Democrats win Wisconsin Legislature, completing a state trifecta

Democrats will control both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature for the first time since 2010, according to unofficial results. With Democrat David Crowley’s win over Republican Tom Tiffany for governor, the party will hold the governor’s office and both chambers in January.

The GOP held both chambers by a slim margin going into the election, with 18 of 33 state Senate seats and 54 of 99 state Assembly seats. Democrats gained three Senate seats and eight Assembly seats on Nov. 3, for majorities of 18-15 and 53-46.

All 99 state Assembly seats were up for election, while 17 of 33 state Senate seats were on the ballot. Six Senate Republicans currently in office did not seek re-election. 

From 2012 to 2024, Wisconsin’s legislative maps were among the most gerrymandered in the country. The Guardian described “an anti-democratic reality” in which elections for the Legislature didn’t matter. That changed when the state Supreme Court’s new liberal majority struck down the maps in December 2023. Gov. Tony Evers signed new maps into law in February 2024.

Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan political analysis project at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, rated both the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate among the 15 most competitive legislative chambers in the country. 

Campaigns for the legislature focused on affordability. Some GOP candidates for the state Assembly highlighted how they broke with President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, according to the Wisconsin Examiner. Wisconsin’s count of licensed dairy herds has fallen below 5,000, and some farmers blame tariffs and diesel costs.

The Wisconsin Legislature last convened during a special session in May 2026. The 108th legislative term begins Jan. 4, 2027.