Fox Cities could gain more Democratic lawmakers under the new Wisconsin legislative maps

APPLETON — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed new electoral maps into law Monday, potentially creating big changes in the Fox Cities' legislative representation.

The maps the governor proposed divide more evenly the state's legislative districts between Democrats and Republicans and dramatically weaken advantages granted to Republicans by district maps passed in 2011.

“When I promised I wanted fair maps — not maps that are better for one party or another, including my own — I damn well meant it,” Evers said prior to signing the maps into law at the state Capitol. “Wisconsin is not a red state or a blue state — we’re a purple state, and I believe our maps should reflect that basic fact."

The Fox Cities, specifically, got slightly more blue after the lines for Senate District 18 and 19 shifted pretty dramatically.

The new maps will be in effect for the November election, when all Assembly districts and the seats in even-numbered Senate districts are up for election.

Many current legislators no longer live within the boundaries of their newly drawn districts, which will require them to run in the new district they live in, or move to the district they currently represent to try maintaining their constituency.

Nothing will happen to senators in odd-numbered districts who were drawn out of their districts until their reelection in 2026. They will only have to move if they win.

With new district lines, Fox Cities voters could see some big changes in the candidates running in their newly drawn districts. Here's what the new maps look like in the Fox Cities.

How will the Fox Cities Senate districts change?

Under the previous 2022 maps, the Fox Cities were in Senate districts 1, 2 and 19 but now will be spread across districts 1, 2, 18 and 19.

The most noticeable change in the area is the re-drawn Senate District 18, which now covers the Oshkosh-to-Appleton corridor.

This area was previously split between the 18th district north of Oshkosh and the 19th district just south of Neenah — both held by Republican senators.

Now, the district covering the lakeside communities will lean Democratic and could potentially bring the first Democratic senator back to the Fox Valley since 2012.

This is according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis of the new maps which determined the leaning based on districts with more than a 5% difference in Republican and Democratic voters either way.

The 2nd Senate District — which covers parts of Little Chute and Kaukauna — saw some slight changes in the new maps. The district now stretches more toward the north and seceded parts of Kaukauna to Senate District 1.

Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Allouez, was drawn out of his Senate District 2, but told The Post-Crescent he plans to move into the new boundaries and run for reelection.

It's a similar story for Republican André Jacque who was drawn out of his 1st Senate districts, and now reside in the 30th.

But he won't have to worry about whether to move or run in the new boundaries until 2026.

See the new state Senate districts

This map shows Wisconsin state Senate districts under the previous 2022 map on the left, and the new 2024 map on the right. Each district is colored according to whether itleans Democrat, leans Republican, or is acompetitive district (within 5%).

Old maps (2022)

New maps (2024)

Note: The partisan lean of districts is calculated based on voting data from national and local elections from 2016 to 2022. Districts with less than 5% difference in Republican and Democratic votes are considered competitive districts.

Map by Andrew Hahn and Eva Wen / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

How will the Fox Cities Assembly districts change?

With the new maps and all Assembly seats up for election in November, Fox Cities voters could see some changes in local representation.

The newly drawn Democratic-leaning Senate District 18 will be composed of three Democratic-leaning Assembly districts.

The west side of the Fox Cities was previously under the Assembly districts 55, 56 and 57 but after Senate districts 18 and 19 were redrawn, Fox Cities Assembly districts will be split into Democratic-leaning districts covering Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha and Appleton and then Republican-leaning districts covering the more rural western half of the Fox Cities.

Rep. Lee Snodgrass, D-Appleton, currently represents Assembly District 57, but will represent district 52 under the new maps if she wins reelection. The new district will contain more of northern Appleton and lose parts of Menasha.

"For me, this just makes sense to give me a larger portion of Appleton because I've always considered myself the main Appleton representative," Snodgrass told The Post-Crescent.

The new Assembly District 52 takes parts of Grand Chute previously under Assembly districts 55 and 56, held by Republicans Nate Gustafson and David Murphy.

Murphy's hometown is Greenville, which still lies in District 56, so he is likely to run again in his district.

Gustafson was narrowly missed getting draw out of his Assembly District 55 — the new lines are 15 feet from his residence. He said in a press release that he plans to run in his district again.

On the east side of the Fox Cities, Assembly District 2 shifted east and will now cover Kimberly, Combined Locks and parts of Kaukauna, which were previously part of Assembly District 3. The 3rd district now stops at the Calumet County line in the Fox Cities.

See the new state Assembly districts

This map shows Wisconsin state Assembly districts under the previous 2022 map on the left, and the new 2024 map on the right. Each district is colored according to whether itleans Democrat, leans Republican, or is acompetitive district (within 5%).

Old maps (2022)

New maps (2024)

Note: The partisan lean of districts is calculated based on voting data from national and local elections from 2016 to 2022. Districts with less than 5% difference in Republican and Democratic votes are considered competitive districts.

Map by Andrew Hahn and Eva Wen / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

How have the maps changed statewide?

Statewide, Evers' new maps about evenly split the 99 Assembly districts between Republican and Democratic-leaning districts. Forty-five districts are more Democratic than Republican, and 46 districts are more Republican than Democratic.

The remaining eight districts give either Republicans or Democrats a fair change of winning them.

The 33 state Senate districts drawn by Evers are also pretty evenly split between Republican and Democratic-leaning districts. Fourteen districts are Democratic-leaning and 15 districts are Republican-leaning.

The other four districts are competitive and are likely to be a toss-up between Democratic and Republican candidates.

More: Confused by Wisconsin redistricting terms? Here's what they mean.

Sophia Voight covers local government and politics in the Fox Valley for The Post-Crescent. She can be reached with feedback and story tips at svoight@postcrescent.com.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Here's what the new legislative maps mean for Fox Cities voters