It’s Been Awhile

When Tony Evers unseated Scott Walker in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial election last week, it set up just the fifth time in state history in which a Democratic governor will be in office when new legislative district lines are drawn following the decennial U.S. Census. Prior to Evers, Republicans sat in the governor’s office each of the last four times new maps were created – in 1982 (Lee Dreyfus), 1992 (Tommy Thompson), 2001 (Scott McCallum), and 2011 (Scott Walker). Democratic governors were in office when maps were created after the 1850 (Nelson Dewey), 1890 (George Peck), 1960 (Gaylord Nelson), and 1970 (Patrick Lucey) U.S. Censuses. Republican governors have been in office during 12 redistricting periods. Depending on the outcome of the 2020 elections, Evers will likely have to work with at least one Republican-controlled legislative chamber, or see the process punted to nonpartisan courts as they were in 2001.