As seen in other states on election night, Wisconsin had many tight races for Senate and governor. As of 11:00 p.m. EST, the race between Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes was nearly a tossup, and Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) held a slight lead over Republican challenger Tim Michels. According to State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-WI), a “huge” turnout in Wisconsin may play a role in deciding these two races. She cited the Milwaukee area, which recorded a voter turnout of 70-75%, according to Taylor.
“We had an increase in the number of young people that voted, the number of Black people that voted, and we also had a nice turnout for the number of women that voted; all populations that showed a leaning towards the issues that Barnes spoke about,” Taylor told Straight Arrow News. “The momentum on the ground in the last 30 days, but definitely in the last weeks has grown more and more.”
Wisconsin has developed a reputation as a purple state in recent years, notably going to former President Donald Trump in 2016. Taylor said she has had to deal with divisiveness in Wisconsin politics for “more than a decade.”
“Remember when we had to leave the state to deny Scott Walker quorum, myself and 13 other senators,” Taylor said. “This is the kind of politics that we’ve had going on here for some time.”
Taylor cited said divisiveness, as well as the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the economy as main factors behind the increased turnout in Wisconsin. She defended federal Democratic handling of the economy, which has been scrutinized by conservatives.
“I think we have to take into consideration things that are completely out of control of Democrats, like the pandemic. And I think that people have to really know the individuals who helped to put the economy in a boost like boost the economy, give it a jumpstart, those were the Democrats,” Taylor said. “We did those pieces of legislation and in our state in particular, Ron Johnson voted against those things.”
