The 2026 Race for Wisconsin State Treasurer
On August 11, 2026, Wisconsin will choose its Democratic nominee for State Treasurer. Two candidates are competing in the primary.
Dylan Helmenstine of Black Earth is a school board member, village board member, president of a local EMS district, and a former state financial analyst. He holds a Master of Public Affairs from UW-Madison and serves on governing boards at the local, regional, and state level. He is running to bring transparency to state government, fix Wisconsin's broken school funding system, and protect the public trust funds that support schools and universities across the state.
Why This Race Matters
The State Treasurer is one of six constitutional officers in Wisconsin. The Treasurer serves on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, one of the state's oldest agencies, which manages over $1.6 billion in public trust assets and more than 75,000 acres of School Trust Lands. These investments generate tens of millions of dollars each year for public school libraries and the University of Wisconsin System.
The Treasurer also plays a role in unclaimed property, state financial oversight, and serving as a statewide voice on issues affecting Wisconsin families and communities.
This is not a ceremonial office. The decisions made by the next State Treasurer will affect school funding, public land management, and the financial security of communities across Wisconsin.
What Dylan Will Do as State Treasurer
Dylan is running on three commitments.
Increase Transparency and Engagement
Government works best when people understand it. Dylan will create short, plain-language Treasurer’s Guides to the System that explain how state laws, funding formulas, and financial systems affect residents’ money and communities. He will also build a visual public dashboard for the state budget, making it easier for every Wisconsinite to see where tax dollars come from and where they go. Through the Treasurer’s office, Dylan will bring together experts and community leaders to address challenges such as health care costs, housing affordability, and educational opportunity.
Fix Wisconsin's School Funding System
Wisconsin's school funding formula was created in the 1970s. Revenue limits have not kept pace with inflation since 2009. Communities are forced to rely on constant referendums and rising property taxes to keep schools running. Dylan will fight to replace broken revenue limits with a system that treats communities and students fairly, funds schools based on what students need to succeed, and reduces the over-reliance on property taxes that is pushing retirees out of their homes and making it harder for young families to buy a house.
Protect and Grow the School Trust Funds
The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands manages trust fund assets that belong to every Wisconsin resident. Dylan will protect these assets from political interference, support responsible management of public forestry lands, and ensure the Board uses smart long-term investment strategies that continue generating revenue for schools and communities. With experience on the Teachers Retirement Board and as a rural village trustee, Dylan brings responsible stewardship to managing Wisconsin's public trust funds.
Dylan's Qualifications
Dylan brings a combination of professional financial experience and hands-on local government service that is uncommon for a candidate at any level.
Professionally, he served as an auditor intern in the Office of the Inspector General at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, where he audited Medicaid Long-Term Care programs and helped build a fraud and waste tracking database that remains in use today. He then spent three years as a Health Care Rate Analyst in the Division of Medicaid Services, conducting audits, developing RFPs, and building databases and automation tools that created new visibility into program financials.
In public service, Dylan serves on several boards and commissions. He is an elected school board member in the Wisconsin Heights School District, an elected village board member in Black Earth, and the former elected president of the Dane County District 1 EMS Board. He holds appointments to the Teachers Retirement Board at the Department of Employee Trust Funds, the Policy and Resolutions Committee at the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, and the Board of Control at CESA 2. He chairs the Black Earth Plan Commission, the Black Earth Economic Development Committee, and the Black Earth Emergency Management Committee.
He holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics and a Master of Public Affairs from the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, both at UW-Madison.
Endorsements
Dylan has earned endorsements from elected officials, school board members, county supervisors, and community leaders across Wisconsin.
How to Vote
The Democratic primary for State Treasurer is on August 11, 2026. You can check your voter registration, find your polling place, and request an absentee ballot at myvote.wi.gov.
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