Which Milwaukee-area voting districts are changing, and which are staying the same?
The new legislative maps signed into law last week will significantly change how some regions of the state are represented in the Capitol, including the Fox Valley and the area surrounding Madison.
The shakeup isn't quite as large in Milwaukee. The districts closest to downtown don't change at all, and most of the shifts are on the outskirts of the city.
According to the Journal Sentinel's analysis of the new maps, there are now four toss-up districts: an Assembly district in the Greendale area and three Senate districts that surround Milwaukee.
Here's a closer look at which districts will stay the same, which districts will change, and why one of the Milwaukee Senate districts will have an election before fall, when many other legislators will be elected on the new maps:
Which Assembly districts are staying the same in Milwaukee?
The Assembly districts in the core of Milwaukee are largely staying the same. That includes practically all of downtown and the neighborhoods around it, plus Glendale, Whitefish Bay, Shorewood, Wauwatosa and West Milwaukee.
"The City of Milwaukee actually didn't change much," said state Rep. Christine Sinicki of Milwaukee, who chairs the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County. "But some of the suburbs did."
The boundary lines around the West Allis area got scrambled a bit, but that area will stay in Democratic-leaning districts.
See the new state Assembly districts
This map shows Wisconsin state Assembly districts under the previous 2022 map on the left, and the new 2024 map on the right. Each district is colored according to whether itleans Democrat, leans Republican, or is acompetitive district (within 5%).
Old maps (2022)
New maps (2024)
Note: The partisan lean of districts is calculated based on voting data from national and local elections from 2016 to 2022. Districts with less than 5% difference in Republican and Democratic votes are considered competitive districts.
Map by Andrew Hahn and Eva Wen / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Which Assembly districts are changing in Milwaukee?
Most of the changes appear farther south, west and north of Milwaukee, such as in South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Brookfield and Mequon.
More of those areas will now be incorporated into Democratic-leaning districts, when they were previously in Republican-leaning or toss-up districts.
Sinicki said parts of her district will get switched with Rep. Jessie Rodriguez, a Republican who represents Oak Creek.
"I'm going to pick up South Milwaukee, and she's going to pick up the Garden District in Milwaukee," Sinicki said. "It actually makes her seat much more competitive."
The remaining toss-up district includes Greendale, Greenfield and Hales Corners. Rep. Bob Donovan, a Republican, was drawn out of the district. He's now in a district with Rep. Daniel Riemer, a Democrat.
Donovan was part of a press conference of Republican lawmakers who said they would move, if necessary, to run in their current districts. He told the Journal Sentinel he will announce his decision in late March or early April.
The Republican caucus "really (doesn't) have too many representatives from Milwaukee," Donovan noted. He said his experience as a Milwaukee alderman was "advantageous" in fashioning the shared revenue plan, one of the major policies the Legislature passed last year.
More: New election maps shake up races for incumbents now pitted against each other
Which Senate districts are staying the same in Milwaukee?
Two of the four Democratic-leaning Senate districts in Milwaukee don't change boundaries — the 4th and the 6th. One of those seats is now vacant, and the other is represented by Sen. LaTonya Johnson.
Those two districts stretch as far north as Brown Deer Road, and south to Interstate 94.
See the new state Senate districts
This map shows Wisconsin state Senate districts under the previous 2022 map on the left, and the new 2024 map on the right. Each district is colored according to whether itleans Democrat, leans Republican, or is acompetitive district (within 5%).
Old maps (2022)
New maps (2024)
Note: The partisan lean of districts is calculated based on voting data from national and local elections from 2016 to 2022. Districts with less than 5% difference in Republican and Democratic votes are considered competitive districts.
Map by Andrew Hahn and Eva Wen / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Which Senate districts are changing in Milwaukee?
The other two Democratic-leaning Senate districts make some adjustments near West Allis, Greenfield and Oak Creek.
There are now three toss-up Senate districts bordering Milwaukee, which will stretch as far as Port Washington to the north, Pewaukee to the West, and Franklin and Caledonia to the south. Previously, there had only been one toss-up district, to the west of Milwaukee into Brookfield and Waukesha.
The 8th Senate District, for example, will be less Republican-leaning than it used to be, explained Marquette University research fellow John Johnson.
That district had a close special election a year ago, and incumbent Sen. Dan Knodl was drawn out. He plans to run for the Assembly district in the Menominee Falls area.
"If Democrats managed to win that seat, then they'll really be in a good position to take back a majority of the state Senate in 2026," he said.
More: You have questions about Wisconsin's new election maps and how they affect you? We have answers.
Why is there a special election for one of the districts before fall?
The 4th Senate District is vacant after former Sen. Lena Taylor resigned the seat when she became a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge.
Democratic Reps. LaKeshia Myers and Dora Drake, whose current Assembly districts are enclosed within the Senate district, have announced campaigns for her seat.
A date hasn't been set for the special election. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has asked the state Supreme Court to clarify that the new maps will be in place for any elections that take place before fall.
Not all senators will be up for election in fall: Only the even-numbered districts will be running.
Some lawmakers may retire, and others may have been drawn out of their districts. Sinicki said Democrats are already in the process of recruiting candidates.
"I'm sure we're going to have some new candidates and some very competitive races," she said.
Why does Myers have concerns about a Senate district?
When the new maps were signed, Myers said she had concerns about the Senate district she's running for, based on the Voting Rights Act and preserving communities of interest.
The district, which hasn't changed from the previous maps, contains part of Shorewood. In an interview, Myers said the map that Senate Democrats submitted to the court would have excluded the North Shore suburb.
"Do I think that we are fairer than where we were? Absolutely. But do I think that is the best that it could be? No, I don't think so," Myers said.
More: Confused by Wisconsin redistricting terms? Here's what they mean.
Myers hopes the court will review that district and the 11th Assembly District, though the court's consultants said none of the submissions had issues with the Voting Rights Act, which prevents diluting the votes of minority voters. Sinicki also said she doesn't see an issue with the Senate district.
Black voters still make up 60.7% of the district, Johnson said, meaning it remains "a minority opportunity district." Previously, they made up 63.5% of the district.
Kyle Johnson, political director for BLOC (Black Leaders Organizing Communities), said he doesn't have "drastic concerns" about the seat. But making sure communities of color stay intact is important, he said.
"There are some concerns, and there always will be, but we have an opportunity here to really restore some balance to Madison and to the statehouse," he said. "And we can really build from there."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: How will Wisconsin's new maps will impact the Milwaukee area?
