Dems Win Walker's Old Office In Milwaukee County In Landslide | TPMDC

TPMDC

Dems Win Walker's Old Office In Milwaukee County In Landslide

Eric Kleefeld | April 5, 2011, 11:24PM

Democrats have now drawn political first blood in Wisconsin, in the fight over Republican Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union law: In Milwaukee County, where Walker had previously been elected three times as county executive, the Dem-supported candidate has won in a rout -- and defeated a Republican state legislator who voted for Gov. Walker's bill.

The race is officially non-partisan, but with 90% of precincts reporting, businessman and philanthropist Chris Abele, who has been a Democratic donor and is supported by the party, leads Republican state Rep. Jeff Stone by a whopping margin of 61%-39%. Abele has been projected as the winner by the Associated Press, and Stone has conceded. Stone had previously voted for the bill, but later sought to suggest less than total support for Walker's approach.

This office was historically Democratic, but Walker won a 2002 special election by a 55%-45% margin due to ethics scandals that sparked the resignation of the previous county executive, as well as multiple recalls of county board members. (Now in 2011, the state Democrats are spearheading recalls of Republican legislators.) Walker then won full terms with 57% of the vote in 2004, and 59% in 2008.

Now, in a massive swing, the Democrats could be about to take back the office by an even larger margin than Walker's personal best
.