I think that the Wisconsin gubernatorial election in 2026 is probably the most important election between now and 2028.

I'm just a layman who's been to Wisconsin a grand total of once as a side trip while in Chicago. I'm like reasonably politically active, so it's up to y'all how much to believe what I say, but most of the facts that make up my opinion are verifiable if you talk with constitutional scholars.

Basically, right now, the GOP have a majority but no longer do they have a supermajority in either state legislative house.

For 2 years, that legislative supermajority will be hamstrung by Mr. Evers sitting in the governorship. But, if Republicans win the governorship, then Republicans will have a trifecta like they did before Evers got elected. But, this time could very well be different. Scott Walker, as evil as he was, did not change the law to promote the cancellation of the 2012 or 2016 presidential election, which, by the way, states unfortunately are allowed to do and send their votes to whatever candidate they feel like. But he didn't. You don't know that Wisconsin's next Republican governor won't try to pull that stunt, ending Wisconsin's status as a swing state and pretty much just giving their electoral votes to the candidate they feel like every time.

Also, next time Republicans take the trifecta, they may very well try to gerrymander unbreakably like they did the first time. But this time could be very very different. Conservative justices on the Supreme Court don't believe in one person, one vote. They believe it is ok to draw district lines with wildly varying populations. So, basically, this could manifest in them drawing lines such that they'll make 98 districts of like 1,000 people each and then there would be one mega district in the rest of the state. The state Supreme Court in theory has unlimited power over the state legislature maps and very limited power over Congressional maps, but they can be impeached way too easily in Wisconsin and are held off the court til a trial is completed (ie the legislature would just never hold the trial. All that is to say, a Democrat governor's legislative veto is the best safeguard for Wisconsin to have any sort of democracy.

I know my post won't change anyone's vote, but I just wanted to share a random Redditor opinion in terms of how important Wisconsin is to the health of democracy nationwide.