County race was only one to buck Walker’s Republican wave
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
The balance of power in the hotly contested state Senate rests with the voters in the heart of Racine County where Democratic challenger John Lehman scored a 1 percent victory over incumbent Republican Van Wanggaard Tuesday.
With only 779 votes separating the two candidates in a District 21 race that garnered more than 70,000 ballots, the logical question that arose early Wednesday morning was whether a recount request is forthcoming.
Campaign Manager Justin Phillips said early Wednesday the Wanggaard camp will give some serious thought to that possibility in the coming days.
“We owe it to all of Sen. Wanggaard’s supporters and the voters of Wisconsin to thoroughly examine the election and its results and act accordingly once we have all of the information.”
Just before noon Wednesday, Wanggaard released the following statement regarding the possibility of a recount:
“Over 70,000 people voted yesterday in a historic election. We know that there are a number of outstanding absentee ballots, voting irregularities, and that there were problems across the county in the unofficial tally of ballots.
“People across the state and country have asked that I immediately ask for a recount. However, we all know that the best decisions are made when well-rested and after consideration of all options.
“We will closely monitor the canvass of votes with legal representation. We will evaluate our options regarding recounts following the official count of ballots.”
Wanggaard, who was a little more than a year into his first term – after defeating then-incumbent Lehman in 2010 – was one of four Republican Senators facing recall Tuesday. He was the only one to lose, which means the Democrats will have a one-vote majority in the upper house should the result stand.
In a statement released once the votes were posted shortly after midnight, Lehman pledged to get down to business.
“First of all, this victory is solely dedicated to all the hardworking volunteers who have put us over the top tonight,” Lehman said. “Tonight, the citizens of Racine County voted for checks and balances in our state legislature. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the state senate.”
The 21st District, as currently configured, includes all of Racine County with the exception of the city and town of Burlington and the village and town of Waterford. Ironically, the district will be reconfigured to include a much stronger Republican base for future elections as a result of last year’s redistricting process.
Lehman’s apparent victory was the lone bright spot on an otherwise losing night for Democrats, who launched the recall effort after Gov. Scott Walker and his Republican allies launched major budget reforms last year that curtailed the collective bargaining rights of most public employees as a cost-saving measure for the state.
Walker rides high
Walker became the first incumbent governor in the nation to survive a recall attempt with a seven-percentage point victory over Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. It was a result that was very close to the statewide race the two fought in 2010 when Walker originally took the office.
Among Racine County voters, Walker rode heavy west-end support to a six-point victory, 45,480-40,191.
Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, also a Republican, defeated Madison firefighter and union leader Mahlon Mitchell by a similar margin.
“Tonight, courage was on the ballot, and voters showed they want a leader who can make the tough decisions necessary to move our state forward,” state Republican Party Chairman Brad Courtney said late Tuesday after Walker claimed victory.
Robust turnout
Tuesday’s statewide recall generated one of the best turnouts for a gubernatorial election both here and across the state. While final numbers were still pending across the state, in Racine County nearly 80 percent of registered voters went to the polls.
Numbers on the total number of eligible voters who participated were not available early Wednesday.
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