Wisconsin Republicans Keep the State Senate in Recall Vote

Democrats won two out of six contested seats, preserving the GOP majority

Last night, Wisconsin held elections for six state senators in a closely watched recall vote seen as a referendum on both Republican Governor Scott Walker's anti-union policies and organized labor in the state. Democrats did not oust enough Republicans to win control of the state Senate: they won two out of the six seats, leaving the GOP with a 17-16 majority, reported The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Republican Senator Alberta Darling, pictured happily above, was losing late in the evening to Democratic challenger Sandy Pasch on Tuesday evening, Politico reported. "But as the final returns poured in, Darling’s lead grew to more than 7 points." Democratic Senator Lena Taylor spun it in a positive light to ABC News: "If we win two we've doubled what has happened in the state's history for recalling state Senators. So this is I think huge."

National Journal's Sean Sullivan, however, saw it more saw it as a missed opportunity: "a third win would have given Democrats a much more tangible boost, and added momentum toward what many state party activists see as the ultimate goal: a recall of Walker himself next year." And the Journal Sentinel noted "Republicans may be able to gain back some of the losses next week, when two Democrats face recall elections."