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Sixteen of the state Senate’s 33 seats are up for election this year. Senators are elected to four-year terms, with half the chamber being up for election every two years. For the first time in more than a decade, Wisconsin’s voting maps are not heavily skewed toward a Republican majority. New legislative maps have led to lawmaker retirements, incumbents facing incumbents and several more competitive districts.
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What to know
WHAT DOES A STATE SENATOR DO?
- Write, review and vote on legislation that becomes state law if approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor.
- Vet some political appointees made by the governor, including Cabinet secretaries.
- Serve on one or more of 20 committees that take public testimony on bills and review legislation.
- Work on a state budget every other year to determine how tens of billions of dollars are spent.
- Oversee a staff that helps provide constituent services. Each member of the state Senate represents roughly 175,000 people.
BACKGROUND READING
For more than a decade, Republicans had an iron grip on the state Senate. Voting maps gerrymandered in their favor helped Republicans win large majorities in the chamber even in years when Democratic candidates were successful statewide. In 2022, when Democratic Gov. Tony Evers was reelected by a significant margin, Republicans won a veto-proof, 22-seat majority.
That changed in December 2023, when the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out the state’s Republican-friendly voting maps on a technicality. As a result of that lawsuit, GOP lawmakers approved new district boundaries drawn by Gov. Tony Evers. The new lines are likely to reduce the size of Republicans’ majority in the Senate and could even lead to Democrats controlling the chamber come 2027. Given that only half state Senate seats are up for election this year, Democrats will likely have to wait to have a chance at winning the majority until 2026.
Key Senate races to watch
Two moderates race to the middle for Green Bay state Senate seat
Republican Jim Rafter and Democrat Jamie Wall are wearing bipartisanship as a badge of honor in their respective campaigns for Wisconsin’s 30th Senate District.
Democrat seeks to flip GOP suburban Milwaukee seat with focus on abortion rights, tax cuts
Abortion access, tax cuts and education funding are central issues in the race for Wisconsin Senate District 8 — a GOP-leaning toss-up district between Milwaukee and Port Washington that could help decide who controls the state Senate in the coming years.
More information on Wisconsin elections
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