A historic victory won by Wisconsin’s middle-class

[ProSense]

A historic victory won by Wisconsin’s middle-class

by PeterBarca

Rep. Peter Barca is the Wisconsin Assembly Democrats Leader

The election results of the past week can only be viewed as a historic victory won by Wisconsin's middle-class and a rejection of Gov. Walker's extreme, divisive and hyperpartisan agenda.

It was the middle-class who took the fight into staunchly Republican territory and won two seats.

It was a coalition of Wisconsin progressives that worked together to prove to the country that Democrats can stand up and defeat extreme Republicans who favor powerful and extreme special interests at the expense of working, middle-class families.

It was the Republicans who barely managed to force recalls against three courageous Democrats and it was progressive, grassroots activists who stood up to defend leaders that fight for people instead of the wealthy out-of-state corporations.

Gov. Walker and his fellow Republicans tried to push back by launching a ferocious barrage of dirty-tricks right out of Karl Rove's playbook. They ran fake candidates in primaries. They sent mailers out to Democratic voters with the wrong election date. They spent millions from the likes of the Koch brothers and other wealthy special interests to try and buy the elections.

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TPM: Dem Incumbents Win Last Two Wisconsin Recalls, GOP Holds Slim Senate Majority

The Wisconsin state Senate recalls of 2011 -- in which tens of millions of dollars and countless man-hours were spent, almost resembling Congressional races -- are officially over. Tuesday night, Democratic incumbents Jim Holperin and Robert Wirch fended off their Republican challengers, for a final state Senate margin of 17 Republicans to 16 Democrats, just shy of the Dems' original goal of taking control of the chamber via recalls.

The Associated Press has projected both Holperin and Wirch as the winners in their respective races. With 78% of precincts reporting in Holperin's race, he led Republican opponent Kim Simac by 54%-46%. With 99% reporting in Wirch's race, he won by a margin of 57%-43%.

Holperin was always considered the most vulnerable Democrat. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's rankings of the state Senate districts shows, Holperin represents the most Republican-leaning district that is currently held by a Democrat. It voted 57.4%-40.8% for Scott Walker in the Republican wave of 2010, though before that Barack Obama carried it 52.7%-45.7% during the 2008 Democratic wave. But in the end, he pulled through the challenge, and by a wider margin than his original 51%-49% election to the seat in 2008.

Another fun fact: This was Holperin's second recall of his political career. Back in 1990, then-state Rep. Holperin faced a recall election in a backlash over the more local issue of newly-reinstated Native American spearfishing rights. Holperin won that election, later went on to be state Tourism Secretary, and in 2008 was narrowly elected to the state Senate by 51%-49% in an open-seat race, to succeed a retiring Democrat.

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[Oceansaway]

1. is Walkers recall next ?..n/t

[LAGC]

2. And isn't one of the remaining Republican Senators not fully on-board with Walker's union-busting?

In other words, he may not be able to get away with further attacks on unions, at least not in the Senate any longer.

[SpiralHawk]

3. "It ain't over till the fat Koch boys sing." - RepubliCons, Inc. (R)