The Assembly Minority Leader reflects on the results of the 2024 election in Wisconsin, the first under new maps, and looks ahead to what's to come in the state legislature in 2025.

Greta Neubauer, the state representative from the 66th Assembly District and the Assembly's Democratic Minority Leader, joined The Recombobulation Area podcast for a discussion on the 2024 election and a look ahead to what's to come in state government in 2025.

In August, Neubauer predicted that Democrats would win 52 seats. They ended up winning 45. 

“We are always going to be ambitious,” said Neubauer. “I think we had a real shot in all of those 52 seats. We had a number of places where we came up just short, really close, in some really close elections — in the Milwaukee suburbs, in Green Bay — and those are places where we’ll be competing in future years. And so, we are really pleased that, in a tough year for Democrats, we were able to pick up 10 seats. We were able to narrow the margins quite a bit. We have five more to go to get that majority.”

In our conversation, we also discussed some of the reflecting that Democrats are doing after this election, the issue of messaging on issues and priorities, what she learned in the first election under new and more competitive maps, the power of incumbency in Wisconsin elections, immigration policy, priorities for 2025, what to expect with a legislature with smaller majorities, and more. 

Looking ahead to 2025, Neubauer said “there’s going to be a lot more room for bipartisan work” with smaller Republican majorities in 2025. She said she is hopeful for compromise on issues like education funding and tax policy.

“Of course, Republicans are out the gate talking about another tax cut,” she said. “We’re open to that, but it has to be focused on helping those people who are having a difficult time make ends meet. It can’t be focused on more giveaways to the rich and to big corporations like we’ve seen from our Republican colleagues in the past.”

Listen here, or at The Recombobulation Area.