Republicans Gain Senate Supermajority in Midwest State, Can Impeach Democrat Governor

Republicans won an open Senate seat in the Wisconsin Legislature in Tuesday’s special election.

State Rep. Dan Knodl defeated Democratic attorney Jodi Habush Sinykin for the state’s 8th Senate District, which gives the GOP a supermajority in the chamber.

The supermajority gives Republicans the ability to impeach Democrat Gov. Tony Evers and other elected officials.

Republican state Rep. Dan Knodl defeated a Democratic attorney to win an open Senate seat in Tuesday's special election, creating a GOP supermajority in the chamber that could be used to impeach Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and other office holders. https://t.co/WtOYlfSwk1

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 5, 2023

“This campaign has always been about focusing on the issues, like rising prices, crime, and education, and I am incredibly grateful to the voters of the 8th Senate District for placing their trust in me to represent them in the Wisconsin State Senate,” Knodl said in a statement.

AP reported:

Knodl’s victory gives Senate Republicans 22 votes in the 33-seat chamber. That’s enough to override a gubernatorial veto in that house. A successful override takes a two-thirds vote in the Senate and Assembly, however, and Assembly Republicans remain two seats shy of the 66 they need.

Knodl’s win also gives Senate Republicans enough votes to convict a civil officer, including the governor, other constitutional officers such as the attorney general and judges in impeachment trials. Knodl has said he probably would not support an attempt to impeach Evers.

The state constitution says civil officers can be impeached, including the governor, lieutenant governor and judges. A February analysis from the Legislative Reference Bureau concluded that other constitutional officers such as the attorney general and the state schools superintendent can be impeached as well.

Knodl’s victory comes one day after liberals took the majority in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years.

Control For Wisconsin Supreme Court Flips

According to reports, Dan Knodl would consider launching impeachment efforts against newly-elected Wisconsin Supreme Court judge Janet Protasiewicz.

However, it remains unclear if Knodl meant impeaching Protasiewicz from her current position or in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Wisconsin state Senate candidate Dan Knodl (R) says if his election gives Senate Republicans a two-thirds majority, he would “certainly consider” support launching impeachment proceedings against Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz. https://t.co/nG8w5Svswg

— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) April 5, 2023

From NBC News:

In the closing days of his campaign, Republican Assemblyman Dan Knodl, who won that exurban state Senate district outside Milwaukee, said that he would consider impeaching Protasiewicz from her current position as a judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

Now, with Protasiewicz’s victory Tuesday, the comments quickly spurred concerns among Democrats in the state that Republicans in the Legislature would make a move against Protasiewicz's seat in the Supreme Court.

In an interview last week with WISN-TV, Knodl said that a Republican supermajority in the state Senate would give the party “more authority in the areas of oversight and accountability of elected officials and appointed officials.”

“If there are some that are out there that are corrupt, that are failing at their tasks, then we have the opportunity to hold them accountable … up to impeachment,” Knodl said.

“Janet Protasiewicz is a Circuit Court judge right now in Milwaukee, and she has failed,” he continued. Asked whether he “would support impeaching her,” Knodl replied, “I certainly would consider it.”

It remains unclear whether Knodl was referring only to her position on the Milwaukee Circuit Court, or whether he would also consider impeaching her if she won the Supreme Court race.