Primaries set stage for new legislative map dynamics

Ratcliff, D-Cottage Grove, beat out fellow Reps. Jimmy Anderson, D-Fitchburg, and Samba Baldeh, D-Madison, to represent the newly drawn district, which runs south and east of Madison straddling the Dane and Jefferson county lines.

With no Republicans running in the Democratic-leaning district, Ratcliff will be unopposed in the November general election. Although less concentrated around Madison, the district — the borders of which were redrawn after the state Supreme Court in December ruled the previous maps unconstitutional — is still reliably Democratic.

The seat opened up when former Senate Minority Leader Melissa Agard, D-Madison, chose to run for Dane County executive — also on Tuesday’s ballot.

The first test of the new maps was a special election in Milwaukee for the 4th Senate District on July 2, another heavily Democratic district that remained a Democratic stronghold. But the primary Tuesday gives the first look at how the new legislative maps might play out in a statewide election.

The full impact of the new maps on the Legislature’s partisan lean won’t be felt until November, when Republicans are widely expected to see their strong majorities in the Senate and Assembly erode.

Some former heavily Democratic districts will likely see tighter races in the general election as more liberal voters became part of districts that were previously reliable wins for Republicans.

The 16th Senate District, for example, had a 78.6% Democratic lean, according to an analysis of past voting trends prepared by John Johnson, a Marquette Law School Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education Research fellow. The new boundaries give the district a 66.1% Democratic lean, Johnson found.

The new maps have tossed much of the Legislature into a blender. Some of the resulting districts are almost entirely new; others have no incumbent lawmakers living inside the new lines.

The new boundaries are also creating opportunities for new faces in the Legislature. In order run for the 16th Senate District, Baldeh opted not to seek reelection in the 48th Assembly District, leading to a five-way Democratic primary Tuesday.

Leading that contest was Lawton & Cates Attorney Andrew Hysell, who will face orthotist Lisa Rubrich, the Republican in the race.

Hysell outpolled Smart Growth Greater Madison Executive Director Bill Connors, human resource manager Goodwill Obieze, Hebl and Hebl Attorney Avery Renk and Dane County Board Sup. RickRose.

The largely new district boundaries stretch northeast from Madison toward Sun Prairie and Columbus.

In the 77th Assembly District, Renuka Mayadev, program adviser for the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s Wisconsin Partnership Program, was leading the Democratic primary against Dane County Board Supervisor Chuck Erickson and Fitchburg Family Pharmacy owner Thad Schumacher.

No Republicans filed to run in the 77th District, which covers the western half of Madison.

In the Democratic primary for the 40th Assembly District, Karen DeSanto, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Wisconsin, defeated Columbia County Board Supervisor Brad Cook and Milwaukee Valve mechanical engineer Kyle Kunicki. She will take on Republican communications specialist business owner Jerry Helmer.

The 40th District covers the southeastern portion of Sauk County and some of Columbia County.

In the 47th District Democratic primary, Dane County Board Supervisor Randy Udell was leading Fitchburg City Council member Joe Maldonado. The winner in that contest will be unopposed in November.

The 47th District covers the Fitchburg and Stoughton areas.

Rep. Mike Bare, D-Verona, in the 80th Assembly District, defeated Madison City Council Ald. Nasr Wehelie in the Democratic Primary.

The 80th District covers Verona and surrounding areas.

Rep. Shelia Stubbs, D-Madison, also held onto her 78th Assembly District seat, beating out Madison School Board Vice President Maia Pearson. Stubbs will not have a Republican challenger on the ballot in November.

The 78th District covers the southeastern portion of Madison.

In some of the more significant out-state races, some Republican leaders held their ground while others got knocked out by fellow lawmakers.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, did not have an official challenger in the primary after Andrew Cegielski dropped out of the race in June. Still, Cegielski’s name appeared on the ballot and he took home more than 31% of the votes with just under 89% of the district’s ward counted, according to unofficial results on election night.

Dream. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, took out Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, in the Republican primary for the 24th Assembly District. Knodl previously served in the Assembly, won election to the Senate and then was drawn into the same district as Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, under the new maps. Knodl chose not to challenge Knodl in a primary.

Both Knodl and Brandtjen have questioned the results of the 2020 election in Wisconsin, but only Brandtjen received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement this election cycle.

Dream. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac, fended off former Rep. Timothy Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, who ran a failed bid for governor in 2022.

Ramthun has also questioned the results of the 2020 election.