Speaker Robin Vos will continue serving as the Wisconsin Assembly’s top Republican for yet another term after being re-elected by his caucus on Tuesday.
Vos is the longest-serving Assembly speaker in state history. He was first elected to the Legislature in 2004 and first elected speaker in 2013.
Vos will enter a new legislative session in January with the smallest GOP majority in the Assembly since he became speaker. Democrats gained ground in the state Legislature earlier this month under new, more competitive legislative maps that were passed into law this spring.
In recent years, Vos’ tenure has been marked by policy battles with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. In the last legislative session, GOP lawmakers withheld pay raises for Universities of Wisconsin employees in order to force the university system to make cuts to its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Watch: Assembly Republicans reelect Vos as speaker
Assembly Republicans reelect Vos as speaker
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Vos said one of his top priorities in the upcoming session is returning the state’s budget surplus to taxpayers, instead of investing it into new programs.