Madison Reporter

Twelve years in the teeth of Wisconsin state politics is apparently enough for Janet Bewley. The current Senate minority leader has decided not to seek re-election.

“After four years in the Assembly and almost eight years in the Senate, it is time for me to make way for a new generation of progressive and pragmatic leaders from a part of the state that has produced so many,” Bewley said in a statement.

Bewley, the Senate assistant minority leader since 2017, became the Democratic Senate leader after then-leader Jennifer Shilling announced in April 2020 that she would not seek another term after serving two decades in the Legislature. Bewley has said when her term expires she will spend more time with her retired husband, children and grandchildren.

“Janet has given a lot to the people of her district and our state over the course of her career, and her impact will be felt for years to come,” Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer said in a statement. “I am so thankful to have been able to work alongside her in serving the people of Wisconsin.”

Bewley represents District 25, an office she assumed in 2015 and won re-election in 2018. Her current term ends Jan. 3, 2023. She has served as Senate minority leader since April 24, 2020. She has also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly where she represented District 74 from 2010 to 2015.