Multiple sources tell The Heartland Post that Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu is planning to retire from the Senate and is finalizing plans for new employment.
Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu is preparing to step down from his seat and likely will not seek re-election this November, multiple sources tell The Heartland Post.
LeMahieu, a longtime Republican leader from Oostburg, has been eyeing an exit from the Senate for several years but stayed on because he could not secure suitable post-legislative employment. Sources indicate he is now close to finalizing a new position and plans to announce his retirement once that arrangement is firm.
The development comes as LeMahieu pushes forward with a controversial bill to legalize online sports betting, scheduling it for a Senate floor vote despite substantial opposition from fellow Republicans. Critics within the GOP caucus argue the measure lacks the necessary support and violates the chamber’s informal “Rule of 17,” an unwritten guideline requiring at least 17 Republican votes to bring major legislation to the floor. Breaking that norm has historically signaled the end of a leader’s tenure.
State Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, highlighted the rule’s significance in a recent interview on WISN’s “UPFRONT,” warning that leaders who ignore it rarely return.
“Precedent has always been you’ve got to have the rule of 17, if it’s Republican or Democrat votes,” Kapenga said. “Historically, usually a majority leader does not come back if he breaks the rule of 17.”
LeMahieu’s decision to advance the bill amid clear divisions underscores growing frustration among conservative lawmakers who view expanded gambling as a departure from traditional Republican principles emphasizing fiscal responsibility and family values.
LeMahieu has served in the Senate since 2005 and assumed the majority leader role in 2013, guiding the chamber through years of GOP control. His impending departure opens the door for new leadership in what has become an increasingly fractious Republican majority.
