What to watch for in 2024: U.S Senate race, redistricting, abortion and more
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- There's no doubt 2024 will be a busy political year where a lot is at stake in the battleground state.
From a presidential election to a fight for new legislative maps, there's plenty to keep an eye on.
Presidential Ballot Set
To kick things off, officials from both parties met in Madison Tuesday to decide which candidates will appear on Wisconsin's presidential primary ballot.
The Presidential Preference Selection Committee voted to place six Republican candidates, including former President Donald Trump, on the April 2 ballot.
They include former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Trump.
President Joe Biden was selected to be the lone candidate for Democrats.
The meeting comes days after a Northwoods brewery owner announced plans to file a lawsuit seeking to disqualify Trump from running again. Kirk Bangstad, owner of Minocqua Brewery, told CBS 58 he's hoping to file his challenge this week at the Dane County courthouse.
Last week, his petition to remove Trump was denied by the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Similar lawsuits that claim a provision in the 14th amendment disqualifies Trump from appearing on the primary ballot have been largely unsuccessful in other states.
More than a dozen states have sought to bar the former president under the U.S. Constitution insurrection clause, but only Maine and Colorado have prevailed.
Trump has appealed Maine's decision and is likely to do the same in Colorado. The U.S Supreme Court is almost certain to have the final word on both cases.
Redistricting
Who you vote for to represent you in Madison could vary in a year. That's because the state Supreme Court struck down the current legislative maps and asked for new ones to be drawn by March 15, a process known as redistricting.
After the court's 4-3 decision that found the current maps unconstitutional, Republican attorneys asked justices to reconsider by arguing they can't meet the court's deadline to draw new maps.
Mordecai Lee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor emeritus, said the move is part of Republicans' strategy to try and halt proceedings until after the 2024 elections.
"The fact that Republicans have already submitted a request for a reconsideration is sort of like the Packers trying to run out the clock," Lee said. "They are trying to delay until it's impracticable."
Republicans, who control the Legislature, have indicated they will take this issue to the nation's highest court which could prolong the legal battle even more.
Who will challenge Baldwin?
Also, what to watch for this year is whether a Republican can defeat Democratic incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin.
Baldwin, who won reelection by double digits in 2018, is considered the favorite, but Lee emphasized how it could be a much closer race than some predict.
"We're living in a moment where literally a handful of Wisconsin voters can change everything,” Lee said. “So, I think this is going to be one of the marquee races for November.”
Millionaire businessman Eric Hovde and Franklin businessman Scott Mayer have expressed interest in running. Former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clark has also mulled a run.
Abortion Laws
Justices are expected to issue final guidance over Wisconsin's abortion laws this year. A lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Kaul challenging the state's 1849 abortion ban has been working its way through the lower courts.
Last month, a Dane County judge overseeing the case issued an order clarifying the ban does apply to consensual medical abortions. It triggered Planned Parenthood clinics in Madison, Milwaukee, and Sheboygan to resume services.
The lawsuit is expected to be heard by the state's high court sometime this year after an appeal was filed asking the court to step in.