Tuesday, June 5, 2012 09:06 PM
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker beat back a recall challenge Tuesday, winning both
the right to finish his term and a voter endorsement of his strategy to curb
state spending, which included the explosive measure that eliminated union
rights for most public workers.
The rising Republican star becomes the
first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall attempt with his defeat of
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and the union leaders who rallied for months against
his agenda.
In an interview, Walker said it was time "to put our
differences aside and find ways to work together to move Wisconsin
forward."
The governor said he planned to invite lawmakers to meet as
soon as next week over burgers and brats to discuss ways to bridge the political
divide.
With nearly 80 percent of precincts reporting, Walker had 55
percent of the vote, compared with 44 percent for Barrett, according to early
returns tabulated by The Associated Press.
In his concession remarks,
Barrett said the state had been left "deeply divided" by the recall
battle.
"It is up to all of us, their side and our side, to listen. To
listen to each other," Barrett said.
Democrats and organized labor spent
millions to oust Walker, but found themselves hopelessly outspent by Republicans
from across the country who donated record-setting sums to Walker. Republicans
hope the victory carries over into November and that their get-out-the-vote
effort can help Mitt Romney become the first GOP nominee to carry the state
since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
Romney issued a statement saying Walker's
victory "will echo beyond the borders of Wisconsin."
Walker "has shown
that citizens and taxpayers can fight back — and prevail — against the runaway
government costs imposed by labor bosses," Romney said. "Tonight voters said no
to the tired, liberal ideas of yesterday, and yes to fiscal responsibility and a
new direction."
The recall was a rematch of the 2010 governor's race.
Throughout the campaign, Walker maintained his policies set the state on the
right economic track. Defeat, he said, would keep other politicians from
undertaking such bold moves in the future.
"We're headed in the right
direction," Walker said many times. "We're turning things around. We're moving
Wisconsin forward."
Barrett repeatedly accused Walker of neglecting the
needs of the state in the interests of furthering his own political career by
making Wisconsin "the tea party capital of the country." He said Walker had
instigated a political civil war in Wisconsin that could be quelled only by a
change in leadership.
Walker ascended into the national spotlight last
year when he surprised the state and unveiled plans to plug a $3.6 billion
budget shortfall in part by taking away the union rights of most public workers
and requiring them to pay more for their health insurance and pension benefits.
It was one of his first moves in office.
Democrats and labor leaders saw
it as a political tactic designed to gut the power of his political opposition.
State Senate Democrats left Wisconsin for three weeks in a sort of filibuster,
as tens of thousands of teachers, state workers and others rallied at the
Capitol in protest.
But the tea-party supported fiscal conservative
remained steadfast: Walker believed his plan would help him control the state
budget, and his opponents could not stop Republicans who control the state
Legislature from approving his plans.
Walker went on to sign into law
several other measures that fueled calls for a recall, including repealing a law
giving discrimination victims more ways to sue for damages, making deep cuts to
public schools and higher education, and requiring voters to show photo
identification at the polls.
Both sides mobilized thousands of people and
millions of dollars to influence voters, whom polls showed were more divided
than ever. Signs calling for Walker's removal and those supporting the
44-year-old son of a minister dotted the state's landscape all spring at a time
normally devoid of political contests.
Turnout was strong across the
state with few problems reported as some voters waited in line to cast their
ballots.
Jeff Naunheim, a warranty analyst from St. Francis, said the
recall was a waste of money.
"I think the Wisconsin voters voted in 2010
to vote Walker in," he said. "I don't think he did anything
illegal."
Barrett supporter Lisa Switzer of Sun Prairie said Walker went
too far.
"Even if it doesn't turn out the way we want it to, it proves a
point," said Switzer, an occupational therapist and single mother on BadgerCare,
the state's health insurance program for the working poor. "People in Wisconsin
aren't just going to stand by and let a governor take over the state and cut
social services."
More than $66 million was spent on the race as of May
21, making it easily the most expensive in Wisconsin history. That money was
spent on an all-out barrage of television ads, direct mail, automated calls and
other advertising that permeated the state for months.
Walker used the
recall to raise millions from conservative donors and bolster his own political
fame in the face of the fight. National GOP groups, including Americans for
Prosperity and the Republican Governors Association, poured money into the
contest.
Unions got behind the recall drive, which started with the
collection of more than 900,000 signatures over two months to force the vote.
Barrett defeated the union-favored candidate in the Democratic primary in May
and then tried to use that to his advantage, while also courting union support.
He pledged to call a special legislative session to restore the collective
bargaining rights Walker took away.
Also Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Rebecca
Kleefisch and at least three Republicans in state Senate races also survived
recalls. Republicans were leading in the other Senate race, the outcome of which
will determine which party controls the Senate at least through the end of the
year.
The recall also focused as much on his record creating jobs as on
the divisive union proposal. Walker promised in 2010 to create 250,000 jobs over
four years as governor, and just how many jobs were created under Walker was a
major point of contention. Walker relied on new data showing the state added
about 23,000 jobs in 2011, while a different survey that Barrett favored found
the state had lost about 34,000.
© Copyright 2012 The
Associated Press.
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