Government of Milwaukee - State and Federal Representation

State and Federal Representation

The city of Milwaukee has three full state Senate districts within city boundaries, as well as four other districts that share a significant portion of their boundaries with Milwaukee's suburbs. In Wisconsin, each Senate District is composed of three state Assembly districts. Given Milwaukee's status as a Democratic Party stronghold, all but three Senate and three Assemby districts in the city are represented by Democrats, with all six Republican seats falling in three small overlapping areas on the periphery of the city.

For the better part of the past century Milwaukee was represented by multiple Congressional districts. With the city's slowly shrinking population since 1970 and Wisconsin's slower population growth rate that cost the state a Congressional seat in 2002, Milwaukee has been represented by only one Congressional district since that time. Milwaukee makes up the overwhelming majority of Wisconsin's 4th Congressional district. Because of the district's Democratic Party sympathies, the Democratic primary for the seat is often considered more important than the general election. The seat is currently held by Gwen Moore, Wisconsin's first African-American U.S. Representative.

Among many other prominent elected officials, Milwaukee is home to retired long-time U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, and was represented in Congress from 1993 to 2003 by current Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.