Wisconsin 32nd District Helped Save Evers’ Veto Power in Redistricting

Wisconsin’s 32^nd district solidified Gov. Tony Evers veto power in state redistricting after an election determined by a margin of less than 600 votes and massive campaign funding.

The senate seat was won 48,853 for Brad Pfaff (D) to 48,264 for Dan Kapanke (R) in the initial counting; however, the deadline for certifying the election results was Dec. 1. Pfaff was reported to have a little over $1.6 million donated in total, and Kapanke was reported to have $554,338 donated in total according to Transparency USA. With more than double the funds and a narrow margin of votes Pfaff declared victory on November 4^th in a tweet.

“I am incredibly honored to be your next State Senator,” tweeted Pfaff. “Today is a new day, and I am eager to bring together families and communities so we can refocus on our shared values and overcome the challenges facing our state.”

Kapanke had no comment on the results of the election and did not respond when contacted. Candidates are permitted to request a recount no later than three days after canvassing has finished marking Dec. 4 as an official loss for Kapanke.

Overcoming political division will become especially important come 2021 when redistricting will begin. Pfaff believes that the Legislature should not be part of the physical drawing of lines and referenced Iowa as a model for how Wisconsin should fix its redistricting process in a debate before the election.

“Leave the legislature out of it,” said Pfaff. “We do not need the legislatures drawing the boundaries of the districts they will serve.”

Kapanke referenced the current process citing the checks and balances of the Wisconsin redistricting system.

“Well we have a process here, where-by the legislature draws up the maps and the Governor has to sign off on them,” said Kapanke. “And as you know we have a democratic Governor and a republican Legislature right now and that’s the case it will probably end up in the courts.”

Currently there are 19 Republican senators and 14 Democratic senators in Wisconsin. With Pfaff as the winner, democrats may have the ability to block republican gerrymandering. If Gov. Tony Evers vetoes the redistricting plan, then Republicans can sue. With Pfaff as the elected Senator for Wisconsin’s 32^nd district, Democrats helped prevent a Republican supermajority in the State Senate which helps prevent overturning a veto given by Evers.

Republicans also lost their races against Assemblywoman Robyn Vining, Assemblywoman Beth Meyers and Assemblyman Steve Doyle, preventing a supermajority in the State Assembly. To block a veto Republicans needed both the Assembly and the Senate.

Wisconsin must comply with the equal population requirements and the Voting Rights Act, but tactics such as “cracking” and “packing” are used as loopholes to these rules.  Cracking is the process of breaking up targeted demographics to suppress their voting power, and packing is the process of pushing the opponent’s voting power into one district to lower their voting power in several others.

“We should have the people of this state play an important role in helping draw those maps,” said Pfaff. “I think we can look at the model across the river in Iowa as an example of how we can make sure we can keep representative democracy strong in this state.”

Following the history of redistricting in Wisconsin the maps will likely end up in court and may make it to the Wisconsin Supreme Court like in 2011 where they ruled states are given the ability to draw district boarders as the legislative body wishes.

Judge Jill Karofsky who gained national attention following another tight Wisconsin race against Daniel Kelly earned a Supreme Court seat taking about 55% of the vote. Her win shifted the Supreme Court ideological leaning from a major conservative majority 5-2 to a more balanced 4-3. Her campaign funding topped that of Kelly. Karofsky was reported to have spent $2.7 million compared to Kelly’s $2.5 million.

It is unknown how she may vote should a redistricting plan be brought to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but her stance on voter suppression was clear. In an interview with Fox6 News, she referenced the claims of voter suppression amidst the COVID pandemic and the long lines at the polls.

“What happened on Tuesday should not have happened,” she said. “And it can not happen in the future.”

With a 4-3 conservative majority in the court, it is likely the redistricting proposal will pass should Republicans sue; however, if one of the seats in the court flips then Democrats may block potentially bias new district lines.

Before the 2020 election Pfaff was appointed to secretary of agriculture, trade, and consumer protection by Evers in Dec. of 2018. About a year later Pfaff’s nomination was declined by the Wisconsin GOP having voted along party lines.

Evers heavily criticized the procedure calling it, “absolute bullshit.”

Kapanke was elected Senator of the 32^nd district in 2004 and recalled in August of 2011. He lost the recall election to Jennifer Schilling (D). He ran again against Schilling in 2016 and lost by 56 votes. Seemingly unbeknownst to many of the citizens of La Crosse this important race for the senate had fallen into no-mans-land while everyone’s eyes were on the presidential race.

“I heard that some people think Trump was cheated on the election, but I haven’t really heard anything about the senate race though,” said La Crosse local Josh Dewitt. “I remember the commercials though.”