Lehman is up by 779 votes.

What a sad result for Racine County!

Can't wait for the new maps to go into effect so that the rest of the County can dump the City of Racine from this senate seat!

As long as all absentee ballots are accounted for, no recount is necessary.

Scott Walker 45480 Van Wanggaard 35476 (difference 10,0004)
Tom Barrett 40191 John Lehman 36255 (difference 3,936)
That is a big gap between Walker and Wanggaard
The Barrett and Lehman gap was much smaller
What happened?

go lehman,

The senate is a moot issue at this point since the legislature is done for the year and doesn't reconvene until after the general election. By then, everything may have shifted yet again. With Holperin retiring, Wirth redistricted, and Hansen and King having to run in "conservative districts," the odds are heavily in favor of the Republicans having control of the senate yet again even before it reconvenes in January. So, let the Democrats have a "moral victory" I say just so we can get on with our lives.

Well Racine, we got our fiscally reckless, planned parenthood bankrolled, union owned guy back. Hip, Hip, blah!!! Enjoy your seat for the next few months, I'm sure pLnned parenthood will be happy their 400,000 bought a 4 month Senate term!!!

The Gimmee's will vote for anybody that say they'll give them stuff. Proof down there in the south....perhaps we should just let that area cede to IL....

Whoops! Lehman's got Vans last 2 years. He's going to represent his new district that does not want him. He won't be able to "dodge" the new district for long!!!

Woo hoo! That is a great victory for the good people of Racine and the whole state of Wisconsin!
Our hard work paid off and the voter suppression tactics by the Repubs was not enough. And don't tell me that the GOP did not try to intimidate voters because I witnessed it.
Congrats John!

The millions of dollars from Walker's out-of-state Billionaire buddies was not enough to overcome the people power here in Racine.
Plus people realized what a hypocrite Wanggaard is.
Bye bye Van! Although I suppose Van will be back in the specially gerrymandered district that the Repubs made just for him.
Oh well, for now let me say once again: Woo hoo!

i started to smell a dirty fish in racine when only their results were slow coming in ... very sad. back rooms filled with people filling out extra absentee ballots i suspect. i cant wait for voter id to be upheld.

Keep fighting the good fight Wisconsin... The GOP and corporatw billionaires spent 88% of the money to get 53% of the vote. The Walker win is disappointing, but it's too important to give up fighting against these billionaires who want policies to give them everything.

Planned Parenthood saved my life. Cancer screening. Collective bargaining ensures fire and police folk a decent wage and benefits. I know it's not all perfect. But seriously WI, what the heck!!!
IAGIRL

boy the conservative right wingers on this place must enjoy the fact that they are owned bought and packaged by the koch brothers - hows it feel to know you no longer own your own state. true americans do not tell people they dont have to vote if they have signeda petition, true americans encourage voting unlike the thugs on the right in wisconsin - bought by the corporate big wigs - by the way where are your high paying jobs from these mighty owners of wisconsin

Remember when you could actually eat the fish you caught in Wisconsin? Remember when you could have a rational discussion of issues without irrational people wanting to fight about it? Remember when Wisconsin led America in protecting it's people against exploitation? Billions poured into the state to end all those things we remember. It wasn't an election. It was an auction and the highest bidders won. This time.

SAD SAD DAY FOR RACINE

Walker is under federal investigation it would be fitting if spending all that money they convict walker and he goes to jail. Would server voter who voted walker and against the union that makes us have a middle class our middle is disappearing I guess people don't good wages and benefits and leave any more walker want to make Wiscosin a right to work state and right to walk state make 11% lees in salaries I guess that people want to make the 1% richer. Cause that what you voted for.

Oh this is just so great! It amazes me how the people forgot why Lehamn was voted out of office to begin with. He is a tax and spend liberal who damaged Wisconsins tax base and health care programs. He voted for some of the largest tax and spend increases in this states history. None of those tax increases answered the problem of unemployment. Thy only made certain that lazy people would still get something for nothing. The election was close only because of the economic situtation in Racine County. We currently rank first in unemployement in the state and liberals always think the answer is in Tax the rich and give to the poor. PFFFF!!!! Racine is a dead city. It is actually quite disgusting. It is ugly and it will only get uglier as long as we allow liberals to force their losing ideas upon us. It is time for me to move somewhere else.

Funny how the only thing the lefties posting here have is a generalized class warfare argument and/or the evil rich guys conspiracy theories, as opposed to the specific facts cited by conservatives.

Money doesn't vote. People do. And the people have spoken for WALKER!!!

I'm just sayin....

The New Maps are coming. The reforms are working . This a bump in the road and typical of cities like Racine and Milwaukee who continue to cut their own throats. I would do a recount and focus on this election to tout voter ID as clearly the Democrats nation wide and in Wisconsin have completely become pro - FRAUD . That's sad to see by any measure but it is the reality .I am going to enjoy the Milwaukee victory today and the future one's as his mandate finally protects the TAXPAYER and PROMOTES the needed reforms for a BETTER WISCONSIN

The senate won't convene until after the Nov elections ,,, by then the GOP should pick up a couple more seats,,,, Wisconsin Dems saying this is a big victory is like saying its great that the dining room is open , AS THE TITANIC IS SINKING

Actually money does unfortunately win elections. Wlaker had an 8 to 1 advantage in spending and most of that was not Wisconsin money! Walker only won by 172,000 votes and basically disenfranchised student voters by passing a bill right before the election requiring people to live where they were voting for 28 days prior to the election (colleges got out less than 28 days ago and the kids came home) - how convenient! Combine that with the calls to people telling them they did not need to vote if they already signed a petition or telling them to vote Wednesday proves Republicans can't win honestly. Voter suppression and buy elections as if everyone voted Repubs could never win any election! The 99% is too large!

Question: What happens to all the absentee ballots that have until Friday to be counted? If I understood correctly, they had to all be postmarked by yesterday and have until Friday to be counted. If this race is that close, could the absentee ballots make a difference or don't they count?

congratulations to John Lehman, but this blog like most others shows how unfortunately the big pols and their media savvy consultants have succeeded in creating an "Us-them" mentality-an unfortunate primate trait that we ought to struggle against,but don't. Rational discussion of valid points on both sides of the aisle would be refreshing, as would having legislators who don't march in lock-step. May we all live to see the day!

Too much whining WI. America is at its best when we have open & honest debates and listen to each other. The day after an election we move on and accept the will of the people regardless of who won or lost. G W Bush won by a ONE vote decision of the Supreme Court becoming the US President. I did not vote for him (my wife did) but he was my new president. I may not agree with the election result but I was in the military to give everyone the right to vote and accept the outcome. Should we all go to the same church, all eat strawberry ice cream and take our ball and bat if we do not get our own way. Lets think about a free america...not ourselfs.

This is too bad. John Lehman is not exactly a strong advocate for the outlying Villages.

The reason you won't see that, Frances, is that Democrats and other liberal loons don't have it in them to truly "compromise." THEIR attitude about compromise is, "Do it OUR way or take a hike!" I've watched in exasperation as time after time the GOP has had its figurative pockets picked by the left. It's about time SOMEONE stood up and said, "Enough!"

...and MY point is that liberals are INCAPABLE of real "compromise" and have been for most of the last 40+ years that I've been following politics closely. I am NOT a Republican OR a Democrat, for your information. I'm a Constitutionalist independent and I've watched in horror as BOTH parties have summarily dismissed the greatest document ever conceived by man for liberty and freedom as being "old-fashioned" and "dated." A document, by the way, that contains it's own mechanism for being "updated" to cope with changing conditions. After the left failed in its efforts to pass the ERA, they apparently decided to simply IGNORE the Constitution completely and do things it actually prohibits specifically instead by fiat or by corrupting the courts. Lose an election? Fine. "We'll just go to the courts and have the results declared "unconstitutional." It seems the left is less enamoured with "democracy" than they claim to be.

Van Wanngarrd is 100 % a better man the John Lehman . I don't need fraudulent voter operation that liberals endorse to tell me otherwise. The sTATE Senate is not in session and in November the Republicans will pick up 2 state senate seats and Deliver Wisconsin to Romney. :) GET READY! Van Waggaard certainly has my new vote in the new district in which I get lumped in with the Loons from Racine.

The real victors are the Koch Brothers. Is the going to be a Deed transfer ceremony.
The amount of money they spent on Walker, they will spend to get the legislature they want as well in November. Then there will be an entire state in the Union which will belong to a couple of Billionaires. The votes of Wisconsinites will no longer matter. Right to Work, then Private Sector Unions, Teacher's Unions. All on the chopping block. Wisconsin will be the testing ground for the future rule of The Right Wing and the Oligarchs. Once a gain History is being made in the heart land.

William, The votes of Wisconsinites DO matter. They mattered in Nov 2010, and again last night.

Chris, the votes last night were paid for by a infusion of big out of state money, money interested in having an incubator for a long range national agenda. They want Right to Work, they want the end to public service unions, then the end of private sector unions. Unions are the big contributors of the Liberal agenda. If the influence of Unions can be eliminated the Liberal philosophy founded by the writers of the Constitution will be gone. Bif money ran America in the past and it wants to be able to do it again. These are not politically philosophical men, they are profit takers. They want deregulation and lower taxes. Has nothing to do with the welfare of America as a Democracy, it's all about the power of wealth, and the wealthier they get the more powerful they get. They have an Oligarchical, social Darwinist view of how America should be run..

James Hoffa: Prepare yourself for an onslaught of Outside Big Money in November. It showed is muscle in saving Walker's ass. And is will not be content until they get the legislature back to GOP dominance. The experiment has hit a mild bump with this election. The Big Money wants to have Wisconsin to demonstrate to the naysayers how a government should be run. They got rid of collective bargaining. Next will be Right to Work, attacking Private Sector Unions, attack on Teachers and the Education system. They are desperate to show the nation how Oligarchs know how to run Government with the same success as they run their businesses. They want lower taxes and deregulation. Not for philosophical reasons, but for profit taking. Their brand of government will not include the populace, we are just regretful baggage which comes with the country.

John Krotzman: In November that number is going to Double. The Right collectively have from what I heard, a Billion Dollars to sink the President and the Democrats. I think yesterdays election showed the power of Big Money. Wisconsin is a laboratory for the Right. They can show the rest of America how well Oligarchy can run a government. The difference in the Right and Lefts approach is the Right has learned the value of appealing to peoples emotions. The disenchanted are susceptible to emotionally driven and easily comprehensible ideas. Obama is a Socialist for example, much easier to get , than a drawn out demonstration of his a achievements. It like when a substitute teacher comes in for one day, and starts telling stories instead of following the esson plan, the kids love he substitute.

Chris Larsen: The implication wasn't you are to or have received a check in the mail. It's how TV a commercial is able to encourage people to by a product. There is money spent by the ad agency and the client likes to know how much the ad cost per person who bought the product. But in elections there is no cost benefit concern, it's just the number of votes they can get out to win the election, so in a hypothetical way your vote was paid for.

@ William

You are a very wise man!

Republican's hero see below:

Norquist Tells GOP That Raising Taxes On The Middle Class Doesn’t Count As A Tax Increase
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/12/01/380129/norquist-gop-middle-class-ta/

Kreklow was Fiscal & Budget Administrator working with Walker when he was Milwaukee County Executive. He also was the author of the 2010 and 2011 budget.

When crunching the numbers for Walker for the Wisconsin budget, Kreklow admitted that the deficit was only one third the number of what Walker has been reporting.

http://scottwalkerwatch.com/2012/02/01/guide-to-the-main-players-in-the-expanding-fbi-walkergate-john-doe-investigation/

The People of Wisconsin were snookered, they voted against their own self interest. They were driven by an ideological emotion of dislike of Liberals, Unions and school teachers, not the issues

Walker may end up resigning once the criminal case against him becomes public and he loses and ends up in jail. Or he could be impeached. One way or the other Wisconsin has to shake it self loose from being a Koch Brothers Civics Experiment.

Hoffa: It didn't look a bit like love, it looked more like hate for the opposition. And the Koch Brothers Big Money stirred that hate to a boil. No love, Hate. You made a hate vote.

Hoffa: Dee50 isn't pissed about Walker having an election bought for him, she shares with other people the shame of how cheap Wisconsin was bought for. The Right Wing knows where the hate votes are and know how to get them out. No one voted for Walker they voted against who Big Money told them to vote against. Your votes came cheap. When is the Deed transfer ceremony? Will the Koch's have the balls to show up in person to accept the deed. Hoffa you sold out your state. You know live in the first state in the Nation to be bought by 2 Billionaires. Hope you like your new landlords. The rent is going up my friend. I hope you don't have kids and grandkids. Guarantee ya, they move out of Wisconsin the first chance they get. Right to Work, if you will work for less and no health benefits or pensions. That's the booby prize your vote is getting the next generation.

The GOP pulled off the biggest bait and switch in history.

The reason for the economic collapse: banks and Wall Street

They were able to change the "narrative", and now millions of voters blame government and unions for our economic troubles.

And they want to "de-regulate" not "regulate" banks and Wall Street so that they can do it all over again.

@Hoffa

So, you know this to be true about Walker and how? And besides we all already know the the Koch brothers have those twice a year undisclosed meetings with the Cons....

Koch Brothers Behind Wisconsin Effort To Kill Public Unions
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2011/02/18/koch-brothers-behind-wisconsin-effort-to-kill-public-unions/

National Mortgage Settlement: Some States Using Mortgage Deal Funds To Close Budget Gaps

“In Wisconsin, Governor Scott Walker and state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen have announced plans to use $25.6 million of the settlement money – “

I thought Scotty didn’t need the money, just a while ago he was saying he had balanced the budget after firing all those teachers…Say again Scotty? They are stealing from the homeowners……Pathetic!

Lehman will serve out the remaining time in the senate. He will lose the next election.
Meanwhile, Democrats will be in control of the senate WHILE it is out of session. The Republicans will take back control of the senate in November and be ready when the next session starts.

That's the facts Jack!

Keith Best: A government that takes care of everything your need and want. Whereas a Liberal wants better education, the right wants cheaper education, where the Liberal wants fair wages, the right wants a business to pay what they wish. Where the Liberals want healthcare for all, the Right wants health care for those who can afford it. Where Liberals want affordable higher education, the right declares college isn't necessary for everyone. Do you see the pattern here? Always about money. Money, Money Money. A commodity which is becoming scarcer and scarcer for the middle and working classes and abundantly easy for the already wealthy to attain. Look at how much money saved Walkers job, and wait until November the numbers will boggle the mind with the amounts of money that will be spent to get back the deed of Wisconsin back to the Koch Brothers Money, Money , Money. Greed and unchristian selfishness. Right to Work, that's the door prize you will get for selling out you state and it's citizens. Low wages, no benefits, no sick leave, no weekends off. Check out Texas and Oklahoma. Yeah the brag about lower unemployment. But the Middle class is practically gone. The tax base has shrunk, government services are declining. That's what Wisconsin is in store for when you hand over the deed to the state to the Koch Brothers.

Hoff: What's your point. Did Walker enact the plans to kill collective bargaining, Yes!
Did Walker state to a women who paid no taxes that before Right to Work, he was going to get rid of collective bargaining first. Yes? Did Walker run all over the United States as no Governor ever has putting up for bids the future of Wisconsin. So I take it that this point you are trying to make says selling out Wisconsin to the highest bidder ti just dandy with you. And we should sit by while GOP led states enact legislation that the Koch's and their ilk demands. If the Koch's can buy back the state of Wisconsin for the GOP, you are looking at a decline in public services, Right to Work, and may I suggest Texas and Oklahoma as RIght to WOrk states. Low wage jobs, no benefits, no overtime, no weekends off, no sick leave, no vacation pay, one week vacation at best. No raises. That's your new Wisconsin. Laugh if you want to but, you shall see.

The Ko0ch's hit a slight bump they will be back in NOvember to reclaim the deed to WIsconsin. They had found a state government that ws silling to try an experiment. To see if the Uninls could be crushed. Make Wisconsin a labaratory for the Right's vision for America. Right to Work, low paying jobs with no benefits. Health care if you can afford it, cheapest education sysytem in the country , make the teacher profession so unattractive, there will be no one left to teach except those hired to work in the charter schools owned by Koch Industries or some friends of Koch Industries. They are Oligarchs and Social Darwinists, they think they can manage people and governments the way they manage businesses. It does not work, The USSR failed, the National Socialist Party failed. There is always going to be resistance to that kind of government and the resisters have to be dealt with, privatized prisons should be able to deal with that problem. That's the future of Wisconsin and the USA, if the Oligarchs get their way, and Wisconsin is their first success story and they will fight on to get Wisconsin back.

Conservatives profess to want deregulation, lower taxes,especially of the upper level wage earners, less to public education, with subsidies to private education,access to good education then becomes limited to the very rich, less access of ordinary people to courts("tort reform", repeal or limit equal pay for equal work legislation). If you read any of Charles Dickens novels about London in the mid 1800s, you'll see where that's headed--worse air quality,cholera and other waterborne diseases,("deregulation") no medical care for the poor("lower taxes"), terrible poverty, country ruled by a miniscule number of extremely rich people to their benefit, political corruption,(Citizens United 's "corporations are people who can give unlimited and secret donations because they have free speech),
I'm probably too old to live to see the worst of it, but it's a pretty dismal picture(except those who are in the upper echelons of money and power). Read Oliver Twist .

Wisconsin is the future the Oligarchs are banking on, a Governor and legisalture than can control, via the Koch's confabs and the Alec confrences, form which the devided and conquer method of Walker coam from. They need to get rid of any recourse and employee may have to earn a raise or beneifits. They want every last penny they can get out of the eoconomy, and the Liberasl and Unions stnd in their way. So they have discovered buying individuals states and get done what they want on a stale level it will eventually lead to the federal government. They did not anticipate a recall election, and it cost them dearly to save Walker a former corrupt lower level pol for whom they bought the Governor's seat in exchange for taking on the unions. Strange he never mentioned unions in his campaign but it was the first think on his agenda, or should I say the Koch/ALEC agenda.

With all of the money that is going to pour into Wisconsin, Wisconsinites are going to think they are a country not state. The Koch's and Karl Rove are going to inundate the state with so many commercial the regulator broadcasting will begin looking like commercial breaks. This November is going to be the most embarrassing news item world wide, an embarrassing show of the obscene wealth in the hands of a few people is going to determine the future of the United States of America. It will effect the world economy, diplomacy, trade and everything else with world events. The signal the Right Wing sends to the world will but countries on the edges of their seats, waiting for war with Iran, surging oil prices and the increase of prices in goods due to the surge in oil prices. If the Right prevails the USA will act like a bunch of thugs who will walk extremely loudly and carry and enormous stick, although that stick has been exposed as weak by the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan. I ran will be a major mistake if we attack it. It will destroy the economies of the Western World along with our own. Where is the money coming from? The narrow ideology of the right and the extremely narrow ideology of the uber wealthy are a major disaster knocking at the door of Democracy in the USA. They wish to starve people out of poverty and suck every last dime out of the economy. None of which will help the middle and working classes of America.

Yeah, Kloppenburg prematurely declared victory as well, and look how that worked out.