Wisconsin Democrats Cruelly Mock Republican Senator Who Retired Amid Multiple Personal Tragedies
An account linked to the Democratic Party mocked a Republican lawmaker’s decision not to run for re-election following multiple deaths in his family and his daughter’s cancer diagnosis.
Republican Wisconsin state Sen. Van Wanggaard, 73, announced Tuesday that he will not run in the November election, citing personal reasons, his family’s health and his age. The same day as Wanggaard’s announcement, Wisconsin Senate Democrats’ X-account posted “Another one bites the dust,” circling a photo of the Republican lawmaker with the words #OPENTOWORK, appearing to refer to LinkedIn users looking for their next job.
“It’s been 48 hours. I decided to retire to be with my family after three siblings died, my daughter had stage 4 cancer and another brother had a heart attack and more,” Wanggaard wrote on X Thursday afternoon, in response to the post. “This shows that Democrats don’t care about people, only about power.”
He then called on Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, the chamber’s top Democrat, to “tell her team to take it down.”
It’s been 48 hours. I decide to retire to be with my family after 3 siblings died, my daughter has stage 4 cancer and another brother had a heart attack + more
This shows that Democrats don’t care about people, only about power. @SenHesselbein should tell his team to remove him. https://t.co/fCQWY2wkBu
–Van Wanggaard (@Vanwanggaard) March 19, 2026
The Democratic account’s post was still online as of Friday, three days after it was published. It does, however, include a note from the X user community stating: “Important context: He is retiring due to age or personal tragedy – there is no Democratic victory here.” »
The Daily Caller News Foundation contacted Hesselbein’s office to ask if she would consider asking her team to remove the post, but did not immediately receive a response.
As of noon PDT Friday, Wanggaard’s response had 16,000 likes, while the Wisconsin Senate Democrats’ post — which had been live for two more days — had 185 likes.
“The family health issues Van has faced over the past four years are well known in the State Senate. Democrats frequently ask 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 DCNF in a statement.
“Using the term ‘Another one bites the dust…’ in regards to Van’s retirement is completely insensitive, hurtful and inappropriate given his family’s health. It’s disgusting. They should delete the post and apologize,” Kelly added.
Wanggaard represents a Racine-based swing district that former Vice President Kamala Harris won by just over a percentage point in the 2024 presidential election, according to data from Dave’s Redistricting App (DRA). His seat was made much friendlier to Democrats following a mid-2024 redistricting plan led by Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Tony Evers speaks on stage during the 2025 Wisconsin Democrats convention at the Chula Vista Resort on June 14, 2025 in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for the Wisconsin Democratic Party)
The Wisconsin Senate Democrats’ bio » Its listed website is a donations landing page, hosted by Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, soliciting contributions for Wisconsin. State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC).
A statement on Wanggaard’s retirement as SSDC communications director released Tuesday did not mention the Republican lawmaker’s reason for not running for reelection.
“Whether it is the retirement of Rob Hutton, Stephen Nass, Senator Wanggaard or anyone else who follows suit, it is clear that members of the Republican caucus would rather retire than risk losing their seats or serving in a Republican minority,” the statement said. “Wisconsin voters are fed up with the dysfunction and lack of action we’ve seen from Senate Republicans. Democrats will win the Senate majority in November and get to work cutting costs, investing in our communities and creating a strong future for our state.”
SSDC did not immediately respond to DCNF’s request for comment.
The non-partisan Sabato crystal ball election analysis rates control of the Wisconsin State Senate and Wisconsin State Assembly as toss-ups. Republicans currently control every chamber.
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