In a 27 point swing from Governor Walker’s performance in 2014, Democrat Caleb Frostman won SD1, a district Democrats haven’t held in 40 years.

In both SD1 and AD 42, Democrats Frostman and Ann Groves Lloyd also dramatically over-performed last night in districts Donald Trump won by double digits.

Governor Walker made every effort to avoid these special elections, and with good reason. They represent even more bad news for his re-election campaign. His massive cuts to schools and roads, and his willingness to allow pollution in our drinking water were major issues in both races. Last night’s race results are one more clear repudiation of his agenda.

Since Donald Trump won Wisconsin in November 2016 by a small margin, Wisconsin Democrats have made serious electoral gains:

  • In January 2018, Democrat Patty Schachtner flipped a state Senate seat that went 18 points for Trump and had been red for nearly two decades. She won with 55% of the vote. With Caleb Frostman’s victory, the chances that the state Senate could flip to Democratic control continues to grow.

  • In April 2018, Rebecca Dallet was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court by a 12-point margin despite massive spending by right-wing special interests and the Republican Party. This was the first time in 23 years a liberal non-incumbent was elected to the state’s highest bench.

  • Last night, Senator-elect Caleb Frostman won a seat Democrats have not held since 1977 — and swung the district 23 points toward Democrats from its 2016 results. .

Democratic enthusiasm and organization has Republicans, particularly Walker, in a panic:

  • On the night of Patty Schachtner and Rebecca Dallet’s victories, Scott Walker took to twitter, warning the Republican losses were a “wake up call” and that a “blue wave” could happen in November.

  • Speaker Paul Ryan announced he will retire after decades in Congress when he was faced with an uphill battle to re-election.

  • Concerned that his divisive record on roads, schools and massive increases in health care costs is a loser in November, Walker has tried all he can do to change the subject. In a Twitter screed, he argued that Democrats are motivated by “anger and hatred.” In reality, Patty Schachter, Rebecca Dallet, Ann Groves Lloyd and Caleb Frostman ran  substantive campaigns that focused on the real changes Wisconsin needs from the Walker agenda.

  • Scott Walker had to be taken to court and ordered by his own appointed judge to hold special elections he was afraid of Republicans losing.

Gov. Walker and his Republican cronies are running scared as Wisconsin voters keep rejecting the GOP record of cutting schools, neglecting roads and sabotaging health care, all to fund big corporate tax breaks and the needs of campaign donors. Democratic enthusiasm to set Wisconsin on a different path is at an all-time high, and voters are eager to elect Democrats up and down the ballot who share their Wisconsin values and have a positive vision for the future of our state.

For more information contact: Melanie Conklin, DPW communications director, 608-260-2409

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