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The States Project, a deep-pocketed outside group focused exclusively on state legislatures, is adding the Wisconsin Assembly to its 2024 plans, a clear sign that Democrats are growing more optimistic about the chance to flip the chamber after the state Supreme Court ordered new maps. It will be painted this year.
The organization said it will include Wisconsin in its eight-figure 2024 budget and spend an additional $1 million there. (The group has not yet finalized its overall spending plans for 2024.) State legislative races, which take place in smaller districts than congressional contests, are often much less expensive than federal races. Large donations in this election can have a big impact.
National Democrats focused on the Wisconsin legislature. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the state legislative arm of the Democratic National Committee, has donated $24,000 directly to the party's caucus in each chamber, the maximum allowed by law, and Wisconsin has added to its $60 million national budget. Forward Majority, another outside group focused on state legislatures, plans to spend big in the state after spending more than $1 million in 2018.
The flood of money and attention in the Wisconsin Legislature heralds a potential shift in state politics. Both chambers of the legislature, dominated by extreme partisan gerrymandering for more than 13 years, remain firmly under Republican control, even as Democrats have won statewide races for governor, Senate and president in multiple elections.
The Republican State Leadership Committee, the arm of the Republican National Committee that focuses on state legislative races and other elections, has not yet released a budget but has included Wisconsin on its agenda. Initial list of countries where you plan to defend the majority. A spokesperson for the organization did not respond to requests for comment.
The new maps will make Wisconsin more of a battleground state, with President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump competing in recent polls. But even with the new maps, Democrats acknowledge flipping the chamber will be an uphill battle.
“Maps can make a chamber uncompetitive, but maps won’t win a chamber,” said Daniel Squadron, a former Democratic New York state senator and co-founder of the States Project. He pointed to Democrats' recent successes in flipping chambers in Michigan and Pennsylvania after dramatically redrawing the maps following Republican gerrymandering.
“Good candidates who have a great relationship with their constituents or constituents, who have a good sense of who their constituents are,” were the most successful in Michigan, Mr. Squadron said.
Democrats are hoping for similar success in Wisconsin, including at the top of the 2024 ticket. Some organizations see the political realignment brought by Wisconsin's new maps as a potential boon for Biden's campaign.
“These candidates in these races are giving voters another reason to get involved when they're not very enthusiastic about Biden, given his very poor approval rating,” said Vicki Houseman, founder of Majority Forward, a Democratic super PAC. “There is a lot of life on the ballot, with state legislatures being part of the story of 2022 and, hopefully, the story of 2024.”
The states project is also expanding to North Carolina, joining efforts by other Democratic groups, including the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, to dismantle the state's Republican majority in the Legislature. Focusing on state legislative races will only exacerbate political pressures in North Carolina, which will host a more closely watched governor's race in 2024 and which is emerging as a major target of Biden's reelection campaign.
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