Wisconsin Democrats Cruelly Mock Republican Senator Who Retired Amid Multiple Personal Tragedies

A Democratic Party-linked account mocked a Republican lawmaker’s decision to not seek reelectionfollowing multiple deaths in his family and his daughter’s cancer diagnosis.

Republican Wisconsin State Sen. Van Wanggaard, 73, announced Tuesday that he would not run in November’s election citing personal reasons, his family’s health and his age. On the same day of Wanggaard’s announcement, the Wisconsin Senate Democrats X account posted “Another one bites the dust,” encircling a picture of the Republican lawmaker with the words #OPENTOWORK, appearing to referenceLinkedIn users searching for their next job.

“It’s been 48 hours. I decide to retire to be with my family after 3 siblings died, daughter has Stage 4 cancer, and another brother had a heart attack + more,” Wanggaard wrote on X Thursday afternoon, replying to the post. “It shows that Democrats don’t care about people, only power.”

He went on to call for Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, the top Democrat in the chamber, to “tell her team to take it down.”

The Democratic account’s post is still live as of Friday — three days after it was made. It nevertheless includes a community note from X users stating, “Important Context: He’s retiring because of age/personal tragedy – there is no Dem victory here.”

The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to Hesselbein’s office to ask whether she plans to direct her team to delete the post, but did not immediately receive a response.

As of Friday at 12 p.m. EDT, Wanggaard’s response has 16,000 likes, while the Wisconsin Senate Democrats’ post — which had been online over two days longer — has 185 likes.

“The family health struggles that Van has been dealing with over the last 4 years are well known in the State Senate. Democrats frequently check in with him about his daughter, with sympathy and prayers. Any excuse of ‘we didn’t know’ is patently false,” Scott Kelly, Wanggaard’s Chief of Staff and spokesperson, told the DCNF in a statement.

“Using the term ‘Another one bites the dust…’ in regards to Van’s retirement is grossly insensitive, hurtful and out-of-line given his family’s health. It’s disgusting. They should take the post down and apologize,” Kelly added.

Wanggaard represents a Racine-based swing district which former Vice President Kamala Harris carried by just over one percentage point in the 2024 presidential election, according to data from Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA). His seat had been made significantly more friendly to Democrats following a 2024 mid-decade redistricting plan spearheaded by Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.

The Wisconsin Senate Democrats account’s X bio states, “Working to elect Democrats to the Wisconsin State Senate.” Its listed website is a donation landing page, hosted by Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, soliciting contributions for Wisconisn’s State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC). 

A statement on Wanggaard’s retirement from SSDC’s communications director released Tuesday, did not mention the GOP lawmaker’s stated reason for not seeking reelection.

“Whether we’re talking about the retirement of Rob Hutton, Stephen Nass, Senator Wanggaard, or any others who follow suit, it’s clear that members of the Republican caucus would rather retire than risk losing their seats or serving in a Republican minority,” said in the statement. “Voters across Wisconsin are fed up with the dysfunction and lack of action we’ve seen from Senate Republicans. Democrats will win a majority in the Senate this November and get to work cutting costs, investing in our communities, and creating a strong future for our state.”

The SSDC did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

The nonpartisan Sabato’s Crystal Ball election analysis rates control of both the Wisconsin State Senate and the Wisconsin State Assembly as toss ups. Republicans currently control each chamber.

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