WI delegation power ranking

Gwen Moore▲ Rising

Moore turned her own biography — a Milwaukee kid on welfare who became a Marquette honors grad — into the moral center of her floor speeches on poverty and reproductive rights, most memorably her raw 2022 remarks after the Dobbs leak. Nearly two decades representing Wisconsin's most diverse district have made her an institution rather than a headline chaser. She ranks high for substance and staying power, even if cable news covers her less than the delegation's provocateurs.

Party: DemocratChamber: HouseIJR mentions: 0

added by IJRGwen Moore

Tammy Baldwin▲ Rising

She became the first openly gay person elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, then proved it wasn't a fluke by winning reelection twice in a state that split its ticket for Trump — a feat that makes her the delegation's most durable statewide brand. Her fingerprints are on the CHIPS Act and Buy American provisions, giving her a governing record to match the historic 'first.' That combination of trailblazer status and legislative grind earns her the top spot.

Party: DemocratChamber: SenateIJR mentions: 1

added by IJRin 3 rankingsTammy Baldwin

Glenn Grothman▲ Rising

Grothman built a reputation in Madison and then Washington as the guy who says the quiet part loud, from dismissing early voting's legitimacy to musing about Kwanzaa's origins on the House floor — comments that generate IJR clicks even when they generate constituent headaches. He's been a reliable conservative vote for a decade, but he's ranked here mainly because his gaffes, not his bills, are what Wisconsin remembers. A middle-of-the-pack seat for a middle-of-the-pack legislator with an outsized talent for controversy.

Party: RepublicanChamber: HouseIJR mentions: 0

added by IJRGlenn Grothman

Tony Wied▲ Rising

Wied is the delegation's newest and least-tested member, a gas-station-chain owner who rode a Trump endorsement to Mike Gallagher's old northeastern Wisconsin seat in 2024 after Gallagher's abrupt resignation scrambled the race. He hasn't had time to author a signature moment, so his ranking is pure potential-and-proximity-to-power, not accomplishment. Where he lands next cycle depends entirely on whether he becomes a workhorse or just another loyal vote.

Party: RepublicanChamber: HouseIJR mentions: 0

added by IJRTony Wied

Bryan Steil▲ Rising

Inheriting Paul Ryan's seat was supposed to make Steil a placeholder, but chairing the House Administration Committee put him in charge of election-law fights and, awkwardly, presiding over procedural matters tied to Jan. 6 certification. He's built a low-drama, establishment-Republican profile that keeps winning a competitive district without ever becoming a national name. Steady and institutional, he ranks in the middle for competence without spectacle.

Party: RepublicanChamber: HouseIJR mentions: 0

added by IJRBryan Steil

Ron Johnson

Johnson turned a plastics-company background into three Senate terms by refusing to soften his edges, whether he was downplaying COVID vaccines, pushing debunked election-fraud theories, or reading Ashli Babbitt's name into the Jan. 6 record. He's the delegation's lightning rod — beloved by a hardened base, toxic in suburban Milwaukee — and that polarizing wattage is exactly why he can't be ranked lower despite the baggage. Love him or loathe him, no Wisconsin Republican generates more national coverage.

Party: RepublicanChamber: SenateIJR mentions: 0

added by IJRRon Johnson

Mark Pocan

As a former Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair, Pocan has spent his Madison-based tenure pushing Medicare for All and grilling corporate executives in hearings that go viral on the left. He's less a headline-grabber than a movement organizer, quietly building progressive infrastructure inside the House rather than chasing cable hits. That behind-the-scenes influence keeps him solidly mid-pack — respected, not sensational.

Party: DemocratChamber: HouseIJR mentions: 0

added by IJRMark Pocan

Scott Fitzgerald▼ Falling

Fitzgerald spent years as the state Senate's dominant majority leader before jumping to Congress, bringing a legislative-tactician's instinct for whip counts and leadership maneuvering rather than viral soundbites. His signature moment remains more Madison than Washington — engineering GOP redistricting and lame-duck power grabs before Trump ever tweeted his name. He ranks mid-tier nationally because his real power was built, and largely spent, in Wisconsin's capitol.

Party: RepublicanChamber: HouseIJR mentions: 0

added by IJRScott L. Fitzgerald

Thomas P. Tiffany▼ Falling

Tiffany made his mark early by joining the House Republicans who voted to object to certifying the 2020 election, cementing his brand as one of the chamber's most reliably hard-right votes from a district that stretches across the state's north woods. He's never chased the spotlight the way some colleagues have, preferring committee work on natural resources to viral moments. That quieter hard-line consistency keeps him respected on the right but capped in broader influence.

Party: RepublicanChamber: HouseIJR mentions: 0

added by IJR

Derrick Van Orden▼ Falling

A retired Navy SEAL who flipped a western Wisconsin district long held by Democrats, Van Orden immediately became a national story for his presence outside the Capitol on Jan. 6 and later for berating teenage Senate pages during a late-night session — footage that IJR and every outlet covered relentlessly. He's turned volatility into visibility, which is exactly the double-edged sword that lands him near the top of a coverage-driven ranking. Few members generate this much attention with this little legislative output.

Party: RepublicanChamber: HouseIJR mentions: 0

added by IJRDerrick Van Orden