At dusk, on a rainy Election Day in Madison, the sun came out just long enough to create a rainbow over the Wisconsin state Capitol building.
Former President Donald Trump holds a rally on Oct. 1 at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is retiring from the bench in 2025, setting the stage for another contentious battle for ideological control of the state’s highest court.
Gov. Tony Evers issued 51 partial vetoes before he signed the 2023-25 biennial budget. He’s about to kick off another two-year budget debate with the Legislature.
The Wisconsin Constitution, as displayed in the Capitol building in Madison.
Voters cast ballots at Hillel at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on Election Day.
Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, waves to the crowd at a campaign event on Nov. 1 in Little Chute.
Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester (right), and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg (left), will once again lead the state Legislature in 2025.
State government and disinformation reporter
State Government Reporter
At dusk, on a rainy Election Day in Madison, the sun came out just long enough to create a rainbow over the Wisconsin state Capitol building.
If you’re expecting 2025 to be a respite from Wisconsin’s fast-paced political news cycle, think again.
The new year will bring its own consequential elections, including a race that will determine control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Plus, the state Legislature will be back in session with Democrats still in the minority but holding more seats in both the Assembly and Senate. Republicans will maintain control but will have to navigate those new dynamics in passing the biennial state budget.
This year also will set the stage for 2026 and beyond, with a pivotal set of elections on the ballot in the midterm elections. And incoming President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration is sure to have a major effect on policy in Madison and across Wisconsin.
So buckle up, folks — here’s what to watch for in Wisconsin politics in 2025.
Former President Donald Trump holds a rally on Oct. 1 at Dane Manufacturing in Waunakee.
After Trump takes office in January, new executive actions could have notable effects in Wisconsin — from transportation options, to the livelihoods and residency of thousands of people, to the available workforce for the agriculture industry.
President Joe Biden’s focus on infrastructure sent money to communities across the country including Madison, where more than $100 million in federal funding has been promised for a bus rapid transit route from the city’s east side to Fitchburg. The Trump campaign promised to undo much of Biden’s government spending, but local officials have told the Cap Times they are hopeful BRT and a slated reconstruction of John Nolen Drive will survive budget cuts.
Another potential federal policy that would affect Madison and Wisconsin is a promise Trump made throughout his campaign to unleash the country’s largest “mass deportation” operation in modern history. A large-scale ICE operation in Wisconsin would destabilize the state’s dairy and agricultural industries, which are supported primarily by undocumented immigrant workers.
Whether and how many of his campaign promises — like doing away with the federal Department of Education — Trump may keep after taking office on Jan. 20 remains to be seen. But almost certainly 2025 will be marked by a fresh set of executive orders designed to change the country’s direction.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley is retiring from the bench in 2025, setting the stage for another contentious battle for ideological control of the state’s highest court.
After the 2023 Supreme Court race saw more than $50 million in campaign spending and a heated battle for now-Justice Janet Protasiewicz’s election to the bench, the state’s highest court mulled over multiple deeply partisan cases. One of the newly liberal court’s early decisions led to redrawn legislative districts, and the justices are expected to soon decide whether to alter abortion access in Wisconsin.
Protasiewicz’s election flipped the court’s political makeup for the first time in more than a decade. Now conservatives hope to win back the bench and curtail what they fear is liberal-leaning litigating from the bench on issues ranging from abortion and education spending to executive powers and union bargaining.
Wisconsin voters are sure to face another pricey and contentious battle for retiring liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley’s coveted seat.
The election, which will take place April 1, 2025, already has two key frontrunners in liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford and conservative former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel. The race is expected to break the 2023 spending record.
Gov. Tony Evers issued 51 partial vetoes before he signed the 2023-25 biennial budget. He’s about to kick off another two-year budget debate with the Legislature.
Cash is set to rule everything under the state Capitol dome in 2025, which is when Gov. Tony Evers and legislators will try to hash out a budget for the next two years.
The state budget is always a landmark document, setting out a spending blueprint for Wisconsin government agencies. The budget debate also will highlight different opinions about how Wisconsin should spend a $4 billion surplus.
Republican legislators, who still have a majority in both chambers of the Legislature, have said they want tax cuts to be a top priority. Evers vetoed GOP tax bills in 2023, but Democrat legislators have said they are open to negotiating.
There are a host of other spending questions to resolve. Legislators will need to figure out how much state aid should flow to K-12 schools at a time when many districts, including Madison, are asking voters to increase taxes to help them make ends meet. And the Universities of Wisconsin wants a major funding increase, despite skepticism from GOP legislators.
Evers will present his budget proposal to lawmakers in February or March. Then, the Legislature’s powerful budget writing committee will present its own ideas later in the spring. The final product is usually hashed out over the summer, though it could take longer.
The Wisconsin Constitution, as displayed in the Capitol building in Madison.
Wisconsin voters were asked to weigh in on four state constitutional amendments in 2024 — and that trend is showing no signs of stopping in 2025.
In the April and November elections, voters approved elections-related changes to the Wisconsin Constitution. In August, after groups spent millions to oppose amendments that would have restricted the governor’s powers, voters rejected the ballot measures.
In all, voters weighed in on more constitutional amendments over the course of 2023 and 2024 than any point since the 1980s.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told the Cap Times earlier in December that a top priority will be to continue that approach in the April 2025 election. Lawmakers will pass a measure to put the state’s voter ID law in the Constitution and then will vote to take the amendment to voters for final approval, Vos said.
Such a move will likely mobilize supporters and critics of the voter ID law, which has been in effect for nine years but is not yet enshrined in the Constitution. The ballot measure also could be a precursor to more amendments in the years to come.
Voters cast ballots at Hillel at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on Election Day.
The 2026 midterm elections in Wisconsin will feature high-profile races for governor, attorney general and other statewide offices, as well as the Legislature. Which means 2025 will feature candidates and campaigns jockeying for early advantages.
Evers will have to decide whether to seek a third term in office. If he decides to run, he could become only the fourth Wisconsin governor in 100 years to win more than two terms.
If Evers doesn’t run, that decision will touch off a competitive Democratic primary. Possible candidates could include Attorney General Josh Kaul, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, among others.
On the Republican side, conservatives will seek to avoid a messy primary, something which could have hindered their efforts to take down Evers four years ago. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Hazelhurst, and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann are among those who could run.
Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, waves to the crowd at a campaign event on Nov. 1 in Little Chute.
Wisconsinites will find out in 2025 whether a fellow resident of “America’s Dairyland” will play a major role in reshaping the national Democratic Party ahead of the 2026 elections and beyond.
Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, is running for chair of the Democratic National Committee. He has staked his case by touting his success in fundraising and organizing in Wisconsin.
But Wikler has rivals for the job, such as former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Minnesota Democratic leader Ken Martin. Others have been rumored to be mulling a run of their own.
The election for DNC chair will be in February. If Wikler is elected, it would be historic, as no Wisconsinite has ever served as Democratic Party chair nationally.
Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester (right), and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg (left), will once again lead the state Legislature in 2025.
Following the first election under newly redrawn legislative maps, Wisconsin Democrats gained 14 seats in the state Legislature — four in the Senate and 10 in the Assembly. This wasn’t enough to give them a majority in either body, but in the Senate the increase in Democrats broke a veto-proof supermajority previously held by Republicans.
Democratic leaders in the Legislature hope their stronger numbers give them more bargaining power for bipartisanship in 2025, especially with Republican lawmakers who will face re-election in 2026 and might hesitate to vote in lockstep with GOP leadership.
The stakes are notable for legislative Democrats either way.
On the one hand, if Senate Republicans up for election in two years change their hardline partisan positions to foster good standing among voters in redrawn districts, Democrats might garner bipartisan cooperation. On the other hand, if a strong GOP consensus endures, Democrats might have a tough two years ahead of them but more fodder to campaign against Republicans in a quest to win the majority of either side of the Legislature in future elections.
Republican leaders, however, feel confident they will maintain a secure caucus consensus this session and protect future seats even with the new maps. In a recent interview with the Cap Times, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he would be surprised if Democrats manage to achieve a majority in the Legislature.
“I have been saying for 20 years that the reason that Republicans have the majority is because we have better candidates, a better message, and we work harder,” Vos said.
Erin McGroarty is a politics reporter for the Cap Times. Erin writes about Wisconsin politics with a focus on state government and elections. Email story ideas and tips to Erin at emcgroarty@captimes.com or call (608) 252-6433.
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