{"id":2582641,"date":"2026-03-22T15:07:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T19:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-dems-cruelly-mock-retired-republican-senator-suffering-multiple-personal-tragedies\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T15:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T19:10:49","slug":"wisconsin-dems-cruelly-mock-retired-republican-senator-suffering-multiple-personal-tragedies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-dems-cruelly-mock-retired-republican-senator-suffering-multiple-personal-tragedies\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin Dems Cruelly Mock Retired Republican Senator Suffering Multiple Personal Tragedies"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwisconsin-dems-cruelly-mock-retired-republican-senator-suffering-multiple-personal-tragedies%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2582641&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Daily Caller News Foundation report describes a controversy in Wisconsin politics surrounding the retirement of Republican State Senator Van Wanggaard after personal and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >family health tragedies<\/a>. On the same day he announced he would not seek re-election, a Wisconsin Senate Democrats X <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/reports-dominion-machines-breaking-down-in-several-georgia-gop-precincts-voters-told-workers-will-scan-ballots-later\/\" title=\"Reports: Dominion Machines Breaking Down in Several Georgia GOP Precincts; Voters Told Workers Will Scan Ballots Later\">account posted<\/a> a mocking message that referenced LinkedIn\u2019s \u201cOpen to Work\u201d and drew a note explaining the context, prompting wanggaard to criticize Democrats for caring only about power. The post remained online for days, while Wanggaard\u2019s supporters argued the retirement was due to age and family illness, and his staff urged the Democrats to remove the post. The piece notes Wanggaard represents a swing district and discusses how redistricting has affected its political leanings, with analysts at Sabato\u2019s Crystal Ball rating both Wisconsin chambers as toss-ups. It also includes responses from the Wisconsin Senate Democratic Committee and follow-up coverage about campaign dynamics in the state.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A Democratic Party-linked account mocked a Republican lawmaker&rsquo;s decision to not seek reelection<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>following multiple deaths in his family and his daughter&rsquo;s cancer diagnosis.Republican Wisconsin State Sen. Van Wanggaard, 73, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wkow.com\/news\/state\/state-sen-van-wanggaard-to-retire-ending-historic-tenure-in-wisconsin\/article_6aa9fc4d-1113-476d-a973-d4c39f035135.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">announced<\/a> Tuesday that he would not run in November&rsquo;s election citing personal reasons, his family&rsquo;s health and his age.<\/p>\n<p>On the same day of Wanggaard&rsquo;s announcement, the Wisconsin Senate Democrats X account <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/WISenateDems\/status\/2033965307081932930\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted<\/a> &ldquo;Another one bites the dust,&rdquo; encircling a picture of the Republican lawmaker with the words #OPENTOWORK, appearing to reference<b> <\/b>LinkedIn users searching for their next job.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been 48 hours. I decide to retire to be with my family after 3 siblings died, daughter has Stage 4 cancer, and another brother had a heart attack + more,&rdquo; Wanggaard wrote on X Thursday afternoon, replying to the post. &ldquo;It shows that Democrats don&rsquo;t care about people, only power.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He went on to call for Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, the top Democrat in the chamber, to &ldquo;tell her team to take it down.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic account&rsquo;s post is still live as of Friday &mdash; three days after it was made. It nevertheless includes a community note from X users stating, &ldquo;Important Context: He&rsquo;s retiring because of age\/personal tragedy &ndash; there is no Dem victory here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>The Daily Caller News Foundation reached out to Hesselbein&rsquo;s office to ask whether she plans to direct her team to delete the post, but did not immediately receive a response.<\/p>\n<p>As of Friday at 12 p.m. EDT, Wanggaard&rsquo;s response has 16,000 likes, while the Wisconsin Senate Democrats&rsquo; post &mdash; which had been online over two days longer &mdash; has 185 likes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The family health struggles that Van has been dealing with over the last 4 years are well known in the State Senate. Democrats frequently check in with him about his daughter, with sympathy and prayers. Any excuse of &lsquo;we didn&rsquo;t know&rsquo; is patently false,&rdquo; Scott Kelly, Wanggaard&rsquo;s Chief of Staff and spokesperson, told the DCNF in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Using the term &lsquo;Another one bites the dust&hellip;&rsquo; in regards to Van&rsquo;s retirement is grossly insensitive, hurtful and out-of-line given his family&rsquo;s health. It&rsquo;s disgusting. They should take the post down and apologize,&rdquo; Kelly added.<\/p>\n<p>Wanggaard represents a Racine-based swing district which former Vice President Kamala Harris carried by just over one percentage point in the 2024 presidential election, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/davesredistricting.org\/maps#viewmap::1d0da539-5574-428f-8f96-6238b9509ea6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">data<\/a> from Dave&rsquo;s Redistricting App (DRA). His seat had been made significantly more friendly to Democrats following a 2024 mid-decade redistricting plan spearheaded by Democratic Wisconsin Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/07\/24\/tony-evers-retires-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tony Evers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Wisconsin Senate Democrats account&rsquo;s X <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/WISenateDems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bio<\/a> states, &ldquo;Working to elect Democrats to the Wisconsin State Senate.&rdquo; Its listed website is a donation landing page, hosted by Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, soliciting contributions for Wisconisn&rsquo;s <span class=\"recipient\">State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC).&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wispolitics.com\/2026\/state-senate-democratic-committee-statements-on-sen-wanggaards-retirement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statement<\/a> on Wanggaard&rsquo;s retirement from SSDC&rsquo;s communications director released Tuesday, did not mention the GOP lawmaker&rsquo;s stated reason for not seeking reelection.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Whether we&rsquo;re talking about the retirement of Rob Hutton, Stephen Nass, Senator Wanggaard, or any others who follow suit, it&rsquo;s clear that members of the Republican caucus would rather retire than risk losing their seats or serving in a Republican minority,&rdquo; said in the statement. &ldquo;Voters across Wisconsin are fed up with the dysfunction and lack of action we&rsquo;ve seen from Senate Republicans. Democrats will win a majority in the Senate this November and get to work cutting costs, investing in our communities, and creating a strong future for our state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The SSDC did not immediately respond to the DCNF&rsquo;s request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The nonpartisan Sabato&rsquo;s <em>Crystal Ball&nbsp;<\/em>election analysis <a href=\"https:\/\/centerforpolitics.org\/crystalball\/handicapping-the-2026-state-legislative-map-a-first-look\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rates<\/a> control of both the Wisconsin State Senate and the Wisconsin State Assembly as toss ups. Republicans currently control each chamber.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/union-membership-plummets-to-record-low\/\" title=\"Union Membership Plummets to Record Low\">legitimate news publisher<\/a> that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Democratic-aligned X account mocked Republican state Sen. Van Wanggaard\u2019s decision not to seek reelection, linking it to multiple family tragedies and his daughter\u2019s cancer diagnosis. Wanggaard, 73, announced on Tuesday that he would not run in November, citing personal reasons, his family\u2019s health, and his age. On the same day, the Wisconsin Senate Democrats posted a message around a photo with the caption \u201cAnother one bites the dust\u201d and the hashtag #OPENTOWORK, seemingly referencing people searching for new jobs. Wanggaard replied that he was retiring to be with his family and criticized Democrats for caring only about power. He also urged Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein to have her team remove the post. The Democrats\u2019 post remained online for several days and included a note stating that the retirement was due to age and personal tragedy, not a Democratic victory. The Daily Caller News Foundation contacted Hesselbein\u2019s office for comment but did not receive an immediate reply. By Friday, Wanggaard\u2019s post had far more engagement than the Democrats\u2019 post. Wanggaard represents a Racine-area district that became more favorable to Democrats after a 2024 redistricting. The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has promoted electing Democrats to the Wisconsin Senate and maintains a fundraising page; its spokesperson did not respond to the DCNF\u2019s request for comment. The article also notes that Sabato\u2019s Crystal Ball rates control of both Wisconsin chambers as toss-ups<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2582642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7280.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[76338,76339,44071],"class_list":["post-2582641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democratic-response","tag-retired-senator","tag-wisconsin-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_7280.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582641"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582641\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2582645,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582641\/revisions\/2582645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2582642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}