Chuck Schumer endorses Wisconsin Democrat Ben Wikler in race for DNC chair

As he vies to lead the Democratic National Committee, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler has gained an endorsement from the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate.

In a statement Thursday morning, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, hailed Wikler as “one of the best state party chairs in the country” and said he’s “what Democrats need right now” on a national level.

“Ben possesses all the qualities Democrats across the country are looking for in our next DNC Chair,” Schumer said. “He’s a tenacious organizer — one of the best organizers in the country — a proven fundraiser, a sharp communicator, and able to reach out to all segments of the Democratic Party. Most importantly, he knows how to win.”

Wikler has chaired the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since 2019. Before that he worked as a senior advisor and Washington director at the progressive advocacy group MoveOn.org.

On Dec. 1, weeks after Republicans won the presidency and control of the U.S. House and Senate, Wikler announced his intention to run to become the next chair of the Democratic National Party. 

In an interview with “Wisconsin Today,” Wikler likened Republicans’ recent victories nationally to Wisconsin in 2010, when former GOP Gov. Scott Walker was elected and Republicans controlled all branches of state government.

Wikler said the Democratic Party of Wisconsin was successful in pushing back with the election of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in 2018 and liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz in 2023, which put liberals in control of the court for the first time in 15 years. 

That led to Republican drawn state legislative voting maps being struck down by the court and new maps, drawn by Evers, being passed into law early last year.

And while Republican President-elect Donald Trump won Wisconsin in November, Wikler has pointed to Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin keeping her seat, along with state Democrats flipping 14 seats in the Wisconsin legislature.

“We need to have a national party that can organize in the fight for working people in every state across this country with the same kind of intensity and focus that we’ve been able to bring to the work in Wisconsin, especially over these last few years, and building on years of work before that,” Wikler said.

Wikler said he wants to unite the Democratic National Committee in focusing on all elections, not just presidential contests.

“This is not just about showing up every four years,” Wikler said. “It’s about a permanent campaign, and I think we’ve shown that in Wisconsin right now. We have our state Supreme Court race this spring, Susan Crawford versus Brad Schimmel. That is a must win race, and we’re going to fight to win that. And we should be doing the same thing in every state.”

After a bruising year for Democrats, Wikler said the DNC needs to clarify its message by “using language that people actually use in real life, not just what feels like a political ad” while meeting young voters where they are, on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Discord and podcasts.

According to Politico, Wikler is facing off against other DNC candidates like Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Marianne WIlliamson and former Department of Homeland Security official Nate Snyder.

“And that means building a kind of war room that is built for the 21st century, and not just for the 20th century,” Wikler said.

The Democratic National Committee’s 448 members will elect the party’s new chair on Feb. 1.