New legislative maps already providing more competitive races

We were told that when gerrymandered legislative maps were redrawn in Wisconsin, that legislative races would become more competitive. And while the election is still months away, it is clear the races have already become more competitive. That is because for the first time in more than 20 years, every legislative seat up for election in November will feature a candidate from each political party. Not one legislator is running unopposed. That is significant because for years the extreme partisanship of the legislative maps stifled competition so many lawmakers didn’t have anyone to run against them. Not only are there more candidates running, but it is likely we will see an unprecedented level of spending on political advertising. The forecast is that political ad spending in this year’s election for Wisconsin state Senate will be “historic” and “massive.” The state’s Democratic party chair is predicting upward of $20 million will be spent to promote the democratic candidates. We’re not looking forward to that. But it is good to see increased interest in people running for office, and this November, for the first time in years, Wisconsin voters will have real choices at the polls.