If the maps approved by the Wisconsin Supreme Court survive legal challenges and are the maps for the 2022 Election cycle, six incumbent Republican lawmakers will be impacted and three will not return to the Legislature next session in their current seats.
5th Senate District
Under the new maps, State Senator Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) has been redistricted into the 8th Senate District currently represented by State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills). The 8th Senate District is not up for re-election in 2022, so unless Sen. Kooyenga moves, he does not have an opportunity to retain his Senate seat in this election cycle.
In a post on LinkedIn, Sen. Kooyenga said the following;
“There are other significant issues with these maps which is why the GOP has asked the US Supreme Court to intervene.
If the riddle was “How does a State Senator lose his seat if he hasn’t lost an election, given up the Seat, or died in office?” Even the savviest political hacks wouldn’t have come up with this answer.
Serving in elected office is a privilege, not a right. For this and other reasons, I am not a victim. I’m very confident in God’s plans and looking forward to redirecting the time I have spent in state service into my family, business, and Army career if SCOTUS doesn’t intervene. We’re in the fight for our principles for the long haul so this story is far from over.”
Under the new maps, the 5th SD has moved from a +0.5% Lean Democratic seat to a +11.8% Democratic seat. Potential Democratic candidates for the 5th SD include; State Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa), former 2020 Democratic Assembly candidate Jessica Katzenmeyer (15th AD versus Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, R-New Berlin) and former 2020 Democratic Congressional candidate Tom Palzewicz, Brown Deer, who ran unsuccessfully against Cong. Scott Fitzgerald.
24th Assembly District
Republican State Representatives Dan Knodl (R-Menomonee Falls) and Barb Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) have been drawn into the same district under the new maps. Rep. Knodl currently represents the 24th District and under the new map, the district pushes further west. Rep. Dittrich currently represents the 38th District, which, under the new maps, no longer includes her residence. Dittrich announced on Friday that she will not move her residence and will run for re-election in November, while Knodl has yet to announce his intention.
83rd Assembly District
Similar to the 24th AD, Rep. Chuck Wichgers (R-Muskego) and Rep. Cody Horlacher (R-Mukowonago) have been paired in the 83rd AD, currently represented by Rep. Wichgers. The new district includes more of Wichger’s current 83rd AD than Rep. Horlacher’s current 33rd AD. And similar to the 24th AD, neither candidate has announced their 2022 intention pending the legal challenge to the new maps.
