Wisconsin Democrats gather for state convention following fatal shooting of Minnesota lawmaker

Wisconsin Democrats gathered for their annual state convention in the Wisconsin Dells on a tumultuous Saturday that saw millions protest President Donald Trump, a military parade in the nation’s capitol and the fatal shooting of a Democratic state lawmaker in neighboring Minnesota.

On the first night of the Wisconsin Democratic Party’s convention, speakers mourned what they painted as a political assassination across the border amid a noticeable police presence outside the gathering.

Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home early Saturday. Minnesota Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were injured at their home about about 9 miles away.

A source involved with planning Wisconsin’s Democratic convention told WPR the state party “already had a robust security plan in place,” but took “additional cautionary measures in light of the horrific events that unfolded in Minnesota earlier today.”

The hallways and conference rooms of the Chula Vista Resort were warm as Democratic activists met and trained on how to counter the Trump administration. They also talked about maintaining momentum in a state where Democrats chipped away at Republican control of the state Legislature and cemented a liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 

Outgoing state Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler opened the convention on a somber note, calling the politically motivated murders of fellow Democrats in Minnesota a moment of “shock and grief.” He then called on attendees currently serving or running for elected office to stand if they felt comfortable doing so. As they did, the room erupted with cheers and applause.

“We’re here to support you, and we honor your service to all of us,” Wikler said. “You should not have to fear for your life to serve in public office in this country or anywhere.”

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, urged the audience to take a “deep breath and remember our brothers and sisters in Minnesota.”

“I’ve checked in with all of our counterparts in Minnesota in Congress, and they’re doing well,” Moore said. “But you know what? Y’all, this will not prevail. We’re gonna win!”

During a two-way conversation on stage with Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Wikler asked the senator to address the Minnesota tragedy.

In her answer, Baldwin referenced an incident Thursday where officers pinned California U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla to the ground and handcuffed him after he tried to criticize the Trump administration’s immigration raids during a news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“What we’re seeing,” Baldwin said. “What we saw with my colleague, Alex Padilla, is an effort to silence, and we will not be silenced.”

Wisconsin Democrats celebrate recent victories, look toward ‘trifecta’ in 2026

Throughout the evening’s speeches, Wisconsin Democrats spent as much time touting their recent victories as they did condemning Trump’s administration and Republican lawmakers who support him.

After taking the stage to a standing ovation, Gov. Tony Evers lauded his fellow Democrats for being “really good at getting things done.” He touted expansions of broadband access in Wisconsin, said Democrats are “fixing the damn roads” and claimed people switched from calling him “two or three term Tony.”

“And now, they just call me 400-year Tony,” Evers said, referencing a school funding veto he made in 2023. “Because I used my constitutional veto power to provide a $325 increase per-student every year for the next four centuries!”

Evers, like several other Democrats who spoke, celebrated the resounding victory of Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice-elect Susan Crawford over conservative Judge Brad Schimel. He painted Crawford’s 10 percentage point win as Democrats “taking on the richest man on the planet,” Elon Musk, who spent heavily on Wisconsin’s race.

“And guess what?” Evers said. “We’re undefeated, Wisconsin. Dems, one. Elon Musk, zip.”

Multiple speakers at the convention talked about a building “blue wave” in November 2026. They said they could see Democrats keep the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature, resulting in what’s known as a “trifecta.”

Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, said future Democratic majorities would fund education and health care while repealing Act 10, former Gov. Scott Walker’s landmark law that restricts collective bargaining rights for most public sector union workers.

“We will also legalize cannabis,” Hesselbein said as the convention hall erupted in cheers.

The convention was set to resume Sunday with the election of a new party chair to replace Wikler, who announced earlier this year he would not seek another term.