Wisconsin Democrats are proclaiming great news from Tuesday night’s state Senate recalls — in which they were unable to pick up the needed three seats to gain control of the chamber, instead picking up two seats. And moreover, they are still bullish in their pledge to launch another recall — this one against Gov. Scott Walker next year.
“Last night’s recall elections were tremendously historic,” state Dem chair Mike Tate said on a conference call with reporters Wednesday afternoon. “I think they show how vulnerable the Republicans are going into 2012, and how vulnerable Governor Walker is going into a potential recall himself.”
Tate noted that the incumbents in Tuesday’s races were all last elected in 2008, during a Democratic wave — thus making it very unfriendly, uphill turf — but Democrats still gained two seats, in races that showed various swings away from Walker’s totals in the districts in 2010.
The question reporters should ask Walker, Tate said, “Is how can he claim this is a real victory for him and his agenda, when his party lost two senators on his watch to recall elections? How can that be a win for Scott Walker when he lost two seats?”
“We think that that speaks incredibly well to where we are positioned right now,” Tate also said. “And I believe that if last night’s election were a statewide election, Scott Walker would have been recalled from office.”
One seat Tate pointed to as an example of Democratic inroads was that of GOP state Sen. Luther Olsen, who had previously never actually even had a Democratic opponent, and whose district has not elected a Democrat in over 100 years. In the recall, Olsen survived, but only by a 52%-48% margin.
During the Q&A portion of the call, TPM asked what chance the Dems could have to gain the senate in 2012, when in fact it will be fought under all the same districts that were recall-eligible for last night — and under a recently-passed redistricting map that it much friendlier to the Republicans?
“You will see as the year plays out, and as next year continues to play out, you will see a continued development in these senate races,” said Tate. “We’re one seat down now, we only have to win one seat to take back the state senate.”
Tate later added: “Well, last night we had a three-seat deficit. Today we have a one-seat deficit. I feel pretty good in saying that the Democratic Party is on the move here, that we’ve picked up seats, and we’re going to continue to advance our agenda.”
