Republicans Hold Onto Wisconsin Senate

* Two Republican state senators lost their seats in recall elections Tuesday, but Republicans maintained control of the State Senate, as four held on to their jobs - the majority was 19-14, so it’s reduced, but they still have it

* It’s seen as a victory for Gov Scott Walker and a defeat to union groups and Democrats who spent months and millions of dollars trying to take away some of the state’s political power

* Walker’s “budget repair bill” cut benefits to state workers and significantly diminished future collective bargaining rights for most public employees - the idea being to solve the state’s budget deficit, though it was never clear how the collective bargaining piece fit in once the state workers had agreed to all the benefits cuts

* It turned very nasty when there were sit ins, protests, calls for recalls of Republicans who supported the idea, demands for the removal of Democrats who fled the state to delay a vote on the collective bargaining, then a maneuver by Republicans to approve it with Dems still in Illinois, then massive misinformation about the issue, then campaign ads that have battered voters, then… you get the picture