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Ben Wikler: “Personnel is policy in. In a way.”

Featuring: Ben Wikler, Democratic | Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin

Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast

Published May 21, 2025 | Video Starts at 18:00

So what was the first move you made to shift the culture from a one person, you know, trying to do all of digital to, like, actually building out a real digital program. So Personnel is policy in. In a way. And like, there's so many different things Chuck also does, like the graphic design there, the graphic design for the party and like the, you know, making materials and shooting photos and video. (18:00–18:04)

CLAIM

Asserts that staffing decisions significantly influence policy direction.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Ben Wikler

“Most state parties have less than five. So we're like it's just in a totally different place.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 31:25-31:31
“In 2018, Governor Eavers wins. Democrats sweep every statewide race for the first time since 1982.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 37:55-38:03
“Mississippi expanded Medicaid. Wisconsin didn't like. Wisconsin is to the right of so many states in our policies because of Voss…”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 40:34-40:43
“Harris got more votes than Biden [in Wisconsin].”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 44:30-44:32
“We came the closest of any of the states that Trump won to defeating him.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 45:10-45:16
“54,000 people voted for Trump and then stopped voting [in Wisconsin].”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 45:31-45:35
“There's a real chance Wisconsin gets a blue trifecta in 2026.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 04:20-04:24
“X used to be the actual, you know, global town square. Now it is a right-wing echo chamber.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 06:30-06:37
“Elon Musk assuming control, my follower growth on Twitter stalled out.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 11:08-11:19
“Twitter's almost like in your Democratic campaign. It's just not actually very helpful.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 12:19-12:26
“I wouldn't buy ads on Twitter that seems like it incredibly bad like we're doing.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 12:58-13:04
“Right wing blue checks like it, then it's going to like become a massive, a massive hit on Twitter.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 14:27-14:32
“The cost of making content is much lower. I mean it is higher than the cost of posting it on a variety of platforms.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 15:30-15:36
“The goal with the party is that every election it's to win, but it's also to conduct the election such that win or lose, we come out the…”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 20:12-20:21
“We used to raise, like, six figures a month on Twitter.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 21:21-21:26
“The first one was in the summer 2019, when Trump came to Wisconsin.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 22:22-22:27
“We have an actual match here.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 27:16-27:19
“We raise more every month through recurring donations than most state parties in the country raise.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 29:02-29:09
“Wisconsin was basically enchained by the Walker administration starting in 2011.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 29:15-29:19
“This moment including part time folks, we have like 59 staff at WSTEMs overall.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 31:20-31:25
“I don't think we've dipped below 50 since I've, since I staffed up after like since the probably late fall or beginning of 2020.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 31:42-31:51
“Scott Walker calls a special session at the legislature. They pass a lame duck power grab, like suite of bills to claw power back from the…”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 38:03-38:12
“Polling was completely out of whack. Like it was telling us. I did a retrospective analysis and like they were 11 points too optimistic.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 38:19-38:28
“Democratic Party and allied groups and all these people like, poured in like more than a million dollars to try to beat Robin Voss in his…”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 38:56-39:03
“We let hell for leather in and wound up actually like gaining seats in the, in the, in the state assembly.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 39:35-39:43
“I think this 2026 could be the year that he ends his, his reign of terror as the majority leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 40:50-40:58
“Ron Johnson is an embarrassingly bad senator and is a disaster.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 41:20-41:25
“Democratic turnout rose in Wisconsin while Republican turnout also increased.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 44:25-44:31
“Rebecca Cook in the third Congressional District was within three points of winning.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 45:00-45:04
“We swept all four competitive state Senate districts [in Wisconsin].”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 45:15-45:18
“The DNC should be a content factory.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 46:27-46:30
“The DNC has hired a war room team.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 47:26-47:30
“I can categorically rule [running for president in 2028] out.”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 49:57-49:57
“I think the story of Wisconsin and how we've fought back against, you know, an attempt to basically fully rigor democracy can offer a lot to…”
Ben Wikler Reflects on His Tenure as Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Hello Mergetag Podcast | Uploaded May 21, 2025 | 50:25-50:35