Wisconsin recall elections wrap up; spending tops $40 million

The balance of the Wisconsin state senate was in question with six recall elections on August 9 and two more on August 16. All six elections last week involved Republican incumbents, with Democratic incumbents in both of this week’s races. In total, Democrats picked up two seats in last week while winning both of their races on the 16th, reducing the Republican majority to 17-16, but did not succeed in taking control of the chamber.

Said Network partner Wisconsin Democracy Campaign: “The real winners of these elections were the TV stations, which reaped a massive windfall as candidates and interest groups poured tens of millions of dollars into television advertising.”

According to WDC, almost $40 million had been spent on the recall races, over twice as much as all state level races in 2010 combined. Much of the money went to television advertising. Outside groups also spent over $31 million on their own advertising, outspending candidates by a 6-1 margin. Six of the races saw spending of over $3 million, including $9 million spent in 8th senate district.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wirch, Holperin win Senate recalls; GOP retains 17-16 majority
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign: Voters act to rein in extremism; Spring Elections and Recall 2011 Data and Analysis