MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans still reeling from an April election that saw conservatives lose majority control of the state Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years hope to use their upcoming state convention to unify and refocus on the 2024 presidential race in which Wisconsin will once again be a battleground. Democrats, recognizing that four of the past six presidential elections in the state have been decided by less than a percentage point, are trying not to become overconfident in the face of recent gains. They are gathering for their annual state convention starting June 10 in Green Bay. “The wind is at our backs, but in Wisconsin no one should ever take anything for granted,” said state Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler. “I haven’t met a single Democrat who thinks we can rest easy.” Democratic candidates, including Gov. Tony Evers and President Joe Biden, have won 14 of the past 17 statewide elections. In April, Democratic-backed Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz’s 11-point win over the GOP-supported candidate proved once again the power of abortion as an issue for Democrats. She ran as a supporter of abortion rights, and for revisiting Republican-drawn political district maps, in a race that broke turnout records. Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who won her 2018 race by 11 points, is up for reelection next year and has yet to draw a Republican opponent. Republicans are already voicing concerns about the lack of an announced top tier challenger and the possibility of yet another expensive, divisive primary like this year’s Supreme Court contest. Wisconsin has long been one of a handful of battleground states, one of the few places where either party can win a statewide contest. With that in mind, Milwaukee will play host to the first Republican presidential primary debate in August. Republicans will return next summer for their national convention. Democrats, in another nod to the importance of the Midwest, will gather just across the border in Chicago for their national convention in 2024. Wisconsin Republican Party leaders are trying to get the rank and file to refocus on the fights ahead, while recent losses and divisions within the party among conservatives loyal to former President Donald Trump pose challenges. “I’m not coming over to put lipstick on the corpse,” said Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming, who took over the job in December. “We have a philosophy of winning here. And that takes doing a lot of things. But we are doing them. We’ve proved that we can do them.” The theme of the state Republican convention this month, “Red to the Roots,” speaks directly at the priority of connecting with its grassroots activists, some of whom have broken with party leaders in the Trump era.
