Editing Wisconsin (section)

==Government and politics==
[[File:Wisconsin State Capitol, Christmas Eve, 2012.jpg|thumb|The [[Wisconsin State Capitol]] is located on the [[isthmus]] between [[Lake Mendota]] and [[Lake Monona]], in the city of [[Madison, Wisconsin|Madison]].]]

The [[Constitution of Wisconsin]] outlines the structure and function of state government, which is organized into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The [[Wisconsin Blue Book]] is the primary published reference about the government and politics of the state. Re-published every two years, copies are available from state legislators.<ref>Wisconsin Statutes, [https://law.justia.com/codes/wisconsin/2021/chapter-35/section-35-15/ 35.15 Laws of Wisconsin], accessed September 3, 2022</ref> The law of the [[Menominee]] also applies within the [[Menominee Indian Reservation]].

===State government===
{{See also|List of Wisconsin state agencies}}

The executive branch is headed by the [[Governor of Wisconsin]]. The current governor, [[Tony Evers]], assumed office on January 7, 2019. The Wisconsin Constitution grants the governor a veto on bills passed by the state legislature as well as a [[line-item veto]] on appropriation bills. A [[Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin|lieutenant governor]] succeeds the governor in the event of any removal from office and performs any duties assigned by the governor. The current lieutenant governor is [[Sara Rodriguez]]. The other elected constitutional offices in the executive branch are the [[Secretary of State of Wisconsin|secretary of state]] ([[Sarah Godlewski]]), [[State Treasurer of Wisconsin|treasurer]] ([[John Leiber]]), [[Attorney General of Wisconsin|attorney general]] ([[Josh Kaul]]), and the non-partisan [[Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin|superintendent of public instruction]] ([[Jill Underly]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lc/briefing_book/ch01_structure_government.pdf |title=Wisconsin's Structure of Government and Law |author=Letzing, Rachel |publisher=Wisconsin Legislative Council |date=November 2018 |access-date=May 25, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_state_executive_offices |title=Wisconsin state executive offices |publisher=Ballotpedia |access-date=May 25, 2024 }}</ref>

[[File:Secretary Pompeo Delivers Remarks in the Senate Chamber of the Wisconsin State Capitol (50378281008).jpg|thumb|The [[Wisconsin State Senate|Senate Chamber]] of the Wisconsin State Capitol]]

The [[Wisconsin State Legislature]] is Wisconsin's legislative branch. The Legislature is a [[bicameral]] body consisting of the [[Wisconsin State Assembly]] and the [[Wisconsin State Senate]]. The Assembly has 99 members, and the Senate has 33 members. All 99 members of the Wisconsin Assembly are elected in a two-year term cycle without [[term limits in the United States|term limits]]. Similarly, all 33 members of the Wisconsin Senate are elected in a four-year cycle, also without term limits.<ref name="legislative">[https://archive.today/20130626174729/https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/wiscon/_13/_6 Article IV], Wisconsin Constitution (accessed April 25, 2013)</ref> Half of the Senate is elected every two years. Members of both houses of the Legislature vote within their ranks to select presiding officers, such as the [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker of the Assembly]] and the [[President of the Senate]]. Legislators in both the Senate and the Assembly receive an annual salary of $55,141. Over two years, each legislator is allotted $66,008 to cover general office expenses, printing, postage and district mailings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/2022-legislator-compensation.aspx|title=2022 Legislator Compensation|website=ncsl.org|access-date=May 25, 2024|archive-date=October 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012060022/https://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/2022-legislator-compensation.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Wisconsin's court system has four levels: municipal courts, circuit courts, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. Municipal courts typically handle cases involving [[local ordinance]] matters. The [[Wisconsin Circuit Court|circuit courts]] are Wisconsin's [[trial courts]], they have [[original jurisdiction]] in all civil and criminal cases within the state. Challenges to circuit court rulings are heard by the [[Wisconsin Court of Appeals]], consisting of sixteen judges who typically sit in three-judge panels. As the state's highest appellate court, the [[Wisconsin Supreme Court]] may hear both appeals from lower courts and original actions. In addition to deciding cases, the Supreme Court is responsible for administering the state's court system and regulating the practice of law in Wisconsin.<ref name="Wisconsin Court System">{{cite web|url=http://www.wicourts.gov/courts/overview/overview.htm|title=Wisconsin Court System—court system overview|publisher=Wicourts.gov|date=September 28, 2011|access-date=February 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214080934/http://www.wicourts.gov/courts/overview/overview.htm|archive-date=February 14, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Federal representation===
{{Main|United States congressional delegations from Wisconsin|Wisconsin's congressional districts}}

Following the 2020 census [[United States congressional apportionment|reapportionment]], Wisconsin has eight seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. As of the [[119th United States Congress]], six federal representatives are Republicans while two are Democrats. [[Gwen Moore]] (D-[[Wisconsin's 4th congressional district|04]]) is the most senior member of the Wisconsin delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives. Wisconsin's [[Seniority in the United States Senate|senior]] [[United States Senator|U.S. senator]], [[Ron Johnson]], is a Republican, while its junior, [[Tammy Baldwin]], is a Democrat.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/members?q=%7B%22congress%22%3A117%2C%22member-state%22%3A%22Wisconsin%22%7D |title=Members of the U.S. Congress |publisher=United States Congress |access-date=May 25, 2024 }}</ref>

Wisconsin is under the [[appellate jurisdiction]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit]], which includes district courts for the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin|Eastern District of Wisconsin]] and [[United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin|Western District of Wisconsin]].

===Politics===
{{main|Politics of Wisconsin}}
{{See also|United States presidential elections in Wisconsin|Political party strength in Wisconsin}}
{{Gallery
|title=2024 United States presidential election in Wisconsin
|width=160
|height=170
|align=right
|File:Wisconsin Presidential Election Results 2024.svg|Results by county {{leftlegend|#4389E3|Democratic}}{{leftlegend|#AA0000|Republican}}
|File:WI President 2024.svg|Results by municipality
}}

Wisconsin is considered a [[swing state]] at the federal level, being won by either the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] or [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominees.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rakich |first=Nathaniel |date=October 16, 2020 |title=Wisconsin Was Never A Safe Blue State |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/wisconsin-was-never-a-safe-blue-state/ |access-date=March 29, 2023 |website=FiveThirtyEight |language=en-US |archive-date=January 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115223612/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/wisconsin-was-never-a-safe-blue-state/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Republican [[Donald Trump]] won the state by 0.87% in the [[2024 United States presidential election in Wisconsin|2024 presidential election]]; it had the closest margin of any state in that election. Democrat [[Joe Biden]] won the state by a narrow margin of 0.63% in [[2020 United States presidential election in Wisconsin|2020]];<ref>{{Cite web|title=Live election results: 2020 Wisconsin results|url=https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/wisconsin/|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=www.politico.com|language=en|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119162934/https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/wisconsin/|url-status=live}}</ref> Trump won Wisconsin in [[2016 United States presidential election in Wisconsin|2016]] by a similarly narrow margin of 0.77%, the first time the state voted for a Republican presidential nominee since [[1984 United States presidential election|1984]]. Wisconsin was part of the [[Blue wall (U.S. politics)|blue wall]], a group of states the Democratic Party won in each presidential election from [[1992 United States presidential election|1992]] to [[2012 United States presidential election|2012]].<ref>{{cite news |title='It's Such a Relief': Biden Voters Rebuild a Wall That Trump Smashed |date=November 8, 2020 |last1=Goldmacher |first1=Shane |last2=Corasaniti |first2=Nick |last3=Gabriel |first3=Trip |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/us/politics/joe-biden-voters.html |access-date=November 8, 2020 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=May 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220505033651/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/us/politics/joe-biden-voters.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Since achieving statehood in 1848, Wisconsin has been won by Republican presidential candidates 26 times, Democrats 18 times, and once by the [[Progressive Party (United States, 1924–1934)|Progressive Party]]. 

At the statewide level, Wisconsin is competitive, with control regularly alternating between the two parties. Following the [[2014 Wisconsin elections|2014 general elections]], the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and treasurer were all Republicans, while the secretary of state was a Democrat.<ref>[http://wisconsinvote.org Wisconsin 2014 election results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102143923/https://www.wisconsinvote.org/ |date=January 2, 2018 }}, wisconsinvote.org; accessed November 5, 2014.</ref> However, in [[2018 Wisconsin elections|2018]], Democrats won all constitutional statewide offices on the ballot, the first time this happened in Wisconsin since 1982.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Shawn |date=January 17, 2023 |title=Lawsuit challenging Wisconsin 'lame duck' law persists more than 4 years after it was passed |work=[[Wisconsin Public Radio]] |url=https://www.wpr.org/lawsuit-challenging-wisconsin-lame-duck-law-persists-attorneys-general |accessdate=February 6, 2023 |archive-date=February 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206232237/https://www.wpr.org/lawsuit-challenging-wisconsin-lame-duck-law-persists-attorneys-general |url-status=live }}</ref> [[List of governors of Wisconsin|Among Wisconsin's 46 governors]], 32 were Republicans, 12 were Democrats, one was a [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]], and two were [[Wisconsin Progressive Party]] members.

In a 2020 study, Wisconsin was ranked as the 25th easiest state for citizens to vote in.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free |issn=1533-1296}}</ref> Some have argued the state has experienced [[democratic backsliding]] since 2011.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=Ginsburg |first1=Tom |title=How to Save a Constitutional Democracy |last2=Huq |first2=Aziz |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |year=2018 |isbn=9780226564388 |pages=7–11, 13, 16, 22, 31 |quote=Wisconsin's elections can be criticized along the third of these criteria, China's along all three. The result is a series of "blurred and imperfect" boundaries between democracy and its alternatives, in addition to myriad pathways away from democratic ordering toward one of a range of alternatives.}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Levine |first=Sam |date=April 5, 2023 |title=Liberal judge's Wisconsin supreme court race win shows a shake-up in US politics |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/05/wisconsin-supreme-court-election-results-janet-protasiewicz-win |access-date=April 5, 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406031220/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/05/wisconsin-supreme-court-election-results-janet-protasiewicz-win |url-status=live }}</ref> Some political scientists classify Wisconsin as a [[hybrid regime]];<ref name=":2" /> the state's [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representative]] and [[State legislature (United States)|legislature]] elections are considered to be [[Free and fair election|free but not fair]], with districts undergoing "extreme [[Gerrymandering|partisan gerrymanders]]" to entrench Republicans "beyond [[Elections in the United States|electoral rotation]]".<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Grumbach |first=Jacob M. |date=December 1, 2022 |title=Laboratories of Democratic Backsliding |journal=American Political Science Review |volume=117 |issue=3 |language=en |pages=967–984 |doi=10.1017/S0003055422000934 |s2cid=234000893 |issn=0003-0554 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Tharoor |first=Ishaan |date=November 8, 2022 |title=U.S. democracy slides toward 'competitive authoritarianism' |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/08/american-democracy-backsliding-competitive-authoritarianism/ |access-date=April 5, 2023 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330111007/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/08/american-democracy-backsliding-competitive-authoritarianism/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the legislative gerrymander in the 2023 ruling of ''[[Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission]].''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bosman |first=Julie |date=December 22, 2023 |title=Justices in Wisconsin Order New Legislative Maps |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/22/us/wisconsin-redistricting-maps-gerrymander.html |access-date=December 22, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[File:2011 Wisconsin Budget Protests 1 JO.jpg|thumb|left|The [[2011 Wisconsin Act 10]] led to large protests around the state capitol building in Madison.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-wisconsin-protests-20110227,0,3378088.story|author=Abby Sewell|title=Protesters out in force nationwide to oppose Wisconsin's anti-union bill|work=Los Angeles Times|date=February 27, 2011|access-date=February 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303124853/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-wisconsin-protests-20110227,0,3378088.story|archive-date=March 3, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

During the [[American Civil War]], Wisconsin was a [[History of the United States Republican Party|historically Republican state]]; in fact, it is the state that gave birth to the Republican Party, although ethno-religious issues in the late 19th century caused a brief split in the coalition. The [[Bennett Law]] campaign of 1890 controversially required English as the sole medium of instruction in all schools, and Germans switched to the Democratic Party because the Republican Party supported the law.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kellogg|first1=Louise Phelps|title=The Bennett Law in Wisconsin|journal=Wisconsin Magazine of History|date=September 1918|volume=2|issue=1|pages=3–25|jstor=4630124}}</ref>

Wisconsin's political history is broad in scope, encompassing [[Robert La Follette]] and the [[Progressive movement]] to prominent anti-communist [[Joseph McCarthy]]. From the early 20th century, the [[Socialist Party of America]] had a base in Milwaukee. The phenomenon was referred to as "[[sewer socialism]]" because the elected officials were more concerned with public works and reform than with revolution (although revolutionary socialism existed in the city as well). Its influence faded in the late 1950s largely because of the [[Second Red Scare|red scare]] and racial tensions.<ref name="smith2003">{{cite journal|last=Smith|first=Kevin D.|date=Spring 2003|title=From Socialism to Racism: The Politics of Class and Identity in Postwar Milwaukee|journal=Michigan Historical Review|volume=29|issue=1|pages=71–95|doi=10.2307/20174004|jstor=20174004}}</ref> The first socialist mayor of a large city in the United States was [[Emil Seidel]], elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1910; the city elected three more socialist mayors in [[Daniel Hoan]], [[Frank P. Zeidler]], and [[Henry Maier]]. Socialist [[newspaper editor]] [[Victor Berger]] was repeatedly elected as a U.S. Representative.
[[File:1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial election results map by county.svg|thumb|In [[1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial election|1942]], [[Orland Steen Loomis|Orland Loomis]] would be the last [[Wisconsin Progressive Party|Wisconsin Progressive]] elected governor of Wisconsin but would die shortly after being elected.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-08 |title=Loomis, Orland Steen 1893 - 1942 |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS9999 |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=Wisconsin Historical Society |language=en}}</ref>|211x211px]]
Through the first half of the 20th century, Wisconsin's politics were dominated by Robert La Follette and his sons, originally of the Republican Party and later of the [[Wisconsin Progressive Party]]. Since 1945, the state has maintained a close balance between Republicans and Democrats.<ref name="conant2006">{{cite book|last=Conant|first=James K.|title=Wisconsin Politics and Government: America's Laboratory of Democracy|date=March 1, 2006|publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]]|isbn=978-0-8032-1548-1|chapter=1}}</ref> Wisconsin Congressman [[Paul Ryan]] was the Republican vice-presidential nominee in the [[2012 United States presidential election|2012 election]], alongside [[Mitt Romney]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/uncategorized/noprimarytagmatch/2012/08/11/mitt-romney-chooses-paul-ryan-as-running-mate |title=Mitt Romney chooses Paul Ryan as running mate |publisher=Boston.com |last1=Viser |first1=Matt |last2=Bender |first2=Bryan |date=August 11, 2012 |access-date=March 18, 2024 }}</ref> and later served as 54th [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker of the House of Representatives]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Heitshusen |first1=Valerie |last2=Beth |first2=Richard S. |title=Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913-2023 |date=November 6, 2023 |work=CRS Report for Congress |page=8 |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL30857.pdf |publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]], the [[Library of Congress]] |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=March 18, 2024 }}</ref>

===International relations===
Wisconsin has sister-state relationships with [[Hesse]] in Germany, [[Chiba Prefecture]] in Japan, [[Jalisco]] in Mexico, [[Heilongjiang]] in China, and [[Nicaragua]].<ref name="iw2006">{{cite web|url=http://international.wi.gov/SisterStates.html|title=Sister-States and Cities|access-date=February 23, 2012|date=February 4, 2010|publisher=International Wisconsin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204165758/http://international.wi.gov/SisterStates.html|archive-date=February 4, 2010}}</ref> A [[Mexican consulate]] opened in Milwaukee on July 1, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.jsonline.com/business/mexican-consulate-to-open-in-milwaukee-on-july-1-b99750361z1-384305021.html|title=Mexican Consulate to open in Milwaukee on July 1|website=jsonline.com|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180303110303/http://archive.jsonline.com/business/mexican-consulate-to-open-in-milwaukee-on-july-1-b99750361z1-384305021.html|archive-date=March 3, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>