Two more State Senators will face off with their challengers at the voting booths tomorrow (Tuesday, August 16): Jim Holperin versus Kim Simac (district 12, to the North of us) and 
Bob Wirch versus Jonathan Steitz (district 22, in the Southeastern-most corner of Wisconsin). For a quick review of the candidates and the issues, click on the image to the left (or alternately click here). This will open a clickable map of the elections in a separate window. There’s summary information about the races, available by hovering your mouse over a Senate District. Clicking the District connects you to additional candidate information including endorsements of the candidates by PACs, unions and public welfare organizations. There are also links to the Voter Public Access website, that will tell you precisely which Senate District you’re in, and where you go to vote.
Last week’s recall election guaranteed a majority for the Republicans in the state Senate, but a very slim one (17 to 16). If Republicans gain another seat in tomorrow’s elections, the majority will be 18-to-15, a more comfortable margin. If Republicans win both elections (the 12th and the 22nd districts), they will have the same 19-to-14 margin that they held before the recall elections.
On the other hand, if Democrats succeed in holding on to both seats tomorrow, the 17-to-16 majority from last week’s election remains. While we’ve seen slim majorities in the past (see Wisconsin Party Majorities from 1985 through 2009), the slim majority is advantageous to Democrats. Republican party discipline would have to be excellent in order to pass any measure opposed by the Democratic Party as a whole. Any single Republican Senator who voted against such a measure would cause the measure to fail.
Regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s election, this year’s recall elections have had a powerful effect on Wisconsin politics, which will likely continue for the rest of this year, and well into next.
Editor
