Could Wisconsin be more of a battleground state in 2020? I’m not sure how it could be.
It is, famously, one of the 3 “blue wall” states that Trump won by the narrowest margin in 2016. Since then, however, Wisconsin elected a Democratic governor, Tony Evers. But the Republican controlled legislature, aided by a very conservative state Supreme Court, has gone out of their way to strip Evers of power and usher in more voter suppression tactics than almost anywhere else in the country. The one power he has over the legislature is the veto, and now the Republicans are aiming to take that away from him. How?
By flipping 3 seats in both the state Senate and state Assembly to have a veto-proof majority. We must prevent that from happening.
Current snapshot
In November, all 99 seats in the state Assembly will be up for re-election. Currently, the Republicans have a 63-35 majority (one seat is vacant). The Republicans are 3 flips away from having a supermajority.
The Republicans also have majority control over the state Senate, with 19 seats to the Democrats’ 14. Half of these seats are up for re-election in November. If the Republicans flip 3 seats, they’ll have a supermajority.
Why 2020 is a make or break year
In Wisconsin, the state legislature is in charge of redrawing both the congressional and legislative district maps. With the Republicans in the majority, they’ll be in the position to draw these maps again for the next 10 years once the Census information is collected. Back in 2010, they were able to lock in a decade worth of gerrymandered maps that made it impossible for the Democrats to gain back control, even though they consistently won more popular votes than the Republicans did.
The one thing that stops the Republican controlled legislature from getting their maps approved, is that the Democratic governor will veto them. That’s why they are hellbent on winning a supermajority in the Assembly and the Senate. If they are able to prevent the governor from vetoing the maps, they will lock in another decade of Republican control. We MUST prevent that from happening.
How to help
Several organizations are pouring money and grassroots efforts into Wisconsin to help flip the House. Here’s how you can get involved:
Sister District has the Wisconsin legislature on their list of targets for 2020. You can read more about their Wisconsin plan HERE, and sign up for volunteering opportunities HERE. Note: They do have opportunities you can do from the safety of your own home!
Postcards to Swing States is a grassroots effort to activate as many swing state voters, including Wisconsin, by reminding them and encouraging them to vote. When you sign up with them, they will send you everything you need to participate. Learn more about this effort HERE.
Save the Veto is an effort to win state legislative seats in Wisconsin to prevent the Republicans from gaining a veto-proof majority. You can donate, or volunteer to help by getting involved with phone banking, text banking, and other activities.
Of course, if you want to support one of the legislative candidates directly, you can do that, too. You can see who is running HERE. Donate to them directly, sign up for their emails so you can learn about any volunteering opportunities that come up, and learn more about what they hope to achieve if they win their election so you can share that on social media.
If you’re on Twitter, follow Ben Wikler. He’s the Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic party and a force to be reckoned with. You can find great messages to share, information about what’s happening in the state, and opportunities to volunteer at his account.
Let’s make sure the Republicans don’t have a veto-proof majority in the Wisconsin state legislature after this election, ok?
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