Here & Now

The 2023 Agenda for Democrats in the Wisconsin Legislature

Frederica Freyberg:

Democrats in the Wisconsin Legislature will head into the next session with even smaller minorities but the leaders of the party in the Senate and Assembly say they still represent the majority of the state. “Here & Now” senior political reporter Zac Schultz recently sat down with Senator Melissa Agard and Representative Greta Neubauer and has this story.

Zac Schultz:

Senator Melissa Agard is still getting used to her new office and her new position as the Democratic minority leader.

Melissa Agard:

It feels a bit like drinking from a fire hose but also, I’m really ready.

Zac Schultz:

With only 11 members, the Democrats are powerless to pass legislation but Agard points to the statewide win by Governor Tony Evers to show Democrats represent the values of the majority of Wisconsin.

Melissa Agard:

Ultimately, we may hold the minority of seats in the state of Wisconsin, but we know that we hold the majority of the hearts of the people of the state of Wisconsin in the work we are doing.

Zac Schultz:

Democrats blame gerrymandered redistricting maps for their minority status. Representative Greta Neubauer is the minority leader for the Democrats in the Assembly and says it was a challenge just to find candidates willing to run in some districts.

Greta Neubauer:

It was a real challenge to run for office. We are in incredibly polarized partisan times and it was hard to both recruit people to run, particularly women, because they knew that they and their family may face threats. And that unfortunately did bear out this cycle for candidates, for volunteers.

Zac Schultz:

Assembly Democrats won 35 seats just enough to prevent a Republican super majority that would allow the GOP to override any of Evers’ vetoes. But if two members are missing, the GOP would have enough.

Greta Neubauer:

Our caucus understands one of our top priorities for this session is being here in Madison to make sure that if Republicans are trying to override Governor Evers’ vetoes and move our state backwards, we’re here to protect those vetoes.

Zac Schultz:

Neubauer took over as leader part way through the last session. This will be her first full term in charge and she and Agard understand Democrats in the minority need to be more than the party of “no.”

Greta Neubauer:

We know that a lot of people are frustrated with politics right now and I think our responsibility is to pass policy in the Capitol that makes people’s lives better and shows that government can and must be a force for good.

Zac Schultz:

They hope the budget will create some spaces for compromise on things like increasing shared revenue.

Melissa Agard:

Supporting our local governments, I think, is at the top of the pile of things we can agree on. It is whether, you know, so we have the endpoint, how is it that we get there. What are the paths we use to move forward? To be continued.

Zac Schultz:

Agard also hopes to break the impasse in the Senate over confirming Governor Evers’ appointees. Over the past four years, Republicans have refused to hold final votes on some Evers’ selections for his cabinet and important governing bodies like the Natural Resources board.

Melissa Agard:

Based on what I’m hearing from colleagues on the other side of the aisle, they’re ready to start moving forward with them. Let’s have the tough conversations at the committee level. Let’s bring it to the floor. Let’s debate it and let’s vote up or down. If the governor needs to go back to work if the majority party does feel like that person is not the right fit. Holding them in this weird limbo isn’t going to help the state of Wisconsin.

Zac Schultz:

But there is one area where Democrats are not looking for common ground: abortion.

Melissa Agard:

There are some issues where there is no room for compromise. This is a personal healthcare decision. It is not a place where politicians belong and some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have suggested that we also include in the doctor’s office not just politicians but police officers.

Zac Schultz:

Republicans have talked about passing a bill that would modify the 1849 law banning abortions to provide exceptions for rape or incest.

Greta Neubauer:

As one of the roughly 50% of people in Wisconsin who lost a concrete right in the last year, I know how important it is and have heard from people across the state how important it is that we keep fighting for really comprehensive access to reproductive healthcare. Exceptions are not comprehensive and we know that.

Zac Schultz:

Democrats would rather keep the current law in place while they wait for legal challenges to make it to the Supreme Court, which leads to the other priority for Democrats: electing a liberal to the Supreme Court in April.

Greta Neubauer:

We are going to be actively engaged in making sure that we elect a justice who is willing to put the people of Wisconsin over their party.

Zac Schultz:

A liberal majority on the court could write new legislative maps in Wisconsin giving Democrats a chance to win more seats and hold more sway at the Capitol.

Melissa Agard:

Not only is it tied to redistricting, abortion rights, union rights, the list goes on and on.

Zac Schultz:

Reporting from Madison, I’m Zac Schultz for “Here & Now.”