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Recall Signs Come Down as Madison Weighs in on Election Results

The State Capitol was filled with mixed feelings Wednesday, in the wake of Gov. Walker’s recall victory. Walker handily defeated Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, while it appears Democrats have flipped the Senate. Unofficial results show John Lehman defeating Incumbent Sen. Van Wanggaard in the Racine County recall race. WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson visited the Capitol to gauge the temperature.

The Capitol appeared to be operating normally. Only one “Recall Walker” sign remained on the steps outside. Inside, dozens of schoolchildren were on tours, while a GOP activist wearing a t-shirt reading, “Silent Majority”, visited legislators’ offices. Debra Koncel is Chairwoman of the Clark County Republican Party. She wants GOP lawmakers to advance more pro-life legislation.

“Some people criticize people for being single issue voters. There’s nothing more important than the right to life. Nothing else matters if you don’t have that,” Koncel says.

Koncel says she would also like to see legislation passed, putting an end to mass recall efforts in the state. George Brahos of Merrill was milling about outside the capitol. He says while disappointed by the results of the gubernatorial recall, he is hopeful Democrats will end up controlling the Senate so they can slow down the GOP agenda.

“I think they’ll have to be more conciliatory. They won’t be able to push through legislation as easily as they were before. They’ll have to work with Democrats and that’s a good thing for everyone in the state,” Brahos says.

Brahos says he now plans to turn his attention toward getting President Obama re-elected in November.

Marti was a reporter with WUWM from 1999 to 2021.