Assembly Republicans reelected Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, as Assembly speaker Tuesday afternoon, successfully fending off a challenge from Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha.
Vos will oversee a slim 54-45 Republican majority in the Assembly next year, down from 64 seats last term. It's the smallest majority under his leadership and the first Legislative term under new legislative maps signed by Gov. Tony Evers earlier this year. Vos declined to release the final vote count, and Allen did not attend Tuesday’s news conference.
Assembly Republicans also retained Rep. Tyler August, R-Walworth, as Majority Leader.
Vos, the longest serving Assembly speaker in Wisconsin, overcame opposition among others within his party and a turbulent relationship with President-elect Donald Trump. Following the 2020 election, Vos drew criticism within the party for declining to challenge the results or impeach nonpartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe.
In 2022, Vos narrowly beat back a primary challenge from Trump-endorsed Adam Steen, winning by just 260 votes.
In 2024, conservative activists launched a recall petition after Vos declined to impeach Wolfe. The effort ultimately fell short, with activists failing to meet the signature requirement to force a recall. Vos was reelected comfortably in the 2024 general election.
Earlier this week, Republicans reelected Devin LeMahieu as the Senate Majority Leader. Republicans lost their supermajority in the Senate and now hold a narrow 18-15 majority.
Vos laid out his plans for the new term at a news conference Tuesday.
He said the Assembly’s “not in a rush” to spend the state’s record surplus. Instead, Republicans will focus on fighting inflation and “putting the money [Wisconsinites] overpaid back in their wallets,” Vos said.
On abortion, Vos told reporters he wants a statewide referendum to decide the future of abortion access, and though the issue is “important,” he doesn’t think it was “top of mind” for most voters in 2024.
“They were worried about the price of eggs and how am I going to afford rent, and what are we going to do about making sure that we have enough money to be able to buy a new house, things that I think were much more economic faced,” Vos said.
Vos also doesn’t think the election results mean Republicans need to govern differently, citing Trump’s win statewide. Instead, Vos said his job is the same as it was before: uniting his party around conservative “consensus.”
“I'd be curious when you ask the Democrats at the same press conference, what are the areas that you're going to look like you reflect Wisconsin that President Trump carried? Are you going to work with them to cut taxes? Are you going to work with them to reduce regulations? Are you going to find a way to say that we can't afford all the spending that you promised during the campaign?” Vos said.
Vos also briefly addressed Wisconsin’s election system, saying it “by and large worked well” in 2024. Newly elected Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, agreed, but he said delays at Milwaukee’s central count location made it “apparent” Republicans “have to do something” about Milwaukee absentee ballot processing.
Krug praised Florida’s system, which allows absentee ballots to be processed and counted before Election Day, saying he “hopes to get support to do something similar.”
Nick Bumgardner is a senior staff writer at The Daily Cardinal covering state news and politics. You can follow him on Twitter at @nickbum_.
