event also featuring former Republican state Rep. Amy Loudenbeck to discuss the strengths and challenges of their respective parties heading into the 2026 midterms and gubernatorial race.

Both argued that their parties are in good shape, even as they reel from recent losses: Democrats in November and Republicans in April in a widely watched state Supreme Court race.

Loudenbeck, who recently oversaw the campaign of a GOP-backed candidate for state superintendent, said campaigns don’t happen in a vacuum. She argued that Democrats harnessed early anger at Elon Musk’s role in Washington, but said that wind won’t stay at their backs.

“That dynamic would have made it difficult for any candidate, regardless of their quality or their credentials, to come through on the other side, given the landscape and the political climate,” she said of the conservative candidate’s loss in the Supreme Court race.

She expressed optimism about the role of grassroots activists in the party, and said that the 2026 campaigns, which will include races for governor, U.S. Congress, the entire state Assembly and half the state Senate, have to get off the ground early.

“We know we also are relying on grassroots,” she said.