The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has elected a new Chair — Devin Remiker.

Remiker defeated Joe Zepecki, Milwaukee area Democratic consultant, and William Garcia, chair of the 3rd Congressional District Democrats.

The vote was held, for the first time, with ranked-choice voting. The vote went to a second round, with Zepecki and Remiker as the top two vote-getters, with Remiker ultimately prevailing with a majority of votes. In the first round of voting, Remiker received 437 votes, Zepecki received 330 votes, and Garcia came in third with 139. Going to a second round, Remiker received 485 votes and Zepecki had 415 votes.

Speaking immediately following the announcement of the results, Remiker thanked the other challengers, and spoke briefly about the future of the party, emphasizing fighting for the working class, defending rights and freedoms, and protecting democracy.

“In Wisconsin, the Democratic Party works,” Remiker said in his Day 1 speech at the convention, celebrating the achievements of the party, setting it apart from national Democrats.

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Remiker’s victory comes after Ben Wikler announced in April he would not seek another two-year term as chair, after serving in the role for the past six years. Wikler has been credited with helping transform the party in his time as chair, leading to a series of electoral victories, including flipping the balance of power on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and re-electing Gov. Tony Evers. Democrats and Democratic-aligned candidates have won seven of ten statewide races during Wikler’s time as chair. Despite initially saying he’d remain neutral in the race, Wikler endorsed Remiker.

Along with Remiker’s election as chair, the party elected two new officers. Sarah Godlewski, the current Secretary of State and former State Treasurer, was elected as 1st Vice Chair. Joshua Taylor, Chair of the party’s Fourth Congressional District, was elected as 2nd Vice Chair.

Felisia Martin, who has served as 1st Vice Chair for six years alongside Wikler, is not seeking another term, nor is 2nd Vice Chair Tricia Zunker, who has served in the role for the past two years. Martin is a County Supervisor on the Milwaukee County Board and Zunker is a Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court Justice, and previously ran for Congress in the 7th Congressional District.

Two party officers were re-elected without opposition. Randy Udell, who has served as Treasurer for the last 10 years, was re-elected to the role. Udell is also a state representative, serving in the Assembly’s 47th District, in Dane County. Kim Butler, Chair of the 7th District Democrats and party chair in Polk County, was also re-elected as Secretary, for her second two-year term.

Devin Remiker is a native of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, and has served as the Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and in 2024, served as a Senior Advisor to the Biden-Harris and later Harris-Walz presidential campaigns.

In an official statement, Remiker said the following on the results:

“The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is an absolute political force in our state and a model nationwide for how our Party can fight and win. I’m honored to have earned the trust of delegates to build on what we’ve accomplished with Ben Wikler. We have a sensational operation and a team that has been through some of the toughest political fights. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity.

“We’re just 18 months away from a Democratic trifecta in this state and every second counts. We will take back this state by showing the Democratic Party is fighting for the working class, protecting fundamental rights and freedoms, and defending our democracy. It is all on the line– and we will fight like hell to save our democracy.”

Find more analysis and coverage of the convention at Civic Media and stay tuned for another column with takeaways from the convention, here at The Recombobulation Area.

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Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer and at BlueSky at @danshafer.bsky.social.

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