In a significant political move, Wisconsin's Republican-controlled Senate has passed legislative maps that were proposed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers. The move aims to prevent the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court from implementing maps that may potentially favor Democrats even more. The bill is expected to be passed by the Assembly later today, sending it to Governor Evers for his consideration and ultimately his promised signature if there are no changes.

The political stakes are high in the battleground state of Wisconsin, where Republicans have held control of the Legislature since 2011, despite Democrats winning statewide elections, including the governorship in 2018 and 2022. The Democrats have argued that the Wisconsin Supreme Court should be responsible for implementing the maps and have pushed against adopting Governor Evers' proposed maps.

Republicans, on the other hand, view voting in favor of Evers' maps as their best remaining option. They fear that waiting for the state Supreme Court to install potentially more favorable maps for Democrats may further jeopardize their position. Republican State Senator Van Wanggaard stated, "It was a matter of choosing to be stabbed, shot, poisoned, or led to the guillotine. We chose to be stabbed, so we can live to fight another day."

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos emphasized at a news conference that passing the maps would put an end to costly litigation. Vos expressed confidence in their ability to win under the proposed maps, citing better candidates, a stronger message, and the ability to demonstrate the benefits of Republican leadership in the legislature.

However, Democrats voting against adopting Evers' maps have voiced concerns that Republicans are attempting to deceive them. They have highlighted specific language in the bill that delays the implementation of new maps until the November general election, rather than immediate effect. Democratic Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein condemned Republican motives as "ill-intentioned and self-serving," arguing that the current Republican majority is illegitimate.

This marks the second attempt by the Legislature to enact new Senate and Assembly boundaries before the court issues its order. Previously, the Legislature's attempt was vetoed by Governor Evers due to changes made to protect Republican incumbents. This time, the Senate has passed the Evers maps without alterations to the lines.

Under the bill, the new maps will not go into effect before the November election, excluding special or recall elections. This raises the question of how a potential recall election of Speaker Vos would be handled since it would be conducted under the current map, not the proposed one.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court invalidated the current Republican-drawn maps in December, deeming them unconstitutional. The court will now consider the maps submitted by Governor Evers, the Legislature, and four others. Consultants appointed by the court have already deemed the Republican Legislature's maps and those from a conservative law firm as gerrymandered. However, they did not raise concerns about any of the four Democratic-drawn maps, including the one submitted by Governor Evers.

Analyses of the proposed Evers maps suggest that they would significantly reduce Republican majorities in the Legislature, currently standing at 64-35 in the Assembly and 22-10 in the Senate. The Evers maps would require 15 incumbents in the Assembly and six in the Senate to run against each other if implemented. Notably, only one of the Assembly pairings would pit two Democratic incumbents against each other, and the Senate pairing includes an incumbent who has already decided not to run in the fall.

The state elections commission has emphasized the importance of having new maps in place by March 15 to meet deadlines for candidates running in the November elections. However, the ongoing litigation in multiple states over U.S. House and state legislative districts enacted after the 2020 census continues to create uncertainty surrounding the redistricting process.

As the bill now awaits passage in the Assembly and Governor Evers' final decision, the outcome will undoubtedly have a significant impact on Wisconsin's political landscape for years to come.

(Note: This article is generated using the provided information, without additional outside sources or quotes.