New election maps shake up races for incumbents now pitted against each other
MADISON - Redrawing Wisconsin's legislative boundaries is creating a shakeup within the two chambers of the state Legislature, with a slate of lawmakers choosing to retire or run in new districts to avoid competing against fellow incumbents.
A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis also shows a handful of Republican lawmakers will face more Democratic voters in their new districts as a result of the new maps, including a leader of the most powerful committee in the state Legislature — a coveted position.
The reshuffle comes after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed into law new legislative maps after Republican lawmakers agreed to pass them as a last resort to avoid having the liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court write new legislative boundaries.
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Sen. Howard Marklein, a Republican from Spring Green who has represented the 17th Senate District for nearly 10 years and is co-chair of the powerful joint finance committee, is now living in the new 14th Senate District that is drawn to be more Democratic-leaning than his previous district.
Marklein's southwest Wisconsin district has been a long-held target of Democrats and he has withstood expensive challenges thus far. Marklein did not respond to a phone call seeking an interview about his plans.
At the same time, the new district boundaries have pushed some Republican incumbents who are now paired together in one district to move their residences.
Republican incumbents would be paired in 15 districts while Democrats are paired in two districts, according to an analysis by the Journal Sentinel. Four districts feature a Democratic and Republican incumbent pairing.
In the Senate, 13 incumbents paired together. In the Assembly, there are 30 Democratic and Republican incumbents grouped in the same district.
Sen. Rob Cowles, who is on the ballot in the fall, said he is looking for a new home in order to compete again in the 2nd Senate District. The new maps pit him against two fellow Senate Republican incumbents in the Green Bay area. Cowles, Andre Jacque and Eric Wimberger now reside in the new 30th Senate District, which leans slightly Democratic.
Cowles said he's looking at housing farther west in order to continue to stay in the 2nd Senate District, which is solidly Republican under the new plan.
"I've heavily networked in my district in a variety of ways. I'd like to continue this for a while," Cowles told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I feel pretty good about it."
"Of course I don't like it but I will deal with it," he said about moving.
Wimberger told the Marinette Eagle Herald he plans to run in the new 30th Senate District while Jacque is considering a run for Congress to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher in the 8th Congressional District.
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To avoid a Republican primary against a more senior Senate Republican, freshman Republican Sen. Dan Knodl, who represents the northern suburbs of Milwaukee, will seek an office in the Legislature's lower house. His win in a special election last year to fill a vacant seat gave Republicans a super-majority in the Senate under the former maps that heavily favored Republicans.
Knodl and GOP Sen. Duey Stroebel of the Town of Cedarburg now reside in the same district under the new Senate legislative map. Instead of running against Stroebel, Knodl told Wispolitics.com he plans to run for the Assembly District currently held by Republican state Rep. Janel Brandtjen in the Menomonee Falls area.
Stroebel said the number of Republican incumbents who now reside in the same districts is evidence of "a political gerrymander."
"They specifically and disproportionately target Republican incumbents," he said.
Evers' spokeswoman Britt Cudaback in January dismissed Republicans' concerns about the pairings. "No incumbent elected official should be upset about having to work to earn their neighbors’ support and votes in order to be re-elected," Cudaback said. "It’s a basic part of running for office, that’s what elections are, and that’s how democracy works."
Every Assembly incumbent facing a potential challenge from a fellow incumbent will be on the ballot in the fall. But in the Senate, not every incumbent is up for reelection this year.
Republican state Rep. Nate Gustafson of Neenah, who had represented the 55th Assembly District, is now paired in the 53rd with fellow GOP Rep. Michael Schraa of Oshkosh. Schraa has represented the district for a decade.
Gustafson told reporters earlier this month he would move to remain in the 55th.
At a news conference during which he and several other Republican lawmakers pledged to seek reelection in their current districts regardless of how the boundaries change, Gustafson said he promised to "not forget where you came from" when he was elected.
"Well, today, I'm not forgetting where I came from," Gustafson said, stretching out a tape measure to show that the 55th Assembly District boundary would shift by 15 feet away from his current residence, placing him in the 53rd District.
"This is my community. I am going to run. I am going to represent," Gustafson said. "This is my home, and I plan on representing it and I plan on doing what I know is best for my community."
Rep. Patrick Snyder, R-Schofield, was also drawn out of his current district by a short distance: 1 ½ blocks.
Snyder told reporters only 25% of the people he currently represents would also live in his new district, while 73% would remain in the 85th District.
“These are the people that I have built relationships with,” Snyder said as he pledged to run in the 85th. “We might not have all agreed on things, but they know me. They know me well.”
Other Republican members of the Assembly who pledged to move, if necessary, to run in their current districts, were Amy Binsfeld of Sheboygan, John Macco of Ledgeview, Bob Donovan of Milwaukee and Robert Wittke of Racine.
"Come heck or high water, I will continue to represent the 88th District," Macco said.
At least 11 lawmakers have also announced they will retire from the state Legislature or seek a new office — some of whom made the decision before the new maps were put in place.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Wisconsin election maps shake up races now pitting incumbents
