Wisconsin GOP undoes legislative gerrymander after court pressure

The GOP-dominated Wisconsin Legislature voted Tuesday to adopt state legislative maps that would loosen the party’s grip on power in the state, backing down in a long-running redistricting fight.

Should Democratic Gov. Tony Evers sign the new maps into law, it would be a dramatic reorientation of the political order in the battleground state. Wisconsin’s current lines are gerrymandered in a way that makes it virtually impossible for Republicans to lose control of the Legislature in a place where statewide contests usually are decided by no more than a couple points. But the new maps would give both parties a chance to be competitive.

The new districts mirror a proposal put forward by Evers in a related court case. He signaled earlier this month that he would consider signing off on the maps if the Legislature passed his proposals without changes. A spokesperson for the governor said Tuesday that his position had not changed.

Republicans were willing to pass the new maps only after being cornered by legal challenges in state court.

“Republicans were not stuck between a rock and hard place. It was a matter of choosing to be stabbed, shot, poisoned or led to the guillotine. We chose to be stabbed, so we can live to fight another day," Republican state Senate caucus Chair Van Wanggaard said in a statement.

The state Supreme Court ruled in December that the legislative maps were illegal, ordering the state to create new ones in time for the 2024 election. That ruling came just months after state Justice Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in, flipping the court to a liberal majority following her blowout win in a spring election.

Lawmakers from both parties, the governor and third-party groups submitted proposals to the court for