Neubauer Elected as Minority Leader of the Assembly

Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021 -- 8:01 AM

(AP) State Rep. Greta Neubauer, of Racine, was elected Monday to serve as leader of Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly.

Neubauer, 30, was the only Democrat to run for the post. She will take over for Rep. Gordon Hintz, of Oshkosh, who is stepping down from the job on Jan. 10. Neuabuer was first elected to the state Assembly in a special election in January 2018 and was reelected that November and again in 2020.

Hintz has been leader of minority Democrats since September 2017. Neubauer takes over a Democratic caucus that has just 38 of the Assembly’s 99 seats. Democrats have next-to-no power in the minority, unable to stop Republicans from passing whatever bills they want.

One of the most powerful tools Democrats do have, if they remain united, is blocking Republicans from having the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.

Rep. Kalan Haywood, of Milwaukee, was elected as assistant minority leader. Haywood, 22, was elected in 2018 and replaces Rep. Dianne Hesselbein, of Middleton, who is leaving the state Assembly to run for the state Senate.

The combined ages of the two new Democratic leaders, 52, is less than the age of Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. He is 53.

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