Democrats Flip Wisconsin Legislature Control
Democrats won two Wisconsin legislative seats in the November 2026 election, defeating Republican incumbents Todd Novak and Howard Marklein.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Legislative Policy
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Democrats won Wisconsin Assembly District 51 and Senate District 17 in the November 2026 election, defeating incumbents Todd Novak and Howard Marklein. The results flipped control of both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature while Democrats retained the governorship.
Why it matters
The results give Democrats a 53-46 advantage in the Assembly and an 18-15 advantage in the Senate once new members take office in January 2027. The shift will determine which party sets the state's budget and legislative priorities.
Democrat Ben Gruber won Assembly District 51 with 14,863 votes, or 54.6%, and Democrat Jenna Jacobson won Senate District 17 with 43,775 votes, or 53.8%. Once new members take office in January, Democrats will hold a 53-46 advantage in the Assembly and an 18-15 advantage in the Senate.
The players
Todd Novak
Novak is a Republican who has represented Wisconsin Assembly District 51 since January 2015 and lost his seat in the 2026 election.
Howard Marklein
Marklein is a Republican who has represented Wisconsin Senate District 17 since January 2015 and co-chairs the Joint Finance Committee, which writes the state budget.
Ben Gruber
Gruber is a Democrat who won Wisconsin Assembly District 51 in the November 2026 election, defeating incumbent Todd Novak.
Jenna Jacobson
Jacobson is a Democrat who won Wisconsin Senate District 17 in the November 2026 election, defeating incumbent Howard Marklein.
Travis Tranel
Tranel is a Republican who began serving in the Wisconsin State Assembly in January 2011 and was re-elected to District 49 in 2026.
The details
Republican Travis Tranel won re-election to Assembly District 49 with 13,392 votes, about 56.8%, over John Rindy. In Assembly District 51, Novak, who had represented the seat since January 2015, lost to Gruber, a development the report links to a 2024 redistricting that made the district more favorable to Democrats. Marklein, who has represented Senate District 17 since 2015 and co-chairs the Joint Finance Committee, lost to Jacobson.
Timeline
January 2015: Novak and Marklein began their current terms.
2024: Wisconsin legislative redistricting took effect, reshaping Assembly District 51.
November 3, 2026: Voters cast ballots in the general election for state legislative seats.
January 2027: New legislative members take office and the new majorities begin.
Political Context
The 2026 result builds on the 2024 Wisconsin legislative redistricting, which made Assembly District 51 more favorable to Democrats and set up Gruber's win over Novak. The flip of both chambers shows how a single redrawn map can shift control of a state Legislature across consecutive election cycles.
Once the new majorities take office, the Democratic-led Legislature will set priorities for school funding and healthcare and prescription drug costs that affect Wisconsin households. Republicans have said their focus will be protecting rural Wisconsin, so the state budget debates ahead will reflect that split.
The takeaway
Control of the Wisconsin Legislature now depends on a few hundred votes in several districts, so future district maps will matter as much as statewide sentiment. Readers following state budget or healthcare debates should watch how the new majorities govern from January 2027.
What happens next
New legislative members take office in January 2027, when the Democratic majorities in both chambers begin.
Further reading
For more on how the Wisconsin Legislature sets state policy, see Legislative Policy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TelegraphHerald.
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