Gretchen Stephens "Greta" Neubauer (/ˈnuːbaʊər/ NOO-bow-ər; born September 13, 1991) is an American Democratic politician from Racine, Wisconsin. She is the minority leader in the Wisconsin State Assembly, since January 2022, and has been a member of the Assembly since 2018, representing Wisconsin's 66th Assembly district.
Greta Neubauer | |
|---|---|
| Minority Leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Gordon Hintz |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 66th district | |
| Assumed office January 27, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Cory Mason |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 13, 1991 Racine, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parents |
|
| Education | Middlebury College (BA) |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and education
editGreta Neubauer was born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin.[1] She attended high school at The Prairie School in neighboring Wind Point, Wisconsin, graduating in 2010. As a student, she helped organize Racine High School Students for Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. After graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont with a degree in history, Neubauer became director of the nonprofit Fossil Fuel Divestment Student Network (now the Sunrise Movement), focusing on environmental issues.[2]
Political career
editIn her first election, in December 2017, Neubauer pointed to the election of Donald Trump as a catalyst for her to turn back toward electoral politics to advocate for a progressive alternative.[2] In August 2017, Neubauer began working as a legislative aide in the office of then-state representative Cory Mason.[1] Neubauer had previously worked as an intern for Mason and considered him a mentor. During her time with Mason, Neubauer worked closely with him on the state budget and had a front row seat to the debate on the $2.85 billion incentive package to bring Foxconn to Racine County.[2]
In November 2017, Mason won a special election to become mayor of Racine and announced he would resign his seat in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Neubauer quickly declared her candidacy to succeed him as representative of the 66th Assembly district.[2] She faced a contested primary for the Democratic Party nomination against first-term Racine alderman John Tate II. The recently approved Foxconn project was highlighted by both candidates, each promising to work to bring more benefits of the project to the residents of the city; Neubauer notably broke with her former boss, Mason, over his vote in favor of the plan.[2] Neubauer prevailed in the December 2017 primary, receiving 53.8% of the vote.[3] She was unopposed in the January special election and took her oath of office on January 27, 2018; her oath was administered by Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Shirley Abrahamson in a public ceremony at the Racine Public Library.[4]
Days before Neubauer's swearing-in, her portrait appeared in a collage on the cover of the January 29 issue of TIME magazine. The story highlighted the surge in first-time female candidates running for office following the 2016 presidential election.[5] That fall, she won re-election to a full term without opposition.[6]
Neubauer quickly rose within the ranks of the Democratic caucus. She was appointed to the Governor's Task Force on Climate Change by new governor Tony Evers in the fall of 2019.[7] After winning her second full term in 2020, she was appointed to a coveted seat on the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee. This was also a particularly important time for the work of that committee as the state experienced an influx of federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.[8]
Minority leader
editIn December 2021, Democratic Assembly minority leader Gordon Hintz announced he would step down from party leadership. Shortly after the announcement, Neubauer began to consider a run for the leadership post, texting a journalist: "I'm seriously considering a run for minority leader." She formally declared for the position on December 15, 2021;[9] she faced no opposition from within the caucus and was elected Hintz's successor on December 20.[10] At age 30, Neubauer was the youngest caucus leader in the state since a 29-year-old John W. Byrnes served as Senate minority leader in the 1943 term.[11][12] Neubauer was joined in leadership by new assistant minority leader Kalan Haywood—then 22 years old—making them the youngest legislative leadership team in Wisconsin history.[13]
Neubauer's leadership and management skills were significantly tested in the 2023–2024 term. Democrats in Wisconsin had been held to a minority of seats in the Assembly and state Senate since the passage of gerrymandered legislative maps in 2011, but usually had a comfortable margin to protect vetoes issued by Democratic governor Tony Evers. That changed after the 2022 redistricting—carried out by the Wisconsin Supreme Court—which implemented an even more severe gerrymander. Following the 2022 election, Republicans gained a supermajority in the Wisconsin Senate and came within two seats of a supermajority in the Assembly, creating the real risk that the legislature could enact policy by overriding the governor's veto. As minority leader in the Assembly, Neubauer made it a priority to protect the governor's vetoes—that meant holding her caucus united against all veto override votes; it also meant carefully coordinating schedules and absences to avoid a surprise veto override when Democratic members were unavailable for floor votes.[14] The Assembly minority successfully protected Evers's vetoes for the entire regular legislative session, but they remain on alert for the possibility that an extraordinary session could be called in the waning months of the term.[15]
In 2023, a new majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the legislative gerrymander and a new map was adopted in 2024. Neubauer's district was significantly reconfigured. Prior to this redistricting, most of the city of Racine was packed into the 66th district, making the district overwhelmingly Democratic. Under the new plan, Racine was divided between the 62nd district in the north and the 66th district in the south, creating two competitive but Democratic-leaning districts. The new 66th Assembly district also contains the suburban village of Mount Pleasant and the neighboring village of Sturtevant.[16]
Neubauer faces a serious general election challenge in 2024 from Mount Pleasant village president David DeGroot, who has been one of the leading proponents of the Foxconn in Wisconsin project.[16] Neubauer prevailed with 53%, finishing about 2,300 votes ahead of DeGroot.[17]
Personal life
editGreta Neubauer is the second-born of three children of Jeff and Lisa (née Stephens) Neubauer. Jeff is a prominent businessman in Racine, a former member of the State Assembly, and former chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Lisa is a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.[4] Greta Neubauer describes herself as a fifth-generation Racinian.[18]
In a Racine Journal Times op-ed on June 27, 2020, Neubauer came out as queer.[19]
Electoral history
editWisconsin Assembly (2018–present)
edit| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 (special) |
Special Primary |
Dec. 19 (2017) |
Greta Neubauer | Democratic | 1,518 | 53.81% | John Tate II | Dem. | 1,301 | 46.12% | 2,826 | 217 |
| Special[20] | Jan. 16 | Greta Neubauer | Democratic | 831 | 100.0% | --Unopposed-- | 831 | 831 | ||||
| 2018 | General[6] | Nov. 6 | Greta Neubauer (inc) | Democratic | 14,450 | 97.01% | 14,896 | 14,004 | ||||
| 2020 | General[21] | Nov. 3 | Greta Neubauer (inc) | Democratic | 14,522 | 70.17% | Will Leverson | Rep. | 6,131 | 29.63% | 20,694 | 8,391 |
| 2022 | General[22] | Nov. 8 | Greta Neubauer (inc) | Democratic | 11,261 | 76.27% | Carl Hutton | Rep. | 3,338 | 22.61% | 14,765 | 7,923 |
| 2024 | General[17] | Nov. 5 | Greta Neubauer (inc) | Democratic | 15,767 | 53.89% | David DeGroot | Rep. | 13,426 | 45.89% | 29,260 | 2,341 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Representative Greta Neubauer". Wisconsin Legislature. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Torres, Ricardo (December 10, 2017). "Greta Neubauer advocates for labor, the environment". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Torres, Ricardo (December 20, 2017). "Neubauer wins Democratic primary for State Assembly". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Torres, Ricardo (January 27, 2018). "Greta Neubauer is sworn in". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Lieffring, Christina (January 24, 2018). "Greta Neubauer makes the cover of Time magazine". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Canvass Results for 2018 General Election - 11/6/2018 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. February 22, 2019. p. 25. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ "Gov. Evers Announces Legislative Appointments to Governor's Task Force on Climate Change". Office of the Governor of Wisconsin (Press release). October 24, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019 – via GovDelivery.
- ^ Rogan, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Wanggaard, Neubauer to have powerful committee roles in upcoming legislative session". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Rogan, Adam (December 15, 2021). "Greta Neubauer announces she's seeking top Democratic role in state Assembly". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ "Neubauer taking over from Hintz". Wisconsin State Journal. December 21, 2021. p. A3. Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Assembly Dems choose Neubauer, Haywood to lead caucus". Wispolitics.com. December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ White, Laurel (December 20, 2021). "Rep. Greta Neubauer elected new Democratic leader in Wisconsin Assembly". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Marley, Patrick (December 20, 2021). "Assembly Democrats elect Greta Neubauer as leader, moving to younger members to lead caucus". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Wisconsin Watch (August 14, 2023). "Wisconsin Democrats on 'veto watch' in Legislature after Evers blocks 10 bills". PBS Wisconsin. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Spears, Baylor (May 17, 2024). "Legislative session ends without veto overrides". Wisconsin Examiner. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Torres, Ricardo (May 9, 2024). "Mount Pleasant Village President Dave DeGroot to challenge Greta Neubauer for Assembly". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Election Summary Report - General Elect - Racine County - November 05, 2024 (Report). Office of the Clerk of Racine County. November 6, 2024. p. 4. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ Lesk, Sari (November 9, 2017). "Former Mason aide enters race for his Assembly seat". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- ^ Neubauer, State Rep. Greta (June 27, 2020). "Commentary by state Rep. Greta Neubauer: I'm queer and I'm talking about it". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2018 Special Election Assembly District 66 - 1/16/2018 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. January 25, 2018. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. p. 23. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 30, 2022. p. 24. Retrieved October 5, 2024.