Most of the focus in this year’s midterms is naturally on Congress. But the battle for control of state legislatures matters just as much, if not more.
Currently, Republicans hold a trifecta — control of the governorship, state senate, and state house — in 23 states, while Democrats hold 16.
Flipping just a handful of state seats can change who holds the majority of power nationwide. That has major policy implications. On this week’s episode of America, Actually, Vox’s Astead Herndon travels to Wisconsin to dig into the national strategy behind state-level trifectas, what’s at stake for working-class voters, and what it takes to flip rural districts.
00:00 A blue wave beyond Congress
01:50 Wisconsin: The perfect case study
04:48 What a Wisconsin trifecta could deliver
06:09 Winning back rural voters
07:07 Wisconsin’s gerrymandering legacy
08:17 The growth of data centers
10:41 Francesca Hong’s narrow primary loss
12:43 The electability debate
16:17 Wisconsin’s national stakes
18:45 Rallying to flip the legislature
20:40 The issues that matter most to rural Democrats
29:00 Takeaways
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