Republican Gov. Scott Walker may have won the recall election in Wisconsin Tuesday—beating Democrat, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett by seven points—but the challenge now is in uniting a deeply polarized state.
Elected in 2010, Walker moved fast to reduce a $3.6 billion blowout budget—too fast, many said. Cuts in public spending culminated in a law that, among other things, limited the collective bargaining rights of public-sector employees.
For Democrats and labor unions, that was a bridge too far. And there began a heated and often volatile campaign to force a recall, not only for Walker, but also for state Republican senators.
In his victory speech, Walker told supporters he learned a lot over the last year and a half, and conceded to his critics that he may have moved too fast. “There is no doubt about it in early 2011, I rushed in to try and fix things before I talked about it.”
Frustration with previous politicians, who he said were all talk and no action, had precipitated the urgency. Noting the takeaway, Walker said, “Looking ahead it is important to do both.”
Looking Ahead
Along with Walker, all four Republican state senators were returned in the recall elections, prompting the Wisconsin governor to express some vindication for his hard-won success. “Tonight we tell Wisconsin, we tell our country, and we tell people all across the globe that voters really want us to stand up and make the tough decisions,” he said.
The moment was brief, however, with the reinvigorated state leader focusing instead on reparations with a deeply wounded 46 percent of the population that came out in record numbers to vote against him.
“Tomorrow is the day after the election and tomorrow we are no longer opponents, tomorrow we are one as Wisconsinites,” he said.
Cheers from supporters changed dramatically to loud boos when he told them he had just spoken to Tom Barrett and given his commitment to work with him.
“No, no,” he repeated firmly, holding up his hand to quell the booing. “The election is over, it is time to move forward.”
The campaign to recall Walker and the state senators took on national significance as political ideologies clashed and general elections loomed. Rallies and sit-ins were held in the state capital, and Walker’s opponents collected more than 900,000 signatures for the recall petitions.
Combined spending from both sides of the political spectrum was over $60 million, a record for a state election in Wisconsin.
Democrat nominee, Tom Barrett, was gracious in defeat, indicating he was keen to put the campaign and acrimony behind him. He thanked supporters and noted the spirit with which they embraced the elections, but was careful not to inflame emotions. He encouraged supporters to remain engaged with the issues, but said it was now time for both sides of the debate to consider “what is right for Wisconsin families.”
“We are a state that has been deeply divided,” he said. “It is up to all of us—our side and their side—to listen, to listen to each other.”
Barrett told supporters he called to congratulate Walker and agreed “that it is important for us to work together.”
The recall against Gov. Scott Walker is only the third time in U.S. history that a recall election has been called against a governor, and the first time a governor has won the recall.
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