MADISON – The Republican leader of the state Senate announced Thursday he won’t seek reelection, marking the latest in a string of retirements of prominent GOP lawmakers.
Sen. Devin LeMahieu, a Republican from Oostburg, said in a statement March 19 he would not seek another term in the seat he has held since 2015.
LeMahieu was elected majority leader, the most senior leadership position in the state Senate, in 2020.
“Serving in the State Senate has been the privilege of a lifetime, and I’m proud of our accomplishments,” LeMahieu said in a statement.
“However, the time has come for a new chapter in my life.”
LeMahieu said he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife in a new home near Madison and “for the first time since 2006, rooting for bold conservative reform from the sidelines.”
LeMahieu is the second top Republican to announce his intention to leave the GOP-controlled state Legislature.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos earlier this year announced he would retire at the end of his current term.
LeMahieu leaves the state Senate at a time when Democrats have the best chance they have had in more than a decade to take control of the house following the implementation of new electoral maps that reduce the advantage Republicans have had for about a decade.
With the departures of LeMahieu, Vos and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who announced his intention to retire as well, the state Capitol will see a brand new group of state government leaders come January 2027 for the first time in 15 years.
Evers, in a statement, said he enjoyed working with LeMahieu “and his quiet and polite but frank approach to our work together.”
“For the past five years he’s served as majority leader, we’ve navigated difficult issues facing the state of Wisconsin, and we’ve gotten good work done together by putting politics aside and staying focused on doing the right thing. So much of what we’ve accomplished could not have been done without Majority Leader LeMahieu’s patience and persistence,” Evers said.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Senate leader Devin LeMahieu won’t seek reelection
Reporting by Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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