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Wisconsin Republicans Declare Victory
Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol are once again declaring victory in last week’s elections.
Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Lake Geneva, told reporters on Tuesday that while Assembly Republicans have a smaller majority, they have the momentum heading into the next legislative session.
“I don't want anyone to misconstrue what happened on Election Night as a good night for Democrats, by any means,” August said “They had an atrocious night. Not just nationwide, but here in Wisconsin.”
Assembly Republicans lost 10 seats in this year’s election due to new legislative maps that were drawn to favor Democrats.
August said the map is the only reason that Democrats did as well as they did.
“They ran on a map that they had engineered to put themselves in the majority and not only are we standing here with 54 members we're in a great position to actually pick up seats in a couple of years,” August added.
Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, didn’t exactly disagree with August that Election Night was terrible for Democrats.
“I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I was absolutely devastated with the election of Donald Trump as our president. and especially the fact that he won the state of Wisconsin,” Hesselbein told reporters.
But she said Senate Democrats picked-up four seats under the new maps, and could actually flip the Wisconsin Senate in two years.
“So, what I tell people is to have hope. And also, this is the state of Wisconsin. We are a purple state. Just a few years ago we, on the same night, elected Tony Evers and Ron Johnson. This is nothing new to the state of Wisconsin. But going forward in two years it'll be a new dawn and a new day.”
The Democratic wins on Election Night trimmed the Republicans’ majorities in both the Assembly and the Senate, but Republicans will maintain majorities.
That sets-up at least two more years of divided government, and likely two more years of gridlock at the Capitol in Madison.
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