Milwaukee Democrat splits from caucus after tensions boil over

Milwaukee Democratic state Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez is no longer part of her party’s caucus, following increasing intraparty tension and allegations of a violent threat.

Ortiz-Velez did not respond to WPR’s interview request. But according to reporting by WisPolitics and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, she temporarily lost access to the state Capitol building after allegedly making a threat of gun violence toward another Democrat — an allegation Ortiz-Velez denies. By Thursday evening, a spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told the outlets the threat made by Ortiz-Velez was “not credible” and her access to the building had been restored.

Earlier Thursday, Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, confirmed that Ortiz-Velez had asked to be removed from the Democratic caucus.

“Sylvia Ortiz-Velez informed us that she no longer wished to be a member of our caucus, and per her request, she is no longer a member of the Assembly Democrats. And that’s all I’ll say on it at this time,” Neubauer said.

Ortiz-Velez, who was first elected to the Assembly in 2020, has been at odds with her party before, voting with Republicans on passing the state budget earlier this summer, for example.

One of her first big splits with her party happened in 2021 during a debate over legislative voting maps. In a fiery floor speech that November, she was especially critical of maps drawn by Gov. Tony Evers’ People’s Maps Commission, saying they would make it harder for voters of color to have a voice.

“I have to come to the conclusion that there’s a national effort to dilute minority communities to create more Democratic seats,” Ortiz-Velez said at the time.

In 2024, under pressure from the liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Evers drew a new set of legislative maps to replace Republican-drawn districts deemed unconstitutional by the court. Republicans decided to pass Evers’ maps, believing them to be their best option among several competing alternatives. Ortiz-Velez was the only Democrat to vote for those maps in the Assembly.

Tensions boiled over in recent weeks, as Ortiz-Velez argued she was purposefully and personally excluded from co-authoring resolutions honoring Hispanic heritage and Hispanic veterans.

Now, Ortiz-Velez could prove to be a thorn in Democrats’ side as they seek to leverage those very maps to vie for a majority in the Legislature next November. If she seeks reelection, she’d have an incumbent’s advantage in a safely Democratic district, raising the possibility of a messy primary in southern Milwaukee.

New allegations emerge from recent tensions

Tensions between Ortiz-Velez and some Democrats became apparent several weeks ago, when she alleged she’d been excluded from efforts to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month and honor Hispanic veterans.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, other Democrats argued that Ortiz-Velez opted not to join the Democratic Hispanic Caucus, which circulated those resolutions. But as the social media fight spilled over, Ortiz-Velez argued she was being targeted “because I’m a person who may not always vote the way everybody else wants me to vote.”

Earlier this week, outlets reported Ortiz-Velez had been barred from the Capitol building for threatening to use an assault rifle against a colleague.

In an interview with WisPolitics, Ortiz-Velez called that allegation “laughable.”

She argued that Neubauer was targeting her and Democrats broadly were trying to silence her from speaking out against Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a likely contender for governor.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Neubauer did not answer further questions about the situation, citing “any ongoing investigations.”

In draft testimony provided to WisPolitics, Ortiz-Velez argued Crowley had abused his power by requiring county staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in 2021.

Ortiz-Velez has not said whether she will run for reelection in 2026.