Two Wisconsin Democrats Make It Through Recall

Not much changed in the face of recall elections in Wisconsin on Tuesday. Two Democrats held on to their state Senate seats, ultimately leaving Republicans with a majority in the Senate.

Last week Republicans retained four of their six seats targeted for recall, maintaining control of the state Senate. Democrats gained a couple of seats in those races, but ultimately fell short of the three they needed to take the majority. —BF

The Wall Street Journal:

Sen. Jim Holperin, a Democrat serving his first term in the Senate, defeated local Republican tea-party activist Kim Simac, 54% to 46%, with 78% of precincts reporting, according to unofficial results from the Associated Press.

Democratic Sen. Bob Wirch, whose district covers the Kenosha area, defeated Jonathan Steitz, 57% to 43%, with 99% of precincts reporting, according to the AP. Mr. Steitz is a corporate lawyer who works in Chicago. Mr. Wirch was first elected to the Senate in 1996.

Ms. Simac organized the recall of Mr. Holperin, whose district covers a sprawling region of northern Wisconsin. Of the three Democrats facing recall this year, he was considered the most vulnerable because of the political makeup of voters in his district.

Read more (registration required)

Flickr / miss jennifer jupiter

Protesters crowd the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., in February.