The Democratic Party of Wisconsin won control of the Senate and Assembly, along with electing Governor David Crowley, securing a trifecta for the first time in 16 years. The change was met with enthusiasm by Democratic voters in Wisconsin, who were already dreaming of a future more aligned with their political preferences.
As reported by Wisconsin Public Radio, victory was already declared on Tuesday after quite a few seats were flipped in the Senate and Assembly. Democrats now control the Senate with 18 members to 15, and the Wisconsin State Assembly with 53 seats against 46.
While votes were still being counted at the time of this report, with over 40,000 ballots remaining, David Crowley won with around 54% of the vote, against Republican Tom Tiffany’s 46%. With around 1.5% of the votes still unknown, it’s already mathematically impossible for Tiffany to win.
Democratic Voters Dream of a New Future for Wisconsin
On r/Wisconsin, Democratic voters were already discussing what the party needed to do to use this trifecta to really promote change in the state.
One of the most critical changes was getting rid of gerrymandering, according to one user: “The absolute first thing they need to do is pass a law for non-partisan map drawing. We can’t rely on the courts to pick the right maps, and we need to be able to have the congressional maps redrawn fairly.”
Another proposal was linked to the legalization of marijuana in the state and how to use the money generated by it: “Legalize marijuana and use the tax benefits for universal childcare and universal healthcare in Wisconsin IMMEDIATELY. (…) This is an incredibly historic moment for Wisconsin, and they need to use this opportunity to make lasting and positive impacts.”
However, some users were skeptical that this would provide enough revenue for big programs: “I am all for legalization, but I wouldn’t get too excited about the possibilities of the tax revenue making any meaningful changes to fund programs.”
Some Wisconsinites were glad that the state could make some changes to women’s rights: “Finally, now get to work codifying women’s reproductive rights in Wisconsin.” Other people were more focused on changing laws regarding the labor market: “Now it’s time to overturn Act 10 and get rid of Right to Work!”
It remains to be seen how many of these plans will actually become reality, but it’s possible that Wisconsin will see major changes in the coming years.
