Article snippet: MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republicans pushing to hang on to power in Wisconsin and Michigan aren’t stopping at curbing the authority of incoming Democratic governors. They’re also trying to hamstring Democrats who are about to take over as attorneys general. The moves underscore how attorneys general have become powerful partisan weapons on both the state and national levels. Republicans in both states say they need to reduce the powers of their Democratic attorneys general and strengthen their own authority to preserve GOP initiatives such as voter ID and to prevent more litigation challenging President Donald Trump’s policies. Democrats see the effort as a wanton power grab that defies the will of voters who put their candidates in office. ‘‘This clearly is an indication of how polarized politics have become,’’ University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist David Canon said. ‘‘It’s really not consistent with how we’ve had transfers of power in the past. We should be alarmed at this. I hope it’s not the new normal.’’ The GOP has controlled the legislatures and the governor’s offices in Wisconsin and Michigan since 2011. The party has used that power to pass conservative policies, including creating voter ID requirements, adopting right-to-work laws and stripping public workers in Wisconsin of nearly all their collective bargaining rights. But that power structure changed last month, and Democrats rejoiced after their candidates seized the governor and attorney g... Link to the full article to read more