Progressive Movement Rises Up But Can't Oust Walker From Wisconsin Governorship

Walker outspent Barrett eight-to-one, but Democrats may have regained control of the state Senate.
June 5, 2012

Progressives held their breaths and grimaced Tuesday evening as the trickle of Wisconsin recall election returns showed that anti-labor Republican Gov. Scott Walker – and four senior GOP state officials – were not going to be removed from office, despite overwhelming turnout in the state’s Democratic urban strongholds. 

With 99 percent of the state’s 3,424 precincts reporting, Walker led Barrett 53 to 46 percent, a lead of nearly 173,000 votes out of 2.5 million votes cast. Barrett told reporters that he called Walker, “and congratulated him on his victory tonight. We agreed that it is important for us to work together.”

A fifth race may offer some consolation to progressives. It appears that Democrat state senate candidate John Lehman beat the incumbent Republican Sen. Van Wanggaard by 779 votes out of more than 71,000 cast, according to late-breaking unofficial returns. Should Lehman's victory hold up when the final count is certified, the Democrats would become the majority party in the state Senate, breaking the GOP's lock on legislative power.   READ MORE