Study: Few Wisconsin elections contested come Nov. 8

Senate battle between Doyle-Bradley one of few outliers

There might be a contest for a local legislative seat come the Nov. 8 elections. If so, it will be one of the few in Wisconsin.  

A new report from the group Common Cause in Wisconsin finds just about 10 percent of races for State Assembly and Senate are remotely competitive.

Common Cause blames the creative redistricting that’s done by lawmakers every year for the lack of competitiveness. Political lines are redrawn to keep most district reliably safe for the party in power in a process known as gerrymandering. It insures Republicans and Democrats stay in safe zones for voters of party loyalty.

The group used numbers from the last legislative election to determine which races might be within the 10-point margin, which is considered competitive.

The Assembly district, currently represented by Onalaska Democrat Steve Doyle, is one of them. Republican Julian Bradley is challenging Doyle for the seat this fall.