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Wisconsin governor doubts Republican legislature will approve his maps – Winnipeg Free Press

Posted on by Neons

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, cast doubt on Wednesday whether the Republican-controlled Legislature would pass new legislative maps proposed by Evers.

Evers was asked about Senate Republican Majority Leader Devin LeMahew changing his chances ahead of the Senate vote on Evers' cards. The Assembly will also consider issuing cards to Evers, said Angela Joyce, a spokeswoman for Republican Speaker Robin Vos.

“I'll believe it when I see it,” Evers told reporters. But when asked if he would sign his cards if the Legislature passed them without changes, Evers said, “Why not?”

FILE - Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, left, and Senate President Roger Roth behind him, speaks during the governor's address at the state Capitol during a joint session of the Legislature in the Houses of Assembly, Jan. 22, 2019, in Madison, Wis. Evers Wednesday, February 7, 2024 The Republican-controlled Legislature has expressed skepticism about the possibility of adopting new legislative maps proposed by Evers. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)
FILE – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, left, and Senate President Roger Roth behind him, speaks during the governor's address at the state Capitol during a joint session of the Legislature in the Houses of Assembly, Jan. 22, 2019, in Madison, Wis. Evers Wednesday, February 7, 2024 The Republican-controlled Legislature has expressed skepticism about the possibility of adopting new legislative maps proposed by Evers. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)

The Wisconsin Supreme Court will weigh in on the maps proposed by Evers and others after ruling in December that the current maps drawn up by Republicans are unconstitutional.

The political stakes are high for both parties in a presidential battle in which Republicans have held a firm grip on the legislature since 2011, even as Democrats win statewide elections, including the 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial races.

Last week, he once vetoed the maps adopted by the Legislature, which were based on his proposed directions, but which moved some district boundaries so that many Republicans did not face each other.

Vos said last month that he supports passing the Legislature on the Evers map. Last week, consultants hired by the Supreme Court found that the maps proposed by Vos and legislative Republicans were partisan gerrymanders. That left Evers and the cards presented by Democrats as options for the court to consider.

“We were basically giving Gov. Evers a big win,” Vos said of the governor's cards last month. “Accepting his cards, dropping the lawsuit seems to me like something we can agree on, but I'm waiting for Governor Evers to get back to us.”