MADISON, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) – In the just last two weeks, two longtime serving congressmen from Wisconsin announced their plans to leave public office.
The political landscape for Wisconsin Republicans continues to change with names like Scott Walker, Paul Ryan, Sean Duffy, and Jim Sensenbrenner no longer on the ballot.
“GOP strength of the Wisconsin delegation in Congress is somewhat diminished at this point,” Maurice Sheppard, who teaches political science at Madison College, said. “Some argue that beyond some of the personal matters in terms of not running for re-election or resigning early, some may see this as a signal of the GOP, particularly in terms of the House and House elections, as not very hopeful.”
While tenure matters less than it used to, Sheppard says incoming freshman representatives will likely struggle to get leadership roles or powerful committee assignments, at least for a while.
That loss of power in Washington, D.C. is something Democrats hope to seize upon.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair tweeting this week that Republicans have “no bench” after losing influential leaders like Walker and Ryan.
“We have a really good bench statewide,” Brian Reisinger, a Republican strategist, said. “There are a lot of talented Republicans who have been part of the conservative movement who have accomplished things, have good track records, there are some new fresh faces as well.”
Reisinger says their strategy doesn't change. He feels a newcomer can be just as successful as a candidate with a strong voting record.
“Voters here in Wisconsin have shown that they'll support both of those types of candidates depending upon the situation, depending upon the candidate,” Reisinger said. “They like, ultimately, someone who is going to shake up Washington, who is going to get things done.”
Professor Sheppard says fresh faces might not be bad for the party leading up to 2020.
“Retirements and decisions to not run for re-election, it can provide a bit more energy for the GOP,” Sheppard said. “Instead of the same old faces there, it may help in terms of turnout, not just for those congressional districts, but it may also help upstream for the presidential election.”
With so many of the surrogates who helped President Trump win Wisconsin in 2016 now gone, Republicans say new energy will matter more than ever before.
“The Southeast Republican traditional base and the Northern Wisconsin working-class family Republican base, those coalitions are really crucial elements of a statewide victory for Republicans in 2020, and so we do need good, strong candidates to come in and inject some new energy,” Reisinger said.
Friday afternoon former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker tweeted that his son, Matt, is considering a run to fill the fifth congressional seat in southeast Wisconsin, which will be vacant upon Representative Sensenbrenner's retirement.
Former State Senator and 2018 Republican U.S. Senate Nominee Leah Vukmir, along with current State Senators Scott Fitzgerald and Chris Kapenga, have also expressed interest in running.