Americans once again turned their head towards Wisconsin this week, as Tuesday saw a special recall election to challenge the Republican rule that sparked some of the largest rallies and demonstrations the nation has seen at a state level in decades.
Tuesday’s recall election in Wisconsin allowed for Republicans to continue grasping control of the state government. While Democrats managed to claim two seats in the Wisconsin Senate, Republicans will stay in charge in Madison as they hold onto the majority of spots in the state government.
Following Tuesday’s election, Republicans will now only run the state legislature with a 17-16 majority, as opposed to the 19-14 tally that was in place up until yesterday. Regardless, that slight difference is all that it will take for the right-wing to retain control and presumably continue the anti-labor union agendas that brought Wisconsin into the national spotlight earlier this year and served as a catalyst for the recent recall.
Democrats were vying for six seats in the state Senate yesterday, yet only managed to come up on top for a third of them. The left has been attempting to reverse Republican control over the state after Republican Governor Scott Walker pushed for a legislation that would take away the collective-bargaining rights of state government workers.
Following the results of Tuesday night’s election, GOP Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said in a statement, “Republicans are going to continue doing what we promised the people of Wisconsin – improve the economy and get Wisconsin moving back in the right direction.”
Governor Walker himself issued a statement as well, telling the media, “In the days ahead I look forward to working with legislators of all parties to grow jobs for Wisconsin and move our state forward.”
Other GOP members harp that yesterday’s results only prove that the unrest angered toward Republican legislature was merely a fluke, and that the people were in favor of a right-wing body of lawmakers both last election and this time around.
“I think it’s a huge victory for us,” John Hogan, director of the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate, tells the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. “Voters gave us a mandate last fall. … They backed us up again (Tuesday). Voters told us loud and clear, ‘Stay the course. Things are working.'”
Democrats came only around 5,000 vote shorts of controlling the state Senate. Senator Alberta Darling, a Republican incumbent, retained her position over Democratic challenger Rep. Sandy Pasch.
Next week, however, the seats of two Democratic lawmakers will be able for grabs as another recall election will award Republicans the chance to come in control with even a stronger majority.