Democrats hope a blue wave washes over Wisconsin and gives them total control of battleground state

By SCOTT BAUER

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Talk to any Wisconsin Democrat about their hopes for 2026 and it’s not long before the T-word comes up.

No, not Trump.

Trifecta.

Democrats think new district boundaries in the Senate and Assembly ordered by the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court, an open race for governor and a favorable midterm election cycle this year may allow them to take back total control in the Statehouse for the first time in 16 years.

That would be a dramatic shift in a perennial battleground state that served as a focal point for the nation’s conservative movement in the 2010s, when Wisconsin slashed taxes, reduced the power of labor unions and started requiring voters to show identification at the polls.

Republicans acknowledge that Democrats have a clear shot at running the table, which would allow them to expand Medicaid, increase funding for public schools and restore collective bargaining for public workers.

“It’s a difficult time in national politics,” Democratic Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer told The Associated Press, “but we’re hopeful about...