Shoebox already handled the national look (well, except for the gratiutous cheap helmet-to-helmet shot on Packer fans; after all, we know Viking fans are the kings of Monday Morning Quarterbacking), so I’ll handle the Wisconsin look (mental note; figure out which one of us will handle the almost-equally-shocking Minnesota outcomes).
Governor’s race – In the end, we saw what happens when a Milwaukee Democrat who didn’t really want to run meets a surburban and outstate Wisconsin seriously soured on both Democrats and unserious candidates. Tom Barrett lost by 5.70 points despite carrying Milwaukee and Dane Counties by margins that, in a normal year, would have assured a win.
U.S. Senate race – I honestly don’t see how Russ Feingold could be bragging about running for “something” in 2012 after he barely did better than the aforementioned reluctant Milwaukee-area candidate, losing to Ron Johnson by 4.82 points. In previous elections, Feingold had significantly-better margins than the Democrat on the top of the ticket (2 points better than Bill Clinton for President in 1992, 23 points better than Ed Garvey for governor in 1998, 11 points better than John Kerry for President in 2004).
I guess running as a liberal Democrat and shedding one’s “nice guy” image isn’t exactly a winning strategy. Bonus item; it also appears that one of those campaign promises that was on Feingold’s garage back in 1992 will prove to be broken by a large margin for the entire cycle – starting about mid-year, out-of-state money made up the vast majority of Feingold’s warchest.
U.S. House races – If you told me one year ago that the 7th Congressional District, which was represented by Dave Obey for longer than I’ve been alive and that, on average, votes for Democrats by double-digit margins, would elect a Republican to that seat, even if it were open, by almost 7 1/2 points, I would have declared you insane. However, that is exactly what Sean Duffy did to Julie Lassa.
Over in the 8th Congressional District, history caught up with Steve Kagen. No Democrat had held that seat for three consecutive terms, and Reid Ribble did not disappoint with a double-digit win.
Ron Kind barely hung onto his 3rd Congressional seat. For much of the night, Dan Kapanke held a slim lead, but then the university vote came in.
State Senate – How bad a night was it for Senate Democrats? They lost their leader (Russ Decker), who was told to defend his Senate seat rather than chase his decades-long dream of being called 7th-District Congressman, a second potential successor to Obey who likewise was ordered to hang onto his Senate seat (Pat Kreitlow), the Road-Builders candidate who was allowed to just keep pressing the “oppose” button when it came time to vote on the FY2010-FY2011 budget and its components without offering any ideas of his own (Jim Sullivan), and WEAC’s candidate who, unlike Sullivan, was proud to raise taxes, spending, and structural deficits this past time around (John Lehman).
Unfortunately, I will be saddled with Chris “Sticky Fingers” Larson as my state senator (at least until redistricting), as the East Side/UWM part of the gerrymandered district won out.
State Assembly – Unlike Nancy Pelosi, who will be guaranteed to lose her U.S. House speaker’s gavel come January, Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan will also be losing his office in the Capitol. A heap of his fellow Democrats will be joining him in moving out, as there are fewer Democrats in the Assembly (38) than I ever remember coming out of an election.
Bonus item – Bob Ziegelbauer, who easily survived the Manitowoc version of Dem Party Purification, complete with an AFSCME Republicrat to try and squeeze him from both sides, will reportedly be caucusing with the Republicans.
Attorney General – No, it wasn’t a fluke that J.B. Van Hollen was the only major statewide/Congressional Repubican candidate in the entire country to pick up a Democrat-held seat in 2006.
Minor constitutional offices – What the tide swept into the state treasurer’s office in 2006, the tide swept right back out in 2010. Meanwhile, the last of the La Folettes managed to hang onto the most-worthless constitutional office in Wisconsin (secretary of state) over the third Wisconsinite of African descent to attempt to win a statewide election (all unsuccessfully).
Train transit – Just days after Jim Doyle added another $810 million to the state’s structural deficit by committing the state to spend all $810 million of the federal money for the Milwaukee-to-Madison Lobbyist HO(-scale) Half-Fast Train, voters in Racine County, various Kenosha County locales, and various Dane County locales rejected the idea of a tax hike for commuter rail. Those in southeast Wisconsin rejected it by over 5-1 margins.
