Wisconsin Democrats have recruited a candidate for each of the state’s Senate races for the first time in two decades.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced Tuesday that a Democrat will be on the ballot in every state Senate seat in 2024. For the first time since 2011, 97 of 99 Wisconsin State Assembly seats will also have a Democrat on the ballot.
“For more than a decade, legislative Republicans have been insulated from accountability because of hand-drawn maps that preserved only their interests and protected their manufactured majorities in both chambers of the state legislature,” Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Wisconsinites are reinvigorated with fair maps finally in play, and voters are excited about the opportunity of representation that reflects their preferences.”
When Wisconsin’s legislative maps were implemented in 2011, they heavily favored the state GOP and were considered some of the most gerrymandered in the country. Earlier this year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down the legislative maps for being unconstitutional, giving Democrats a new edge.
“Senate Democrats are answering this call by running quality candidates in every Senate race this fall and giving people a real choice,” Hesselbein continued.
Wisconsin has a near-even split between Republicans and Democrats and is one of seven key battleground states going into the 2024 general election. Still, Republicans have held on to majorities in the state under old maps. Republicans have a 64-35 majority in the Assembly and a 22-10 majority in the Senate.
While Republicans are predicted to maintain their majority in the state Senate with only half of the Senate seats up for election, Democrats have a chance to take control of the state’s Assembly for the first time in over a decade.
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“This is a very exciting time to be in Wisconsin. Across the state, our candidates are preparing to compete under fair maps,” Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, a Democrat, said in a statement. “For over 12 years, Wisconsinites lived under the most gerrymandered maps in the country — it is not surprising that with new maps we are seeing incredible enthusiasm and more people stepping up to represent their communities.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Wisconsin Democrats for comment.