With less than a week to go until the upcoming elections, political analysts are noting a significant shift in the state’s electoral landscape, according to Fox11 News.
This year marks the first election since the implementation of new district maps designed to increase competitiveness and remove the Republican advantage established in 2010, when previous maps were redrawn, according to Fox11 News.
Executive Director of the Wisconsin State Senate Democratic Committee Andrew Whitley highlighted the potential for the state’s new district maps to reshape the balance of power in the State Senate.
The Republican supermajority in the Senate, where the party controls 22 seats to the Democrats’ 10, has long been viewed as artificially sustained through gerrymandering, Whitley said.
“The current Republican supermajority is based on gerrymandered maps, creating what many consider a manufactured majority.” Whitley said. “However, we are optimistic that this cycle will break, and we aim to return with 15 members, putting us in striking distance of achieving a majority by 2026.”
Under the new maps, the city of Green Bay is consolidated into a single district, a change which will likely benefit Democratic candidates, Whitley said.
This merger not only simplifies campaigning efforts but also increases the chances for the Democrats to represent a city known for its competitive political climate, Whitley said.
Created by a nonpartisan committee, the new district maps were passed by both the Republican-controlled State Senate and State Assembly this February, in a move designed to prevent the State Supreme Court from designing maps which might be more favorable to Democrats, according to Fox11 News.
In District 18, which includes the cities of Appleton and Oshkosh, Democrat Kristi Alfheim is running against Republican Anthony Phillips, according to Wisconsin Watch. Currently represented by Republican Dan Feyen, the district’s boundaries were adjusted as part of the 2024 redistricting, resulting in Feyen no longer residing within the district, according to the Washington County Daily News. He is now running as a candidate in District 20 against Democrat Michael Rapp.
Additionally, District 14 located north of Madison and District 8 in Milwaukee are both contested, with candidates actively engaging voters on local issues, according to WPR.
The new maps provide a fairer competition and do not inherently favor Democratic candidates, Whitley said.
“It’s hard to believe that Wisconsin, known for its close statewide elections, could end up with a Republican supermajority and still consider that fair,” Whitley said.
These changes have revitalized state legislative politics and local democracy, he added.
“There’ll be a new day where, instead of having these really unfair majorities in the state legislature, [Wisconsin] will have a state legislature that works.” Whitley said.
