Craig Gilbert on two big races; a look at Lincoln Hills; next redistricting battle
Craig Gilbert on two big races
When it comes to analyzing the state of political play in Wisconsin, there's nobody better than Journal Sentinel Washington bureau chief Craig Gilbert.
And this week, Gilbert delivers twice.
He takes a look at the political prospects of the two big incumbents: Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.
Gilbert describes how Evers may be pushing against history.
As he writes:
"The party of the sitting president has lost the last eight contests for governor in Wisconsin, a streak that has lasted more than 30 years.
"Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will try to break that pattern next year, but it’s a reminder of the political challenge he faces.
"While Evers has enjoyed positive job ratings for almost the entirety of his first term, his numbers have declined in recent months."
As for Johnson, who hasn't yet announced if he'll run for a third term, Gilbert suggests the Republican's prospects are looking pretty good.
Gilbert says that the current political climate, which is perilous to Democrats, is in Johnson's favor.
"And so is history," Gilbert writes. "Johnson is the incumbent and his party is out of power. Senate candidates who meet both of these conditions hardly ever lose."
A look at Lincoln Hills
Patrick Marley digs into an important issue: the Lincoln Hills juvenile facility.
As he writes:
"The state won't be able to close its juvenile correctional facility for perhaps four years and possibly much longer, according to the head of the state's prison system.
"That's largely because lawmakers have not supplied full funding to build new facilities to house the residents of Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr told the Journal Sentinel.
"That means for the foreseeable future, dozens of juvenile offenders will continue to be held at the correctional campus north of Wausau. Conditions at the long-troubled facility are improving, but officials need to take more steps to eventually shut it down, according to a recent independent review of Lincoln Hills."
You can read the entire article here.
Next redistricting battle
The Republicans drew up legislative maps for the next decade, Evers vetoed them, so now what happens?
We're headed for the courts, with the next stop the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Marley has the questions and answers for this important struggle that will determine political power in the closely-watched state.
You can read all about it here.
Around the horn
Daniel Bice on the tale of two out-of-state donors who gave 373 separate campaign contributions to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.
Madison tells unvaccinated poll workers they can perform their duties if they provide negative COVID-19 test results.
Legislative auditors review Madison's election records after dispute over who can handle documents.
Email reveals DNR has abandoned groundwater rulemaking for nitrates, citing strict timeline and difficult process set by the Legislature.
Tweet of the week
Political pundit Ana Navarro-Cárdenas on the not guilty verdict for Kyle Rittenhouse:
"Agree with it or not, the jury found Kyle Rittenhouse, not guilty. He’s free to chart his future as he wishes. He says he wants a “quiet, stress-free life,” go to college, become a nurse. If so, he should be wary of those exploiting him for political purposes, money and ratings."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Craig Gilbert on two big races; a look at Lincoln Hills
