As the dust settles from the past year’s redistricting battles in Wisconsin, the state Legislature is undergoing a shakeup, with nearly half of all state lawmakers having announced they won’t run in their old districts.
All told, at least 61 members of the state Assembly and Senate won’t run again in their old districts. Of those, 41 are Republicans and 20 are Democrats. In the Assembly alone, 40 representatives — more than a third of the chamber —have either filed to run for new seats in the Legislature or say they plan on it.
Another 16 state lawmakers, including eight Democrats and eight Republicans, have announced plans to leave the Legislature entirely.
There will be at least 26 primaries between Republican and Democratic candidates in the Assembly and Senate this August, a number that could grow by next week. Many of those are due to newly-opened seats as incumbents either opted against seeking reelection.
The final tally of lawmakers running for re-election in new districts or leaving the Legislature won’t be known until after June 3, when nomination papers are due to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.