Assembly Republicans this week elected Rep. Tyler August of Walworth as minority leader for the coming session, turning to the outgoing majority leader after Democrats flipped the chamber and won a trifecta.
The caucus also elected Rep. Nate Gustafson of Omro as assistant minority leader, Rep. Mark Born of Beaver Dam as caucus chair, Rep. Joy Goeben of Hobart as caucus vice chair, Rep. Barbara Dittrich of Oconomowoc as caucus secretary, and Rep. William Penterman of Hustisford as sergeant at arms. They will lead the caucus in January, when Democrats take control for the first time since the 2009-10 session.
On November 3, Democrats won a 53-46 majority in the Assembly, flipping eight seats. Republicans entered the election with a 54-45 advantage. Combined with an 18-15 Democratic Senate and Democrat David Crowley’s victory for governor, this is the first Democratic trifecta in Madison since the Great Recession.
August represents the 31st Assembly District in Walworth and Rock counties. First elected in 2010, he served as speaker pro tempore from 2013 to 2023 and has been majority leader since January 2023.
The choice comes as Robin Vos of Rochester prepares to leave the Assembly. Vos is the longest-serving speaker in state history, holding the gavel since 2013 after first winning a seat in 2004. In February, he announced he would not seek re-election, saying a mild heart attack the previous November persuaded him to reduce his stress.
On election night, Vos congratulated the new Democratic leadership and told taxpayers to hold on to their wallets. He wrote that Democrats “spent the campaign promising lower costs and relief for families while offering few specifics.”
“The next two years will test our resolve,” Vos wrote. “They will also clarify the choice ahead. We are ready for both.”
Gustafson, first elected in 2022, represents the 55th Assembly District. Born in Appleton and raised in Fox Crossing, he works in information technology for Outagamie County and was elected to the Winnebago County Board in 2022. He chaired the Assembly Committee on Science, Technology, and AI and co-chaired the Joint Committee on Information Policy and Technology last session.
Born, first elected in 2012, represents the 37th Assembly District and lives in Beaver Dam, where he was born and raised. Before entering the Legislature, he was a corrections supervisor at the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department and served on the Beaver Dam Fire and Police Commission and the Beaver Dam City Council. He co-chaired the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, a role he has held since 2016.
Goeben, first elected in 2022, represents the 5th Assembly District in the greater Green Bay area and lives in Hobart. A former teacher in the Ashwaubenon School District, she owned a childcare center for 10 years and now helps run her family’s business. Last session, she chaired the Assembly Committee on Environment and was vice chair of the Committee on Education.
Dittrich, first elected in 2018, represents the 99th Assembly District and lives in Oconomowoc. She previously worked as a financial advisor, ran a small business with her husband, and founded and led a faith-based nonprofit for 16 years. Last session, she chaired the Assembly Committee on Insurance and served as vice chair of the Committee on Small Business Development.
Penterman was first elected in a July 2021 special election and has been reelected since 2022. He represents the 38th Assembly District and lives in Hustisford. He is a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, works as a substitute teacher and a licensed real estate salesperson, and chaired the Assembly Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs.
Senate Republicans chose their minority leadership last week, electing Sen. Julian Bradley of New Berlin as minority leader on November 5. Bradley is the first Black lawmaker to lead a caucus in either house. The Senate GOP also elected Sen. Romaine Quinn as assistant minority leader, Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara as caucus chair, and Sen. Dan Feyen as caucus vice chair.
Bradley said the election “changed the math in the Senate, but they didn’t change what we believe or who we work for.” He pledged to “hold the new majority accountable at every step.”
