Ultra-Partisan Redistricting Fuels Alberta Darling's Rightward Lurch

The conservative GOP state senator from upscale River Hills loves to micro-manage local Milwaukee affairs.

Not content with eliminating Milwaukee residency rules, and public employee bargaining rights and workplace equality, Darling has turned to micro-managing public school property to the benefit of the private school choice movement - - big, outside government interference no other local district in the state would tolerate.

How does she get away with such bullying?

Take a look at her intensely-red gerrymandered district as explained by Journal Sentinel political data expert Craig Gilbert.

What’s the net partisan effect on this seat? Darling’s district supported Walker last fall 54% to 45%, which was marginally better than Walker did statewide. Under the new lines, Walker would have won the district by 27 points (63% to 36%) instead of nine.  

Darling was always under moderating pressure from Democratic voters in Shorewood, for example, so her party gave her lifetime protection by swapping Democratic voters in her district and for new constituents in the heavily-Republican suburbs - - where sticking it to the big city wins smiles, donations and ballot-box results.

So dislodging Darling, let alone even nudging her away from the Tea Party right to something closer to the middle is pretty unlikely.

And that leaves her free to foist harassing state power on Milwaukee's largest city - - where, when there, she's just another angry suburban commuter.