Gretchen Stephens "Greta" Neubauer (/ˈnuːbaʊər/ NOO-bow-ər; born September 13, 1991) is an American politician. A Democrat, she is the minority leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly; she has been a member of the Assembly since January 2018, representing the city of Racine and southeastern Racine County.
Greta Neubauer | |
|---|---|
| Minority Leader of the Wisconsin Assembly | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Gordon Hintz |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 66th district | |
| Assumed office January 27, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Cory Mason |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 13, 1991 Racine, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relatives | Jeff Neubauer (father) Lisa Neubauer (mother) |
| Education | Middlebury College (BA) |
Early life and education
Neubauer attended high school at The Prairie School in Wind Point, Wisconsin. As a student, she helped organize Racine High School Students for Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign. After graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont with a degree in history, Neubauer became director of the nonprofit Fossil Fuel Divestment Student Network, focusing on environmental issues.[1]
Career
In August 2017, Neubauer began working as an aide in the office of then-Representative Cory Mason. Neubauer had previously worked as an intern for Mason and considered him a mentor. During her time with Mason, Neubauer worked closely on the state budget and had a front row seat to the debate on the $2.85 billion incentive package to bring Foxconn to Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin.
Upon the announcement that Mason would resign from the state Assembly effective January 15, 2018 to serve as Mayor of Racine, Neubauer declared her candidacy to fill his seat in the special election. Neubauer defeated Racine Alderman John Tate II in the Democratic primary,[2] and she was unopposed in the general election.
On October 24, 2019, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers appointed Neubauer to the Governor's Task Force on Climate Change.[3] Following the announcement in 2021 that Democratic caucus leader Gordon Hintz would resign from party leadership, Neubauer was unanimously elected to serve as minority leader, starting with the 2021–2023 legislative session.[4] At the start of the 105th legislature, Neubauer and the incoming assistant minority leader, Kalan Haywood, formed the youngest legislative leadership team in Wisconsin history.[5]
Personal life
Neubauer is the daughter of Jeff Neubauer, a former state legislator and chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and Lisa Neubauer, a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. In a Racine Journal Times op-ed on June 27, 2020, Neubauer came out as queer.[6]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, December 19, 2017 | |||||
| Democratic | Greta Neubauer | 1,518 | 53.81% | ||
| Democratic | John Tate II | 1,301 | 46.12% | ||
| Scattering | 2 | 0.07% | |||
| Total votes | 2,826 | 100.0% | |||
| Special Election, January 16, 2018 | |||||
| Democratic | Greta Neubauer | 831 | 100.0% | +18.68% | |
| Total votes | 831 | 100.0% | -95.00% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 6, 2018 | |||||
| Democratic | Greta Neubauer (incumbent) | 14,450 | 97.01% | -2.99% | |
| Scattering | 446 | 2.99% | |||
| Total votes | 14,896 | 100.0% | +1,692.54% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 3, 2020 | |||||
| Democratic | Greta Neubauer (incumbent) | 14,450 | 70.17% | ||
| Republican | Will Leverson | 6,131 | 29.63% | ||
| Scattering | 41 | 0.20% | |||
| Plurality | 8,391 | 40.55% | |||
| Total votes | 20,694 | 100.0% | +38.92% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||