Martha Laning re-elected as Wisconsin Democratic Party chair

MIDDLETON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democrats re-elected Martha Laning to be the head of their state party despite a disastrous 2016 election.

Laning won a second two-year term Saturday during the Democrats' annual convention in Middleton. The State Journal reports she defeated three other candidates: Glendale Mayor Bryan Kennedy, Madison attorney Eric Finch and Joe Donovan, a retired small business owner from Crivitz.

Laning told delegates she plans to boost the party's chances of winning future elections by hiring local organizers.

Wisconsin Democrats suffered crushing loses last year. President Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate to win the state since 1984. Republicans also gained seats in the Legislature, giving them the largest Senate majority since 1971 and the biggest Assembly margin since 1957.