Wisconsin's Power Shift: Who Will Lead After LeMahieu's Shock Retirement? You Won't Believe the Candidates!

In a significant shift for Wisconsin politics, Senator Devin LeMahieu has announced he will not seek reelection, paving the way for new leadership in the state Capitol for the first time in 16 years. This comes as both Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Governor Tony Evers have also declared they will not run for their respective positions again. Wisconsin will experience a major overhaul in leadership, marking an unparalleled moment in recent state history.

LeMahieu, 53, confirmed he will maintain his role as Senate Majority Leader through the end of the 2025-26 session. He expressed a desire to focus on family, stating, “I am looking forward to spending more time with my wife in our new Madison-area home and, for the first time since 2006, rooting for bold conservative reform from the sidelines.” LeMahieu and his wife recently purchased a home in Fitchburg, further solidifying their roots in the state.

The last time all three major leadership positions turned over was after the 2010 elections, which saw Scott Walker win an open race for governor and Republicans secure control of both chambers of the legislature amid a GOP wave. The current structure of legislative leadership had been in place since the 1960s, and the Legislative Reference Bureau could not identify another instance when all three leaders chose not to seek reelection in the same year.

Governor Evers reflected on his working relationship with LeMahieu, stating, “I have enjoyed working with LeMahieu and his quiet and polite but frank approach to our work together. While we haven’t always seen eye to eye on every issue all of the time, I’ve never doubted his commitment to doing what he believes is best for the folks and families in Sheboygan County and across our state.”

Vos also praised LeMahieu, noting the challenges of the Senate Majority Leader role and commending LeMahieu’s deliberate approach to governance: “I have always said that being Senate Majority Leader is the hardest job in the Capitol, but Devin approached each challenge deliberately and with the goal to move our state forward.”

However, LeMahieu has faced criticism from members of his 18-member caucus for advancing bills that lacked broad GOP support, often requiring Democratic votes to pass. For instance, Sen. Chris Kapenga remarked on a recent episode of the show “UpFront” that LeMahieu could face a leadership challenge if he continued to push legislation like the online gaming bill and a proposal to provide state funding to UW-Madison to help pay athletes. The online gaming bill garnered support from only nine of the chamber's 18 Republicans, while eleven backed the NIL bill.

This legislative session saw ten bills pass through the 33-member Senate with fewer than 17 Republican votes, including the state budget. In contrast, only four such bills cleared the chamber in the previous session. A spreadsheet prepared by the Legislative Reference Bureau for LeMahieu’s office showcased that dozens of bills have been approved by the Senate with insufficient GOP votes going back to 2003, with the exception of the 2021-22 session, LeMahieu’s first as leader.

After the 2023-24 session, Kapenga withdrew from the Senate president race, following Mary Felzkowski’s announcement that she would run for the position. Kapenga had several disagreements with LeMahieu during his tenure and expressed hope for “new, principled Republican leadership,” emphasizing the need for unity within the caucus to avoid straying from core values.

LeMahieu, who first entered the Senate in 2014, is the fourth GOP member to opt out of reelection this fall, joining Rob Hutton, Steve Nass, and Van Wanggaard. The next GOP leader will be only the third to hold the position for Senate Republicans since 2007, when Fitzgerald stepped in, eventually followed by LeMahieu.

The upcoming legislative changes signal a transformative moment for Wisconsin, offering a chance for new strategies and perspectives within the state’s governance. With the landscape rapidly shifting, stakeholders will be keenly observing how this turnover in leadership plays out in the coming months.