Let’s start with a heads-up that this weekly political newsletter is about to take the next couple of weeks off — which shouldn’t be a surprise at the end of an election cycle. Even the most devoted news nerds and political wonks need to take a break and “touch grass,” as the kids say nowadays.

🕹️ (Disclaimer: I have no idea what the kids actually say nowadays. My grandkids are too immersed in Minecraft to share their latest catchphrases!)

📣 When we come back from the break, the newsletter will have a new look, a new schedule, and some other new angles and elements. As always, we’ll be very interested to hear your thoughts, ideas, and questions.

Have a great week — and remember to stay up to date with our social media posts.

🗳️ 1️⃣   Almost every congressional district is in play  – Right now Republicans control six of Wisconsin’s eight congressional seats (in a 50-50 state 🤷🏻‍♂️) but Justice-elect Chris Taylor won a majority of votes in seven of the state’s eight districts.

How can that be? Well, statewide elections cannot be gerrymandered, as we’ve seen done with congressional and legislative district boundaries. And if conservative voters are as uninspired in November as they were last week, then US Reps. Derrick Van Orden, Bryan Steil, and others may be paying a high price for sticking with President Donald Trump, who’s now polling at historic lows in the Badger State. 

🗳️ 2️⃣  Control of the Legislature is in play – After running the Legislature for 16 years, Republicans are facing an electorate that seems ready to make a change. It’s why so many GOP incumbents are heading for the exits.

There are 16 State Senate seats up for grabs in November, eight of those districts are thought to be competitive — and Taylor won in all of them.

🗳️ 3️⃣  The state isn’t as 50-50 as you might think – Wisconsin is said to be a swing state because of its back-and-forth presidential election results but when it comes to non-presidential contests, the state is less swingy and more progressive.

Dating back to Trump’s first midterm election cycle in 2018, there have been 19 statewide elections for offices — governor, attorney general, state treasurer, secretary of state, US senator, state Supreme Court justice, superintendent of public instruction — and Taylor’s victory means the Democratic or progressive candidates have now won 16 of the last 19 races.

None of this should be cause for complacency among Democrats. They’ve had their hopes dashed in narrow victories by Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn in 2019 and Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022. And with Trump winning the state in two of the past three presidential elections, we know that even dissatisfaction with Trump isn’t a guarantee that his supporters won’t show up to help take back the governor’s office and stretch control of the Legislature to 18 years.

Local news is essential for democracy.

Our reporting cuts through false narratives, documents what’s actually happening in our communities, and provides voters with the clear, factual information they need—especially when the stakes are high.

We’re living in a far different time than when statesmen like Democratic Rep. Dave Obey and Republican Rep. Tom Petri would work out their differences like professionals. Rest assured, they and others could cuss with the best of them, but they did it in private.

In the age of social media, we have characters like Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-🖕🏼), who thinks cursing makes him look cool. Fortunately for Wisconsin, Van Orden’s bullying and barnyard vocabulary have found a match in Rep. Mark Pocan, who can go toe-to-toe with tweets, as evidenced by a new survey of social media usage by members of Congress.

⏮️ Last Week: Are we being too harsh on congressional travel?

✈️ ICYMI: Several media outlets were sharply critical of members of Congress for taking overseas trips while some federal workers were going without paychecks due to a partial shutdown fight over ICE tactics. Wisconsin Rep. Derrick Van Orden was among those criticized after traveling to Scotland. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 We asked: Are people are being unfair to Van Orden and others for taking trips that had been previously approved?

😡 According to our respondents: Nope. In fact, out of more than 100 responses, only a single person answered yes. 

From Todd: “If any portion of the government is shut down, all the elected representatives should be sequestered to Washington, DC — unpaid and required to work 16-hour days until they figure it out.”

From Jack H.: “Just make them one-way tickets and don’t come back!”

⏭️ This Week: Where does “up north” begin?

🌲 It’s baaaack … an annual fight we like to stir up around Wisconsin when spring arrives and summers up north draw near.

Where exactly does “up north” begin?

We admit we’re biased: We cover all of Wisconsin because all of Wisconsin is America’s “up north.” We’re such a swing state that we know America looks up north for news about the political winds in our country. But when it comes to “up north” as an actual getaway — or even just a state of mind — where’s that boundary in Wisconsin?

With the spring election over and us going on hiatus for a couple of weeks, this seems like a good time to kick the hornet’s nest and run away! When we come back, we’ll share your thoughts about the true location of our beautiful namesake territory.

Click the blue box below to give your answer on our website. 

If you get a pop-up window asking for your email address, go ahead and enter it even though you’re clearly already a subscriber. You can also email me your thoughts directly at pat@couriernewsroom.com. Thank you!

Here are just a couple of the many entries on our calendar of events that we created to motivate you to get off the couch and “Do Something” about reclaiming Wisconsin values in our politics.

Tuesday [Apr 14]

Citizen Action of Wisconsin: Governor Forum, (Virtual, 6 p.m.)

A gubernatorial forum with the Democratic candidates for Governor of Wisconsin on key topics, including climate change, democracy, and more. RSVP required by April 13th.

Thursday [April 16]

Indivisible Fox Valley: Wisconsin Deserves Fair Voting Maps, (Appleton, 6 p.m.)

A presentation with former Rep. Penny Bernard Schaber discussing the current state of Wisconsin’s voting maps and how to ensure fair and free elections in Wisconsin.

Have an event to add? Email State Organizing Coordinator, Abigail Deatrick, abigail@couriernewsroom.com with details (please send details at least one week before the event).

📱 Remember, you can stay up to date all day with all of our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Instagram and TikTok.

🏁 Thanks for reading our update.

Have a great week!