Wisconsin was the only state in the country last night to see the its governorship and Senate seat flip parties, in addition to both chambers of the state legislature. In Wisconsin’s case, every changeover was a victory for the Republicans:
Scott Walker (R) defeated Tom Barrett (D) 52 to 47 percent.
Ron Johnson (R) unseated Sen. Russ Feingold (D) 52 to 47 percent.
Republicans made dramatic gains in both the state Assembly and state Senate, winning decisive majorities in each. Democrats went into Nov. 2 with advantages of 50-45 in the Assembly and 18-15 in the Senate. The GOP now has a 59-38 majority in the Assembly and a 19-14 majority in the Senate.
Republicans also took back a majority of seats in the state’s House delegation. Sean Duffy and Reid Ribble both won seats currently occupied by Democrats, while Dan Kapanke came up just short against Rep. Ron Kind. Republicans now hold five of Wisconsin’s eight House seats.
The change reflects a dramatic shift in the support of Wisconsin’s independent voters from Democrats to Republicans over the past two years. Independents went 59 percent for Obama in 2008, but Feingold got just 43 percent and Barrett 42 percent of the independent vote.