MADISON, Wis. — On Oct 23rd, WPR highlighted how the road to the state Senate majority in Wisconsin runs through three districts. Voters from Milwaukee to Madison and Green Bay will have a real choice about who represents them for the first time in over a decade thanks to Wisconsin’s new, fair maps. Democrats Sarah Keyeski, Jamie Wall, and Jodi Habush Sinykin are running to make a difference in Madison.

WPR: Fight For Control Of State Government Runs Through 3 Wisconsin Senate Districts
By: Anya van Wagtendonk, Joe Schulz, and Evan Casey

Wisconsin voters face no shortage of pressing questions in the 2024 election, but a handful of state Senate races could have big implications for who controls state government in 2026.

For the first time in a decade-and-a-half, both parties have a real shot at winning control of the state Legislature, thanks to new legislative maps, which were drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and passed by Republican legislators under pressure from the liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

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Here are a few of the districts that could tip the balance.

In south central Wisconsin, first-time candidate faces longtime incumbent

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Ballweg’s Democratic challenger, Sarah Keyeski, is a mental health counselor with no previous political experience. A nonprofit that she launched in Lodi, the town where she is raising her six children, sparked a move toward public service.

“It’s been remarkable how many people … resonate with concerns about the mental health of individuals, especially our youth today, and are excited about having somebody speak to these issues in the state Senate,” she said.

Keyeski said focusing on mental health involves addressing its social roots, such as economic anxieties, and plans to focus on education funding, rural development and child care. She also wants to push for universal school lunches.

Voters are “tired of politicians being obstructionists, being too doggedly connected to their party and unwilling to be working across the aisle,” she said.

Her background in mental health, Keyeski said, has prepared her to work across the aisle and serve all constituents, regardless of party.

“As a therapist, I have to work with people that don’t agree all the time,” she said, referring to her work with couples.

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Keyeski says abortion access is central to her platform.

“I fundamentally believe that we should trust women and trust them to make decisions about their bodies, decisions about their medical needs in times and circumstances that we can’t begin to imagine or know,” she said. “As a legislator, I, quite frankly, want to stay out of these decisions.”

The abortion issue has drawn national attention to the race, with outside groups like EMILY’s List spending money here. Keyeski has outraised Ballweg almost two-to-one. According to a WisPolitics review, a majority of her donations came from out-of-state.

New maps put Green Bay front and center in races for Legislature

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In mid-October, small business owners filtered into a room in Hinterland Brewery in Ashwaubenon, across the street from Lambeau Field, for a roundtable discussion on the economy. They heard from the Democratic candidate, Jamie Wall, who made reference to redistricting as he introduced himself.

“What’s happened here with the new maps has brought on a chance to bring a breath of fresh air to Madison,” Wall said.

Wall is a business consultant who grew up on a dairy farm in Brown County and lives in Green Bay. In the early 2000s, he was an administrator for the now-abolished state Department of Commerce. Wall also ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House in 2012.

Wall said he wants to bring the problem-solving skills he’s learned working with businesses to Madison, where he says the art of compromise has been lost. 

“There are a lot of issues, if you could put five reasonable people in a room for an afternoon, you could come out with something that most people would get on board with,” he said.

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Suburban race tightly contested under new maps

Just last year, Whitefish Bay Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin narrowly lost a special election to represent Wisconsin’s 8th Senate District. 

This time around, as she knocked on doors on a chilly fall day in Cedarburg, she said she was doing everything in her power to close that gap.

“This district has been trending blue for some time,” Sinykin said. “We will see soon enough whether or not those predictions play out.” 

Sinykin faces Sen. Duey Stroebel, a Republican from Saukville in a state Senate race that is, by the numbers, about as competitive as they come. 

Wisconsin’s 8th Senate District includes parts of Milwaukee County and also Waukesha, Washington, and Ozaukee Counties, also known as the WOW Counties. The area has historically been a Republican stronghold, but it’s been trending Democratic in recent years.

Sinykin, an attorney who specializes in environmental law, is a partner at the Milwaukee-based Habush Habush and Rottier. She said she decided to run for public office two years ago.

“I have seen an increased divisiveness and dysfunction, just an absolute lack of progress in our state’s legislature,” she said.

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Sinykin said providing resources to local communities, investing in the Universities of Wisconsin and protecting the state’s natural resources are important issues she’s focused on.

Last year, state lawmakers passed a bipartisan measure to send more money to local municipalities across the state. However, some local governments are still hurting financially. 

“I do want to have investments in our local communities and give them greater autonomy,” Sinykin said about that issue. 

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Setting up 2026

The new map gives Democrats a sizable advantage in a fourth district, the 18th, which is currently held by Republicans. In that race, Democrat Kristin Alfheim faces Republican Anthony Wayne Phillips, both of Appleton.

Should Democrats flip all four of the districts — the 14th in south central Wisconsin, 30th in Green Bay, the 8th in the suburbs and the and 18th in the Fox Valley — they’d have to win two more seats in 2026 to capture a majority in the Senate. That is possible under the new map, which puts Republicans on defense in three competitive districts in the next election.