MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – To state democrats, the chance of regaining control in Madison is in their line of sight.
“For 12 years every election cycle, democrats started at the 30-yard line because of gerrymandering but now the era of gerrymandering is over and the game starts at the middle of the field the way it’s supposed to,” said Ben Wikler, the chair for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, in a press conference on Friday morning.
In order to regain control, the Democrats need voters in every corner of the state to get to the polls.
During Friday’s press conference, Democratic leaders announced what they’re calling their ‘starting lineup’; the most important races they need to win in order to flip the state houses.
“For the Senate this year, this is just the beginning of our fight because it’s not going to be completed in 2026 when every single legislative seat actually gets to have fair maps and be contested under those fair maps,” said Sen. Dianna Hesselbein the senate minority leader. “We know that Democrats are working on the winning side of issues and the next two cycles under fair maps will prove what we’ve been saying all along, that they’re ready and they’re hungry.”
In the Senate, the Democrats highlight five key races they’re hoping and believe they can win in order to close the gap in the Senate.
Those races are in Green Bay, Milwaukee, the Fox Valley, and two in and around Madison.
In the assembly, Democrats need to win 15 races in order to flip the majority.
“For too long communities across wi like Sheboygan, Wausau, Superior, and Chippewa Valley have had their voices silenced through gerrymandering but thanks to the tireless work of volunteers, organizers, and democratic leaders who never stopped fighting for fair maps we finally have competitive races in many more communities across the state,” added Rep. Greta Neubauer, the assembly minority leader.
The races they are campaigning for are in Menasha and Neenah, Sheboygan, De Pere and Allouez, Ashwaubenon, Stevens Point, Wausau, Eau Claire, Onalaska, Chippewa Falls, Dodgeville, Baraboo, Milwaukee and Greenfield.
Republican state assembly member David Steffen of Ashwaubenon, one of the races the Democrats are hoping to flip, says while the new legislative maps will likely change the makeup of the state houses, he doesn’t see a flip in control coming.
“The democrats would haver to be dealt the equivalent of a royal flush in order for that to happen, I just don’t see that happening. It will be competitive, well have a tighter margin of leadership in the assembly but I’m fully confident we’ll be retaining republican control in the assembly,” he tells FOX 11.
Steffan, and his Republican colleagues, believe their edge over the democrats will continue to be the candidates they put forward.
“We believe we have blue chip candidates, people we have worked very hard to find that meet every mark that people want, they want people who have leadership experience, often private sector experience, have done something other than live in and off government and are providing unique and quality ideas on moving Wisconsin forward. That is usually our secret sauce in winning elections, having the best candidates on the ballot, those that represent those districts.”
The Republican party of Brown County added this following the Democrats’ press conference Friday:
“Residents of Northeast Wisconsin love our community. We believe in safe neighborhoods, economic prosperity, and opportunities for our children to learn and grow. These are timeless values championed by the Republican Party of Brown County and why voters elected Republicans to every State Senate seat and every State Assembly seat except one in districts touching Brown County. We are looking forward to sharing our platform with voters and feel confident we will once again earn their votes in November.”
Ultimately, the choice is in the hands of voters in less than three months.
But for now, both Wisconsin parties are feeling confident.
Comments