Dem
47
GOP
53
The Republican-controlled Wisconsin state legislature produced some of the most gerrymandered federal and state maps in the country. The federal map is 6R, 2D, with all the Democrats crammed into two districts, WI-02 (D+21) and WI-04 (D+26). And remember, Wisconsin is probably the most equally balanced state in the country, so Democrats should logically have four of the eight seats. The state legislature is also gerrymandered, but not quite as much as the U.S. House delegation.
Democrats sued, claiming the maps violated the state Constitution. Last November, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that two three-judge panels had to look into the matter. On Tuesday, one of the panels decided that it didn't have the authority under the state Constitution to draw new maps and hit the ball back into the state Supreme Court's court. Democrats control the state Supreme Court 4-3 and after next week's election could control it 5-2. The question, however, is whether the top court will act fast enough for the midterms. After all, candidates need time to file and then have primaries. It seems doubtful now that the maps will change before November 2026, but could change before 2028. (V)