How to pick the next WISDEMS chair
. (update: we have received our first response, from William Garcia). The Democratic Party is in an identity crisis. Will it be the party of collaboration with Trump and fascism, or the party of fighting back?
This question should be driving internal party politics right now. The 2026 congressional primaries will be a national-level, high-profile fight between collaborationists and freedom fighters for the soul and direction of the party. But this fight cannot and will not be happening only at the national level. There will be a Wisconsin Governor’s race and State Assembly races at the same time, as well as an election for the Milwaukee County Board in the spring. It is essential that antifascists run in and win those races. We need people who will lead the party in a resistance direction, who will embrace left populism to counter fascist narratives, rather than adopting and enabling them.
If politicians tell people the truth about billionaires and corporations making everyone’s lives harder, and provide and enact solutions to that problem, they will have plenty of good will and political capital to also protect the migrants, trans people, welfare recipients, protesters, government workers, and other groups fascists target. We also must elect Democrats who oppose the genocide in Gaza, Democrats who reject the Biden/Harris/Cheney coalition’s failed “Republican lite” strategy that has enabled the fascist rise to power. These Democrats will win. Once in place, they can stand up to the fascist bullies and create the best opportunities for effective resistance and survival in this time of crisis.
Before any of these races, Wisconsin has another race that will shape part of the party’s future: the race for chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (WISDEMS). After losing his bid for leadership of the Democratic National Committee, State Party Chair Ben Wikler has stepped down. Three candidates are running to replace him. The election will occur at the WISDEMS convention on June 14 and 15 in Wisconsin Dells. The (ranked choice) voting happens in person on the convention floor, and only named delegates can vote.
Due to Milwaukee’s high population and low party participation under the weak leadership of devout conservative centrist Christine Siniki, there are actually hundreds of delegate seats available. If you live in Milwaukee County and vote Democrat, you can join the county party and buy tickets to the convention. Those each cost $25 (or $10 for low income people). Members can then claim a delegate spot, and cast a vote for change, resistance and antifascism! The vote is ranked choice, but there is no proxy voting, so you have to get to Wisconsin Dells to be a delegate. Here in Milwaukee, we really have an opportunity to polish off and repurpose an old indymedia slogan from the 90s: don’t hate the Democratic Party, BECOME the Democratic Party. The deadline to claim a delegate seat is May 17, so act fast, and get after it!
Who to vote for?
There are three candidates running to replace Wikler, and each of them is going to say they are for resistance and against fascism, so we need to look a little closer to determine who walks that talk. That’s what Milwaukee Beagle is here for: we cut through the fancy talk bullshit to help you find the candidates who mean what they say, or at least identify the least bad of your viable options. We’ve sent the candidates a questionnaire, and will publish any responses we get, but we’ll also dig in, sniff around, and share anything else we find before the convention next month. On first glance, we already have a good scent on this race, and a clear favorite we’re leaning toward, but we’ll keep looking and might learn more.
Let’s get the stinker out of the way first. Devin Remiker is literally the status quo. He’s currently the WISDEMS executive director. He grew up in Twin Rivers and lives in the exurbs, outside Reedsburg. His campaign pitch is all about how he helped Democrats barely eke out narrow victories against detestable unpopular clods they could have blown out of the water with a better strategy and leadership. With Remiker in charge, we can expect a continuation of the Wikler strategy: frame every race as an existential crisis to distract from milquetoast candidates with muddled vision, in order to continue raising massive funds.
In the “better than Remiker” spot we have Joe Zepecki, a communications entrepreneur and consultant from Milwaukee. Zepecki is more progressive and less status-quo than Remiker, but his campaign pitch reads like the kind of non-specific pablum that consultants write about candidates who don’t stand for anything. We do like that he is from Milwaukee, and hope this means he grasps the persecution of our city by statewide actors (including Democrats, especially Governor Evers). Zepecki has gotten many endorsements from progressive leaders who may think he’s the best shot at beating Remiker.
If we were voting based on what we know today, we’d go with William Garcia. He looks like the change candidate. Garcia is a worker, an activist, and a union member. He taught high school for 17 years, and now teaches at Western Technical College while serving as Chair of the 3rd Congressional District Democrats of Wisconsin, Co-Chair of the La Crosse County Democratic Party and Secretary/Treasurer of the WISDEMS Latino Caucus.
What to watch for
Garcia is from LaCrosse, so we are naturally concerned about whether he recognizes and understands the uniquely fucked situation Milwaukee is in. He came to speak at the last Milwaukee County Democratic Party meeting, and assuaged some of those concerns. There, he also said that he would fight for the Wisconsin Democratic Party platform, including the resolution calling out genocide in Gaza. Meanwhile, Zepeki talks about finding common ground between that platform and the genocide deniers who helped Trump win by pressuring Biden and Harris to continue funding the mass killing of Palestinian children.
Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy was also briefly in this race, but he dropped out at the end of April, leaving a typically Wisconsin-polite exit statement. Kennedy warned that “a party driven by consultants and insiders risks losing touch with the people it’s supposed to serve. We’ve seen the consequences of building our message in Washington-style war rooms rather than in union halls, community centers, college campuses, and tribal councils.” He’s clearly talking about insider Devin Remiker and consultant Joe Zepecki. We share Kennedy’s critique of party insiders and consultants. We also agree that he is not the candidate to bring the party in a new, better direction. We hope Garcia will be.
If you’re with us, take action this week!
If you are able to head to Wisconsin Dells June 14 & 15, then join the Milwaukee County Party now! Buy tickets to the convention and request a delegate spot before Friday. You can help stand against staleness and collaboration in our party by voting for the state party chair. This is a step that can be taken right now to build up a party of real opposition to Trump.
