Democrats flip unexpected seats as party takes control of Wisconsin State Capitol
WISCONSIN (CBS 58) — Democrats flipped more seats than expected in Wisconsin's election, securing control of the state Senate and marking a difficult night for Republicans.
David Crowley's historic victory also came close to matching predictions from the Marquette Law School Poll. Political experts say national sentiment toward the Republican Party, along with voter turnout, may have played a role in the results.
Charles Franklin
"The broader point is not only did we get the margin pretty close to right, but it's the issues that we saw behind that vote that help explain why we saw it turn out that way," said Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll.
The final Marquette Law School Poll released before the election showed Crowley with a 7-point lead over Tom Tiffany. Crowley ultimately won by about 8 points.
Although final turnout numbers are not yet available, Franklin said experts suspect Republican turnout was lower than expected.
"The president's approval rating dragged down Republicans to some extent by Republicans flipping and voting Democratic, but especially by lower Republican voter turnout. Our polling showed all year that Republicans were about 7% less likely to vote than Democrats," Franklin said.
One of the state Senate seats some political insiders considered a long shot for Democrats was held by Howard Marklein. Marklein had represented the 17th Senate District since 2015 and served as Senate co-chair of the Joint Committee on Finance.
Democrat Jenna Jacobson won the seat, defeating Marklein and adding another victory to Democrats' gains in the Legislature.
"The number one thing I heard on the thousands of doors that I knocked was just, 'Do something.' People were feeling that whatever was happening at the state and federal level was not trickling down to their everyday lives," said Jacobson, the senator-elect for the 17th Senate District.
The district Jacobson will represent was redrawn, a change experts say made it more favorable to Democrats and ultimately helped the party take control of the upper chamber.
Jacobson said voters in the district were looking for change.
"When people are looking for real relief from things that they are facing and they aren't finding it on any front, they start looking for change," Jacobson said.
Franklin said the newly drawn 17th Senate District has voted Democratic in every race since 2016.
Marklein provided the following statement in response to his loss:
“I am extremely honored by the trust and support from many voters in the 17th Senate District. I worked as hard as I could and left it all on the field,” Marklein said. “I enjoyed my time representing southwestern Wisconsin in the State Senate and am extremely proud of everything we accomplished during my time in the Legislature. I wish Jenna Jacobson the best of luck representing southwestern Wisconsin.”