This is far likelier, and would be a victory for Democrats, though control of the state Senate would then be decided in next week’s vote. One of the two Democrats defending his seat, Jim Holperin, is seen as potentially vulnerable.
“Republicans think that’s their best shot, they’ll throw it all in there to get him,” says Jeff Mayers, president of WisPolitics.com, a nonpartisan political website based in Madison. “Democrats think Holperin is OK. There would be armies in there from both sides.”
Gaining control of the state senate would have significant practical importance for Democrats, but even if they somehow come up short due to a Holperin loss, recalling three Republican senators would be a tremendous symbolic victory, and could cause ripples nationwide. It would also make far more likely a recall attempt of Walker, who will be eligible in January, after he’s served a year.
“The public-employee union [issue] is now on the table in a lot of states and could be on the table in more states going forward,” notes Franklin. “If those initiatives are ratified today with a Republican victory, they’re encouraged elsewhere. If they get a rebuke, it at least makes GOP governors elsewhere look at this as a problematic policy.”
