MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers is considering postponing a special election in May for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District after Wisconsin officials took heat nationally this week for holding an election in the middle of a pandemic.

Evers' chief legal counsel Ryan Nilsestuen told reporters Friday moving the date of the special election in the 7th Congressional District "is something that we're taking a close look at" a month before the May 12 contest is set to take place.

State Sen. Tom Tiffany, a Republican from Hazelhurst, faces Wausau School Board president Tricia Zunker, a Democrat, who has urged Evers to stop in-person voting to prevent the virus to spread at the polls.

But neither candidate wants to see the date of the election moved.

“This congressional district has been without representation for too long," Zunker said. "Moving to a mail-in election allows Wisconsinites to safely exercise their fundamental right to vote.”

The election is to succeed Sean Duffy, who retired from Congress in September, before his term expired, citing family reasons.

Tiffany said Evers was playing politics by considering changing the date again.

"Unfortunately, Governor Evers has decided to play politics at every turn of this election, leaving the people of Northern and Western Wisconsin without representation during one of the most trying times in recent history," Tiffany said. "If it weren’t for his bungling of the process, the 7th district might already have a member of congress fighting for them."

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Absentee ballots for the May 12 election have already been mailed and state elections officials hadn't been notified of the potential change as of Friday, Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney said.

Nilsestuen said the governor's office is talking to clerks in the northwest congressional district as they consider making changes to the election.

When asked if Evers had the authority to move the election, Nilsestuen said, "We already changed the date once."

Evers initially scheduled the election for Jan. 27 but moved the date to May 12 after the initial election schedule ran afoul of a federal law that requires military and overseas voters to be able to obtain absentee ballots at least 45 days before any election — including a primary — for federal office.

Tiffany also said he's pushing for Wisconsin state officials to seek federal funding for election security that requires a 20% state funding match.

"These dollars will go a long way in ensuring our local communities have access to the vital supplies they need to continue to safely administer our elections without having to compromise their integrity," he said.

Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.