Yesterday, DNC Chair Ken Martin hosted a press call alongside Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler and Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, touting the stunning overperformances of Florida Democrats Gay Valimont and Josh Weil, and Susan Crawford\u2019s victory in Wisconsin\u2019s Supreme Court race. The chairs highlighted Democrats\u2019 momentum heading into November elections in 2025 and 2026. This Tuesday\u2019s elections were a referendum on Trump and Musk\u2019s unpopular, dangerous agenda \u2013 and voters made their rejection of it loud and clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take a look at the coverage highlights below: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hill<\/strong><\/a>: Breaking down the Wisconsin, Florida special elections<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Julia Manchester and Caroline Vakil, 4\/3\/25] <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Republicans everywhere can no longer deny the toxicity of Trump 2.0,\u2019 Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin told reporters on Wednesday, predicting a possible \u2018blue wave\u2019 in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFlorida state Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried added that Tuesday\u2019s results should \u2018send shivers\u2019 down the spines of every Republican running in a district who won by 15 points. \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, on the other hand, argued Musk gives Democrats a boost at the ballot box. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Elon Musk\u2019s money might buy some ads, but it repels voters,\u2019 Wikler said. \u201c\u2018I hope he stays at the White House with Donald Trump.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Florida Politics<\/strong><\/a>: Nikki Fried says Special Election overperformance lays groundwork for future Dem success<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Jacob Ogles, 4\/2\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFried the next day participated in a Democratic National Committee (DNC) press call with DNC Chair Ken Martin to tout the overperformance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeeing President Donald Trump hold telerallies for both candidates showed Florida Democrats can still get national Republicans\u2019 attention, she said. \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMartin, while touting the victory of a Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice over a conservative publicly championed by billionaire Elon Musk, also saw good things from the election results in Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Last night\u2019s Special Elections in Florida showed Trump, Musk and Republicans that they\u2019re in trouble in even the reddest of districts,\u2019 Martin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Democrat Gay Valimont claimed the best performance from a Democrat in Florida\u2019s 1st Congressional District this century, and became the first Democrat in almost two decades to flip Pensacola. In Florida\u2019s 6th, Democrat Josh Weil secured a massive overperformance in this Trump plus-30 district and validated Republicans\u2019 widely covered concerns about Republican candidate Randy Fine.\u2019 \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFried said this year\u2019s Special Elections will lay the groundwork for strong performance in the Midterms next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018People are coming out of their homes, wanting to be part of this revival of the Democratic Party and this retaking back of our state,\u2019 she said. \u2018These important elections are a message test. It is an opportunity to organize, to galvanize our base, but also to make sure that we are creating this momentum going into the \u201826 actual elections year,\u2019 she said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington Examiner<\/strong><\/a>: Elon Musk fans GOP anxiety with off-year election performance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Christian Datoc, Samantha-Jo Roth, Ramsey Touchberry and Rachel Schilke, 4\/3\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDemocratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin, Wisconsin party Chairman Ben Wikler, and Florida party Chairwoman Nikki Fried similarly targeted Musk on a Wednesday press call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Voters gave us the clearest evidence yet that Elon Musk and Donald Trump are on the ropes,\u2019 Martin stated. \u2018Musk poured tens of millions of dollars into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, promoted a million-dollar giveaway, and he gave his favorite candidate a microphone on his social media platform X, all as Tesla prepared for the possibility of hearings in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Yes, Wisconsin voters decisively rejected his influence and chose people over billionaires. It wasn\u2019t even close.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFried argued that, despite Democrats losing both the 6th Congressional District special election and another in the 1st District, Florida was back in play for the midterm elections, and it was beyond thanks to a highly motivated grassroots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Instead of trying to buy votes like Elon Musk,\u2019 she explained, \u2018we put a down payment on our future, and we\u2019re going to make Republicans pay for it in the long run.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWikler took a shot at Musk directly, gleefully declaring that \u2018Democrats are back\u2019 after donning a cheesehead of his own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Semafor<\/strong><\/a>: How Democrats found their voters again<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [David Weigel, 4\/2\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLast month, Wisconsin GOP chairman Brian Schimming said that Judge Brad Schimel would win if 60% of Donald Trump\u2019s 2024 voters came out to support him. At a rally in Waukesha County, former Gov. Scott Walker set another benchmark; if \u2018roughly 200,000\u2019 Trump voters who typically skipped off-year elections could be turned out, Schimel would \u2018win in a landslide.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRepublicans hit those targets. Schimel ran nearly 250,000 votes ahead of Daniel Kelly, the party\u2019s 2023 court nominee, whose reluctance to take support from the GOP itself became a model of how not to win. As of Wednesday morning, Schimel\u2019s vote was equal to around 63% of Trump\u2019s 2024 vote in Wisconsin, when he edged past Kamala Harris to win the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018They got enough votes to win the 2023 Supreme Court race, but they were fighting the last war,\u2019 Democratic Party of Wisconsin chairman Ben Wikler told reporters on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSchimel lost because Democrats broke their own turnout records, too. Judge Susan Crawford ran nearly 280,000 votes ahead of Janet Protasiewicz, the 2023 candidate who defeated Kelly. Crawford\u2019s total vote was equal to 78% of the ballots cast for Harris last year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Florida Phoenix<\/strong><\/a>: Democrats try to make the most out of Tuesday night\u2019s election results in Florida<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Mitch Perry, 4\/2\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018These races should have never been competitive, but we outworked them,\u2019 Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a Zoom call Wednesday afternoon, referring to the candidacies of Democratic candidates Gay Valimont in Congressional District 1 and Josh Weil in Congressional District 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018We outraised them and we slashed their margins by more than half,\u2019 Fried added. \u2018And they panicked. They had to call Daddy [Donald Trump], hosting emergency town halls, slashing last-minute cash and even sacrificing [New York U.S. Rep. Elise] Stefanik\u2019s nomination [as U.N. ambassador] to protect their very slim majority.\u2019 \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFried … saying that the Florida outcome \u2018is a warning sign for Republicans in Florida and around the country, and it should send shivers to the spine of any Republican, in an R-plus-15 seat or below. There are no more safe seats in Florida.\u2019 \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDemocratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin promised that the resources the party brought to the Florida races will continue into next year\u2019s midterms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018You\u2019re going to continue to witness a level of aggressive investment in organizing from this DNC that\u2019s unlike anything that we\u2019ve done before,\u2019 he said on the Zoom call, organized by the DNC. \u2018Last night\u2019s special elections in Florida show Trump, Musk, and Republicans that they\u2019re in trouble even in the reddest districts.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Business Insider<\/strong><\/a>: Democrats want Elon Musk to keep hitting the campaign trail<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Bryan Metzger and Brent D. Griffiths, 4\/2\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBen Wikler, the chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, told reporters on a Wednesday press call that Musk should become President Donald Trump’s \u2018special envoy for midterm elections.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018At the same time, Elon Musk should be removed as quickly as possible from any position of power over the federal government,\u2019 Wikler added, referring to the billionaire businessman’s role as the de facto leader of DOGE. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Elon Musk’s money might buy some ads, but it repels voters,\u2019 Wikler said. Polling has broadly shown that Musk is less popular than Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKen Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, also mentioned Musk on the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018The more Elon Musk wants to get out there, I say go for it Elon,\u2019 Martin said. \u2018There are plenty of other states we would love you to campaign in.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n USA Today<\/strong><\/a>: Democrats stopped being dupes for Trump and Musk. Wisconsin made sure of that. | Opinion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Chris Brennan, 4\/3\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSpeaking on the conference call with Wikler, Fried said Democrats overperforming in \u2018ruby red\u2019 Republican districts sends a signal about the 2026 midterm elections in more competitive districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018We’ve got a lot of races here in Florida that I know they’re starting to sweat a little bit today,\u2019 Fried said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWikler expects the same political perspiration in Wisconsin and other states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018There are a lot of Republican members of Congress who might wonder how they would fare if the political needle moves 15 points nationwide,\u2019 he added. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018For Elon Musk to tie himself to Republican candidates is the political kiss of death,\u2019 Wikler said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKen Martin, the new chair of the Democratic National Committee, hosted the media call. Like Wikler, Martin hopes the Republicans keep trotting out Musk as the face of their party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018He’s one of the most unpopular people in the country right now,\u2019 Martin said of Musk. \u2018So the more Elon Musk wants to get out there, I say, go for it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Independent<\/strong><\/a>: Trump just watched a referendum on Elon Musk and DOGE. He should be worried<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [John Bowden, 4\/2\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Elon Musk made this a referendum on himself. [Brad] Schimel tried to make it a referendum on Donald Trump,\u2019 declared a triumphant Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, after the results came in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWikler, along with Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried, was set to host a press conference Wednesday afternoon touting the results alongside the Democrats\u2019 new national chair, Ken Martin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018The voters\u2019 verdict sends a resounding message: Wisconsin\u2019s supreme court election demonstrates Musk and Trump have gone too far, and any politician allied with them could swiftly face the end of their political career,\u2019 he added.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Associated Press<\/strong><\/a>: Democrats demoralized by Trump get a boost from Wisconsin voters and Cory Booker\u2019s speech<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Steve Peoples, 4\/2\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Elon Musk and Donald Trump are on the ropes,\u2019 charged Ken Martin, the newly elected chair of the Democratic National Committee. \u2018We\u2019re just getting started.\u2019 \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndeed, talking points distributed by the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday reinforced that notion while pointing to what the committee described as \u2018an undeniable trend\u2019 after recent lower-profile Democratic victories in Virginia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018In 2025, Democrats continue to overperform in special elections as voters send a resounding message: They want Democrats to fight for them, and they want the Trump-Musk agenda out of their communities,\u2019 the talking points read.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fox 35 Orlando<\/strong><\/a>: Florida Democrats view special congressional election results as encouraging, despite loss<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Marie Edinger, 4\/2\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe beat out his Democratic opponent by about 14 percentage points in Tuesday\u2019s special election. Florida\u2019s Democratic Party Chair, Nikki Fried, is saying that\u2019s a surprising and comparatively narrow margin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Even if we weren\u2019t to have an actual electoral win last night, that moving the needle in Florida in these very ruby-red districts showed the nation what is possible \u2014 not just in Florida, but across the country,\u2019 Fried said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n AlterNet<\/strong><\/a>: Republicans ‘are at a disadvantage’ as GOP ‘can no longer deny the toxicity of Trump’: analysts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Ailia Zehra, 4\/3\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDemocratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin said Wednesday Republicans cannot deny \u2018the toxicity of Trump 2.0,\u2019 predicting a possible \u2018blue wave\u2019 in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Republicans everywhere can no longer deny the toxicity of Trump 2.0,\u2019 Martin told reporters on Wednesday, adding that Democrats might make major gains in 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n MeidasTouch News<\/strong><\/a>: Musk To Step Back From Trump White House After Electoral Defeat in Wisconsin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Troy Matthews, 4\/3\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018Please, Elon. Don’t go,\u2019 DNC Chair Ken Martin said sarcastically on a call to reporters Wednesday, stating in no uncertain terms that Democrats attribute their string of special election victories since November, including Tuesday in Wisconsin, to the Musk\/DOGE effect. Americans are increasingly disapproving of the richest man in the world running roughshod through the federal government at great expense to services for working people and retirees, as well his attempt to meddle in elections by heavily funding Republican candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Washington Post<\/strong><\/a>: What the parties learned from Florida and Wisconsin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [Patrick Svitek and Meryl Kornfield, 4\/3\/25]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2018It\u2019s clear that when Elon Musk comes to town, Republicans should flee in panic, and for that reason, I hope that Elon Musk stays extremely involved in Republican politics,\u2019 Ben Wikler, the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, told reporters on a Democratic National Committee call while wearing his own cheese hat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n