Twenty-four hours after Tony Evers was elected, Republican state legislators have raised the possibility of Rep. Robin Vos limiting the powers of the governor.
State Assembly leader Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Republican Senate Majority leader Scott Fitzgerald have both said they were open to the idea of limiting gubernatorial power.
"If there are areas where we could look and say, 'Geez — have we made mistakes where we granted too much power to the executive,' I'd be open to taking a look to say what can we do to change that to try to re-balance it," Vos told reporters.
Fitzgerald said he is willing to consider taking away some of the governor’s powers before Evers is seated, according to his chief of staff, Dan Romportl.
While Evers may have emerged victorious from the gubernatorial race, Republicans maintain control in the Assembly and Senate, raising concerns across the aisle about the potential of future political gridlock.
“Our goal is to ensure our constitutional authority is reiterated and enforced ... the reforms are intended to keep both sides at the table to reach a consensus,” Vos said.
In response to Rep. Vos’s statements, today, Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, released a statement criticizing Republican actions.
“From gerrymandering, to rewriting campaign finance laws to benefit their donors, to tinkering with the open records law, Republicans have shown they’re willing to do whatever it takes to amass and protect their power,” said Taylor.
“Wisconsinites made it very clear on Tuesday — they are ready for change. I sure hope that Speaker Vos recognizes that this brand of partisan antics will no longer be tolerated by Wisconsinites,” said Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, in a press release Thursday.
