Women Lead Wisconsin Legislature for First Time
Operators with state contracts or budget exposure should watch new Assembly and Senate leadership, which takes control in January.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in People
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Greta Neubauer was elected Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, becoming the first woman to hold the post. Dianne Hesselbein will become Senate majority leader, making both top Wisconsin Legislature leaders women for the first time.
Why it matters
Robin Vos and Devin LeMahieu declined to seek another term as Assembly Speaker and Senate leader, and Governor Tony Evers also declined to seek another term, reshaping leadership ahead of January when GOP control of the Legislature's budget committee ends. For operators, a leadership turnover at this level typically shifts which budget and regulatory priorities move first.
The state's Crowley transition team received approval for $124,400 in funding, compared with $94,600 for Evers' 2018 transition. Both figures are drawn from the transition funding approved by the budget committee, with no broader spending baseline reported in the source.
The players
Greta Neubauer
Wisconsin State Assembly member representing Racine, elected Speaker of the Assembly on November 10, 2026.
Dianne Hesselbein
Wisconsin State Senate Democrat from Middleton, set to become Senate majority leader.
Robin Vos
Outgoing Wisconsin Assembly Speaker who declined to seek another term.
Tony Evers
Wisconsin Governor who declined to seek another term in office.
The details
Neubauer was elected Speaker by the Assembly, and Senate Democrats elected Hesselbein and Mark Spreitzer to their Senate leadership roles, with Spreitzer named Senate President. Julian Bradley was selected as Senate minority leader and Kalan Haywood will serve as Assembly majority leader. Hesselbein has said she plans to govern differently than her Republican predecessors, including giving Republican bills hearings.
Timeline
January: Legislature's budget committee GOP control ends.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026: Neubauer elected Assembly Speaker; budget committee approved Crowley transition funding.
Within a week: Assembly to announce its budget committee nominations.
Market Landscape
The change follows the 2018 Evers transition, whose $94,600 funding serves as the benchmark for the $124,400 approved for the Crowley transition. The leadership shift places two women at the top of the Legislature for the first time in state history.
Operators should watch the budget committee nominations the Assembly will announce within a week, since committee composition drives spending decisions. Businesses dependent on state contracts should track how Hesselbein's Senate handles Republican bills once hearings begin.
The takeaway
Track the Assembly's budget committee nominations, due within a week, as the first concrete signal of the new leadership's priorities. Businesses with state exposure should monitor the Senate's handling of pending bills as hearings resume under the new majority leader.
Further reading
For more on the people shaping state government, see People coverage across Wisconsin.
Live Poll
Do you think Wisconsin's state government is doing enough to make life more affordable?
