The (Non) Impact Of Redistricting On Oak Creek

If you've been following media coverage of the redistricting battles in Madison, you know that it's been a highly-partisan, very contentious process.

I know - shocking. 

But for all the controversy, it would be business as usual for Oak Creek residents, whose U.S. congressional and state Assembly and Senate districts would remain virtually unchanged under the proposals in front of the state Legislature. 

Republican state Rep. Mark Honadel would continue to live in the district encompassing Oak Creek (Honadel resides in South Milwaukee), while Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson would continue to represent the city in the state Senate. 

Oak Creek would also stay in U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's congressional district.

The new maps, which took another step forward Tuesday after passing the state Senate, can be found here.

The status quo of the state Senate district is particularly intriguing. Larson, from Bay View, is unapologetically liberal. Oak Creek is unapologetically conservative. Not exactly two peas in a pod, and Oak Creek residents have been known to disagree with their senator from time to time (check out the comments on ).

It got that way because Larson's district straddles Lake Michigan, all the way up to the east side of Milwaukee. I heard speculation earlier this year that, surely, the Legislature wouldn't allow a city as conservative as Oak Creek to be represented by a Democrat and would re-draw the maps accordingly. 

Well, that didn't happen. And as it stands now, Oak Creek would continue to be a part of one of the most ideological diverse legislative districts in the state.