U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin won her 2018 race by more than 10 percentage points in 2018. But this year, the Cook Political Report rates the race as Lean D. Republicans are angling to oust Baldwin, and CNN has named her one of the candidates whose seat is among 10 most likely to flip.
As it now stands, Baldwin has two rather weak Republican opponents – a County Board Supervisor and a 40-year-old college student. And Baldwin has garnered support not just from Democrats but from independent voters throughout the state due to her reputation as a consensus builder. The state Republican Party chief says a top-tier GOP candidate will emerge before the primary, but Democrats in Wisconsin are taking no votes for granted and are campaigning even in red districts. Stay tuned.
In the U.S. House, WI-03, now held by a one-term Republican, is flippable for Democrats since the district is rated only Lean R, and the possibility of redistricting could change the tenor of its electorate. The current WI-03 representative opened and operated the Butternut Café after retiring as a Navy Seal. The Democratic primary has four candidates running, including Katrina Shankland, an 11-year member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
The uproar over the state’s legislative districts is stirring the political pot even more. The Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out the maps that resulted in a GOP-controlled legislature and GOP gains in U.S. House races. Consultants hired by the liberal-leaning court are reviewing seven newly drawn maps.