Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:24 am
Gov. Scott Walker has refused to hold special elections for one open seat in the state house and the state senate. Today, an appeals court ruled that Walker must hold the elections, and Walker announced that he would not be appealing to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Out of fear that Democrats will win, Walker had refused to hold special elections for the seats that were vacated when Republicans took positions in his administration. Walker was sued, and he lost.
Walker appealed, and he lost the appeal:
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After losing the appeal, the governor’s office announced that he would not be taking the case to the Wisconsin Supreme Court:
UPDATE: Moments ago Walker’s attorney’s informed the state Supreme Court that "the Governor has decided not to seek relief from the Supreme Court at this time.†The call for special elections will move forward tomorrow by noon. Democracy wins! https://t.co/HuVvG4pBCA
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) March 28, 2018
Democrats won the fight for a fair election map in Pennsylvania, and now they have won, and defeated a Republican governor who was trying to not hold special elections in Wisconsin. If I am the Trump White House, and I am watching Democrats fight to take back democracy in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, I am getting very nervous. Without Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, Trump isn’t president. Conor Lamb’s US House special election victory in a district that Trump won by 20 points was already a sign that the Keystone State might be heading back toward its previous blue presidential ways. (If Joe Biden is the 2020 Democratic nominee, Trump can forget about Pennsylvania.)
What is happening in Wisconsin is a sign that judges are growing tired of willful violations of democracy. Walker wasn’t doing his constitutional duty by not holding the special elections, and he got called out on it. The system worked. It is a great day for democracy as some Wisconsin residents will finally get the representation that they are entitled to under the law.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
