Sen. Van Wanggaard is stepping away from the political spotlight, telling supporters Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, a move that instantly transforms his Racine-area Senate district into one of Wisconsin’s hottest political prizes. The 21st Senate District, which covers the north half of Racine County and the southwest corner of Milwaukee County, will be an open seat, and Racine transit and mobility director Trevor Jung has already jumped in as a Democratic candidate.
Wanggaard cast his decision in deeply personal terms, saying, “My head is telling me it’s time to retire,” and pointing to the loss of three siblings, a daughter’s stage-4 cancer diagnosis, and other family health struggles as reasons it is time to leave public life. In the same statement, he also took aim at recent Democratic policy priorities and highlighted his own conservative record in the Legislature, as well as his compensation and pension arrangements, details that were laid out by Urban Milwaukee.
First elected to the Senate in 2010, Wanggaard was recalled in 2012 and then won the seat back in 2014, building a brand centered on public safety and victims’ rights. Before his Capitol career, he spent nearly three decades in law enforcement and went on to chair the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee. That trajectory from patrol to power has been a defining theme in coverage of his political identity, as noted by Isthmus.
Why the maps matter
Under the state’s new legislative maps, the 21st District is no longer the lock it once was. An analysis by Marquette University Law School researcher John D. Johnson finds that the redrawn district now leans slightly Democratic when you plug in recent statewide results. Johnson did that by apportioning votes from the 2024 presidential and U.S. Senate contests, along with the April 2025 state Supreme Court race, into the new district lines to estimate its partisan tilt. His breakdown suggests this is a genuinely competitive seat that either party could capture in 2026.
Who’s running
Trevor Jung, who oversees Racine’s transit system and previously served on the city council, launched his campaign last fall and has already been endorsed by state Democratic leaders as their preferred candidate for the seat. Coverage by WISN detailed Jung’s rollout and the backing he received from party leadership.
On the Republican side, the field is still wide open, although no one expects the GOP to simply surrender a long-held seat. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a longtime friend of Wanggaard’s, issued a statement praising the senator’s years of public service and wishing him well in retirement. That tribute was released via a statement from Robin Vos.
Political stakes
Wanggaard’s exit gives Democrats another opening in a year when control of the Wisconsin Senate is very much in play. They need only a net gain of two seats to flip the chamber, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. WPR’s look at fundraising and the new battleground map puts the 21st among a short list of races that are likely to decide who runs the Senate after 2026. With a more favorable map and an already-declared Democratic contender, party strategists on both sides are treating this one as an early priority.
What’s next
The partisan primary is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11, 2026, and the general election will follow on November 3, 2026, according to state and county election calendars and campus voting resources such as UW-Stout. Between now and then, would-be senators face months of filing deadlines, fundraising calls, and shoe-leather campaigning.
Party committees are expected to scrutinize early finance reports and start building out ground operations in the district, particularly in Racine and the southwestern Milwaukee suburbs. As the field fills in and the money starts to flow, voters in the 21st can expect to hear a lot more from both parties about who should inherit Wanggaard’s long-held seat.
