Wisconsin governor narrowly staves off recall
Republican Scott Walker avoids becoming third state leader in history to be turfed by voters
MILWAUKEE — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker appeared to beat back a fierce recall effort Tuesday, according to network and news service projections, ending a bitter campaign and gaining the upper hand in an ideological struggle over budget slashing and union power in Wisconsin.
Ballot counting was slow after a day when voters in this highly polarized state swarmed the polls to vote for Walker or Democratic challenger Tom Barrett.
CNN reported that exit polls showed a dead heat, with Walker and Barrett each the choice of 50 per cent of those surveyed. Walker jumped to a strong lead in early vote tabulation, but the Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee and Madison were slow to report and the gap was expected to tighten.
Despite the network projections, Barrett had not conceded by 10 p. m. and Walker had not yet appeared at his election night party in suburban Waukesha.
There were long lines at many polling places as they closed at 8 p. m., with many first- time voters waiting to sign up in a state that allows same- day registration and voting. Some Milwaukee precincts nearly ran out of ballots and had to send out for refills.
The Wisconsin contest, just the third time in U. S. history that a state has voted whether to recall its governor, piqued interest across the nation — in great measure because it highlighted the sharp ideological divide likely to dominate the presidential election in November.
The recall also gave full flower to the effect of the Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United decision, which gave a green light to an unprecedented wave of political fundraising, much of it anonymous and generally tilted in favour of conservative candidates.
Pundits and partisans across the nation also were looking to the results for clues about the future of the tea party movement, organized labour and the outcome of the battle between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Wisconsin is considered a swing state in the fall.
The recall was an outgrowth of political turmoil that erupted within weeks of Walker talking office as he teamed up with a Republican- controlled legislature to close a budget deficit via steep cuts in spending, including money for schools. At the same time, the governor and legislature extended tax breaks for businesses.
Even more significant were moves to strip public employees of collective bargaining rights, something Walker said was vital to give public officials flexibility to cut costs and save money for taxpayers.