Retiring Guy's Digest: 2026 Elections: Wisconsin Democrats look to flip 21st State Senate District

73-year-old GOP incumbent Van Wanggaard is going to have to work his ass off to hold his seat. No re-election waltz this time around.

Top headline: Wisconsin Public Radio, 7/23/2025

Election results and district map: Ballotpedia

Bottom headline: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7/24/2025

Jesse Opoien reports for the Journal Sentinel:

For the first time in more than a decade, Wisconsin Democrats have a fighting chance at winning a majority in the state Senate, with four close seats on the ballot in 2026.

The party wasted no time in its efforts, launching two candidates within weeks of the conclusion of the state budget process — work that, in an unusual turn, included Senate Democrats in negotiations as Republican leaders sought bipartisan votes to pass the spending plan. Republicans currently hold 18 Senate seats to Democrats' 15.

"Everyone agrees that the Wisconsin Senate is the most flippable chamber in the country," Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The main Democratic advantage: The district is no longer gerrymandered to favor Republicans. Implementation of fair maps eliminated the packing of the cities of Racine and Kenosha.