Republicans emerged from Tuesday’s elections still in complete control of the Wisconsin Legislature, overcoming new district boundaries that Democrats had hoped would give them a chance at finally making major inroads in both chambers.
As of early Wednesday morning, Democrats had held their six seats and flipped at least one Republican district, ensuring the best Republicans can do is a 21-seat majority. That leaves the GOP one seat short of a supermajority, preventing them from overriding any Evers vetoes.
Republicans held a 64-35 edge in the Assembly, but redistricting and retirements left 57 seats open and 15 Democrats unopposed. Democratic leaders had high hopes of retaking the majority. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos downplayed any potential Democratic gains, pointing out that the party has never come close to the majority in more than a decade. As of early Wednesday morning, Democrats had managed to flip fewer than a dozen GOP districts while Republicans had won at least 50 seats, guaranteeing them control.
The GOP rode a red wave in the 2010 elections to majorities in both the Assembly and Senate. The next year they redrew district boundaries to consolidate their power. Democrats used recall elections to gain control of the Senate briefly in 2012 — when the Legislature wasn’t in session — but otherwise Republicans have controlled both houses since then. They’ve used their majorities to neuter public employee unions, legalize concealed weapons, scale back diversity initiatives and tighten voting rules. They’ve also controlled state finances for the last 14 years.
Democrats had hoped this election cycle would be different after liberal justices took control of the state Supreme Court in 2023, clearing the way for Gov. Tony Evers to draw new district boundaries that spread out Republican voters again.
