Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, replaced Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, as Wisconsin’s Democratic Assembly Minority Leader Tuesday.
In a statement, Hintz, a member of the Legislature’s budget-writing committee, urged his party members to unite against “harmful policies” of the Republican party and Governor Scott Walker.
“Assembly Democrats have a tremendous opportunity to lead,” Hintz said. “With my colleagues’ support, we will tackle the challenges ahead and move forward as a unified caucus. What I can promise is responsive leadership that is unafraid to make the tough decisions.”
Barca, who served as minority leader for the past seven years, congratulated Hintz in a statement and said he is looking forward to working with Hintz to expose Walker’s “misaligned priorities” and build a better economy.
A member of the State Assembly since 2006, Hintz has been an outspoken critic of Walker and the Republican Legislature’s resolution to road funding, K-12 education and tax policy.
Hintz has been criticized by Republicans for a 2011 citation he received at a massage parlor in Appleton, Wisconsin for sexual misconduct, according to a press release by the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Hintz also yelled at former Rep. Michelle Litjens, R-Winneconne, “you’re f—ing dead” during a debate over Walker’s collective bargaining measure known as Act 10.
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In a statement, Alec Zimmerman, spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said Wisconsin Democrats are in disarray.
“Wisconsin Democrats are not only standing against family-supporting jobs but letting Gordon Hintz bring his personal war on women to the leadership of their caucus,” Zimmerman said. “Wisconsin families can’t trust that Hintz even respects them, let alone that he’ll fight for them.”
Hintz acknowledged the incidents on Tuesday and apologized for his past actions, emphasizing that he never stopped doing his job, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
But Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, expressed support for having Hintz as the Assembly minority leader, in a statement.
“I look forward to working with Rep. Hintz as we look to expand economic opportunities, invest in local communities and create a level playing for everyone in Wisconsin,” Shilling said.
Hintz begins his new position Oct. 1.
