Senate Democratic leader Agard to step down, setting up leadership change ahead of redistricting ruling

MADISON – Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard will run for Dane County executive, triggering a change in Democratic legislative leadership ahead of a state Supreme Court decision that could make it easier for the party to gain a majority for the first time in more than a decade.

The Madison Democrat confirmed her plans to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ahead of her announcement Thursday.

Democrats hold 11 of 33 seats and haven't had a majority in the chamber since 2010. But the state's high court is currently considering a challenge to the state's electoral maps that could give way to new boundaries more favorable to Democratic candidates.

Attorneys for the voters who filed the challenge are asking justices to declare the state's legislative districts unconstitutional and order new maps drawn based on "traditional redistricting criteria" in addition to what's required under state law by mid-March 2024. The lawsuit was filed in August, immediately after liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in, flipping the court's ideological majority for the first time in years.

Such a ruling would put every member of the Legislature up for reelection next year.

Sens. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, and Jeff Smith, D-Brunswick, are seeking the leadership role.

Roys, 44, has served in the Senate since 2021. She served in the Assembly from 2009-2013 and is currently a member of the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee. Hesselbein, 52, has served in the Senate since January, and previously served 10 years in the Assembly and several years on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. Smith, 68, has served in the Senate since 2019 and previously served in the Assembly from 2007-2011.

"We've seen, this legislative session, that Senate Democrats have been vital in getting some big policies across the finish line. It is clear that we matter," Agard told the Journal Sentinel.

The Senate has seen several notable bipartisan votes in the last several months, including a bill boosting funding to local governments by increasing the amount of revenue that returns to those governments from the state, known as shared revenue.

More recently, the Senate approved across party lines a funding deal aimed at keeping the Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin and a bill overhauling regulation of the state's alcohol industry.

"We know that the majority of the people in Wisconsin want government that is actually working for them and is responsive to them, and that the hyperpartisanship and the gotchas — that's not what people want," Agard said when asked her advice for the next leader of the caucus. "So I would hope that the next Senate Democratic leader would continue to be unapologetic about what it is that the people of our state are asking us to do, but also to do it in a pragmatic way and be able to have an open mind and go into conversations knowing that there's there's the opportunity to actually make a difference."

Agard, 54, was elected to the Senate in 2020 after serving eight years in the Assembly. Prior to that, she served four years on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. She was unanimously selected by her Democratic colleagues to lead the caucus in 2022, after Sen. Janet Bewley, D-Mason, chose not to seek reelection.

Responsibilities of the minority leader include designating committee appointments, communicating with Republican leaders and developing messaging. Outside of the Capitol, party leaders also play a significant role in candidate recruitment, campaign strategy and fundraising.

In addition to the shared revenue bill, Agard said, she's proud of the work she did on legislation aimed at preventing a backlog of sexual assault evidence kits from building up again in Wisconsin, along with her efforts to "normalize the conversation about cannabis."

"I've been working hard to plant seeds and tend to them, and I believe very strongly that there are good people that will come up behind and make sure that we do cross the finish line on some of these policies that we haven't been able to address — gun violence and cannabis and expansion of health care or Child Care Counts," Agard said.

Agard said she realized as an adult how much county government had helped her family as she grew up, and as county executive, she'd prioritize making sure the residents who most need the county's services are able to receive them.

"It has been an honor a lifetime and a privilege to be a state senator here in Wisconsin, and to be able to represent my caucus as the Democratic leader," Agard said.

In prepared remarks, Agard said she believes Dane County "can be a national example of a community with authentic progressive values."

Agard's announcement comes about two months after Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced that he will retire next year after 13 years in the role.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Democratic leader Agard to step down ahead of key redistricting ruling