Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Greta Neubauer, Wisconsin State Assembly, District 66

Today we are continuing with our profiles of our favorite progressive candidates in 2024, and we are pleased to be highlighting someone who is the leader of their caucus in the body that they serve in.

Greta Neubauer (she/her/hers), is a millennial representative in the Wisconsin State Assembly, where she currently serves as the youngest minority leader in Wisconsin legislative history, a role she has served in since January 2022. Greta is also the first openly queer caucus leader. She is passionate about LGBTQ+ rights, addressing climate change, protecting democracy, and creating a state where everyone can thrive!

Where are you based?
Racine, WI. I was born and raised in Racine!

What is your position?
Assembly Democratic Leader, Representative for the 66th Assembly District in Wisconsin.

How would you briefly summarize your platform?
I want to help create a state where no matter where you live, what you look like, or who you love, you can thrive and feel like you belong in our state. That includes:

i. Strengthening our public schools so every child can receive a great education

ii. Fighting for working families and addressing kitchen table issues so everyone can find meaningful work and retire with dignity

iii. Combating climate change and growing an resilient, equitable, green economy in Wisconsin

iv. Reducing racial and economic disparities so that everyone can thrive in our state

What inspired you to run?
I saw Wisconsin deliver Trump to the White House and the GOP-led Legislature harming my community in Racine. As someone who grew up around politics and an experienced organizer, I felt that I had something to contribute to the movement to restore our rights and freedoms and strengthen our democracy in Wisconsin.

What change are you hoping to bring to your district and country?
There are many important issues that folks in Racine County are asking us to address — funding our public schools, creating good, sustainable jobs, increasing access to affordable housing and quality healthcare, and more. My goal is to advocate for policy that will help everyone have the opportunity to thrive in our state.

How long have you been in office? What do you consider to be your major accomplishments so far?
I was first elected to the State Assembly in 2018 and was unanimously elected to be the Assembly Democratic Leader in 2021 and again in 2022. One of our most important tasks this session was preventing Legislative Republicans from moving our state backward. By protecting Governor Evers’ veto, we kept extreme legislation from becoming law in Wisconsin. Thanks to our work with Governor Evers, we prevented a number of bad bills from becoming law, including discriminatory prohibitions on gender-affirming care and LGBTQ rights, and regressive tax cuts that benefitted millionaires and billionaires, not working people.

What do you feel are the most important issues right now, why, and how do you plan to tackle them?
Two critical issues facing Wisconsin are protecting our democracy and tackling climate change. Recently, we have seen real threats facing our democracy in Wisconsin. With fake electors, threats of impeachment of a duly elected Supreme Court Justice, and outright lies about our elections, we need to be doing more to combat misinformation and strengthen access to the ballot box for eligible voters.

In Racine County and across the state, we have also seen the effects of climate change — from communities up-north losing millions of dollars from winter tourism due to lack of snow, to lakefront communities seeing their shoreline eroding, there is much more to be done to mitigate climate change and build more resilient communities.

America is extremely divided these days. How would you hope to bridge that divide with your constituents to better unite Americans?
It is critically important to listen to one another and find the values we share. When I’m out knocking on voters’ doors, it is clear to me that most people want the same things, but some politicians are working to divide us in order to consolidate their own power. We must strengthen our democracy, fight misinformation, pass policies that improve peoples’ lives, and demonstrate that government can be a force for good.

How do you see your unique identity and background to be an asset to you in office?
Representation is important in many ways, and I hope that as a young person, woman, and member of the LGBTQ+ community, I am able to bring important perspectives to the table!

What is your motto in life?
Do your part!

Where can we find out more about you?
You can find me at @RepGreta on Instagram and X, and Wisconsin State Representative Greta Neubauer on Facebook - or you can visit my website!