Wisconsin
Upper Midwest State Legislative Projections
The last in a series of election projections, Smart Politics predicts which political party will win control of state legislatures across the Upper Midwest. Democrats are in an advantaged position in most states in each legislative chamber to pick up…
Read MoreWisconsin Poll Roundup and Smart Politics Projections
Only 1 of 9 races for federal office in the Badger state in 2006 is considered a true ‘toss-up’: the 8th Congressional district race. But the state does offer a high-profile gubernatorial matchup…plus all those other federal races are…
Read MoreWI-3: GOP Challenger Launches Unforgettable Attack Ad
Campaign attack ads seem to be replacing horserace polls as the lead stories in political news coverage, and Smart Politics is guilty of this behavior as well, at least for today. While the Bachmann-Wetterling (MN-6) race had the early…
Read MoreUpper Midwest US House Races Tighten in GOP Held Districts…But Is a Revolution Afoot?
A recent spate of polls tracking US House races in the Upper Midwest reflect what is perceived by most political analysts to be a nation-wide trend: GOP-held districts that were secure in 2004 now seem to be competitive or near…
Read MoreWho’s Looking On the Sunny Side of Life?
The Midwest…the heartland of America…where caustic coastal cynicism has not yet taken root and a hearty optimism about life in these United States still prevails. Syrupy, true, but that description about life in the Upper Midwest sounds like it might…
Read MoreUS House Redistricting: Iowa Gets Lowest Marks for Proportionality
In the coming year or so states will begin to outline plans for the redistricting process that will go into effect in 2012 after the 2010 Census results. One way to measure the ‘success’ of these processes is to…
Read MoreWI Referendum: Definition of Marriage
In 2003, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle vetoed a bill that sought to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The Republican-led legislature then initiated a constitutional amendment process (which passed 19-14 in the state Senate on…
Read MoreWI Primary Roundup: Incumbents Sail, with One Notable Exception
Official results will not be released by the Wisconsin State Elections Board until September 26th, but it is unlikely any statewide or district incumbents broke a sweat last Tuesday night…with the exception of Peg Lautenschlager in her bid to remain…
Read MoreState Legislative Incumbents: Coasting in MN, Challenged in WI
While most interest and suspense among the public in election years is reserved for November, primaries can highlight the differences among states in the power of state legislative incumbency in deterring challenges from within one’s own party. Primaries today in…
Read MoreWill Wisconsin End Unprecedented 153-Year Ban on Death Penalty?
Wisconsin is one of 13 states plus the District of Columbia that does not currently offer the death penalty as a sentencing option in its criminal courts. The death penalty was abolished in the Badger State in 1853—nearly 120 years…
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