By Scott Bauer and Todd Richmond
Associated Press
MADISON - Wisconsin Democrats reshuffled their Senate leadership on Tuesday, with a state senator from La Crosse poised to take over as minority leader after Republicans increased their majority in last week's election.
Sen. Chris Larson, Democratic Senate minority leader the past two years, decided to bow out of the race after Sen. Jennifer Shilling, of La Crosse, announced she was challenging him. Larson declined to say whether he had enough support to win in the vote scheduled for Wednesday, saying his decision was based on wanting to spend more time with his family.
"This was honestly a personal decision," Larson said in a telephone interview. "It just became evident when I was doing the phone calls courting votes, setting up an agenda and lining up the next two years, my wife was looking at me and hoping I wouldn't succeed. That's not a recipe for long-term success."
Republicans used the Nov. 4 elections to build a 19-14 majority in the Senate, up from 18-15 last year. They won a 61-36 advantage in the Assembly, the party's biggest edge in the chamber since 1957, on election night and gained another seat on Tuesday after state Rep. Mandy Wright, D-Wausau, conceded that Republican Dave Heaton had beaten her. One last race was still too close to call.
Assembly Democrats held their first postelection meeting hours after Wright conceded. Rep. Evan Goyke, a Milwaukee Democrat, tried to convince his colleagues to oust Minority Leader Peter Barca of Kenosha and insert him in the leadership post, complaining the party isn't gaining any ground and needs a fresh approach.
Barca, who has served as minority leader since 2011, argued Democratic candidates had to contend with a national GOP wave, spending by outside groups and district boundaries that Republicans redrew to consolidate support for their candidates. He said he was up to the challenge of developing new tactics and asked Democrats to bring any ideas forward.
"We've got to find a way to dial it up," Barca said. "We can't keep doing what we're doing nor would I suggest it."
Barca ultimately won a secret ballot to keep his position.
The increased Republican control in the Legislature comes as Gov. Scott Walker won re-election to a second term. Walker, who was meeting with Republican legislative leaders on Tuesday to discuss his agenda, has said he wants to be aggressive in the opening months of his second term.
Moving quickly and smoothly could help bolster Walker's argument that real leadership is coming from governors and not Congress, as he eyes a presidential run in 2016.
Walker said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that governors make much better presidents than members of Congress. Building on that theme, Walker told Assembly Republicans on Monday that Wisconsin could stand as a counter to the "dysfunctional" federal government.
Walker and Republican priorities include further cutting property and income taxes, writing new academic standards, expanding the private school voucher program and requiring drug tests for those seeking food stamps and unemployment benefits.
Larson, who was first elected to the Senate in 2010 after serving on the Milwaukee County Board, has been an outspoken critic of the Republican agenda. As Democratic minority leader the past two years, he's led the charge against Republicans both publicly and behind the scenes in recruiting candidates to run and overseeing those campaigns.
Shilling issued a statement thanking Larson and saying that Senate Democrats are united in fighting for public schools, small business growth and improving the economy.
Associated Press
MADISON - Wisconsin Democrats reshuffled their Senate leadership on Tuesday, with a state senator from La Crosse poised to take over as minority leader after Republicans increased their majority in last week's election.
Sen. Chris Larson, Democratic Senate minority leader the past two years, decided to bow out of the race after Sen. Jennifer Shilling, of La Crosse, announced she was challenging him. Larson declined to say whether he had enough support to win in the vote scheduled for Wednesday, saying his decision was based on wanting to spend more time with his family.
"This was honestly a personal decision," Larson said in a telephone interview. "It just became evident when I was doing the phone calls courting votes, setting up an agenda and lining up the next two years, my wife was looking at me and hoping I wouldn't succeed. That's not a recipe for long-term success."
Republicans used the Nov. 4 elections to build a 19-14 majority in the Senate, up from 18-15 last year. They won a 61-36 advantage in the Assembly, the party's biggest edge in the chamber since 1957, on election night and gained another seat on Tuesday after state Rep. Mandy Wright, D-Wausau, conceded that Republican Dave Heaton had beaten her. One last race was still too close to call.
Assembly Democrats held their first postelection meeting hours after Wright conceded. Rep. Evan Goyke, a Milwaukee Democrat, tried to convince his colleagues to oust Minority Leader Peter Barca of Kenosha and insert him in the leadership post, complaining the party isn't gaining any ground and needs a fresh approach.
Barca, who has served as minority leader since 2011, argued Democratic candidates had to contend with a national GOP wave, spending by outside groups and district boundaries that Republicans redrew to consolidate support for their candidates. He said he was up to the challenge of developing new tactics and asked Democrats to bring any ideas forward.
"We've got to find a way to dial it up," Barca said. "We can't keep doing what we're doing nor would I suggest it."
Barca ultimately won a secret ballot to keep his position.
The increased Republican control in the Legislature comes as Gov. Scott Walker won re-election to a second term. Walker, who was meeting with Republican legislative leaders on Tuesday to discuss his agenda, has said he wants to be aggressive in the opening months of his second term.
Moving quickly and smoothly could help bolster Walker's argument that real leadership is coming from governors and not Congress, as he eyes a presidential run in 2016.
Walker said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that governors make much better presidents than members of Congress. Building on that theme, Walker told Assembly Republicans on Monday that Wisconsin could stand as a counter to the "dysfunctional" federal government.
Walker and Republican priorities include further cutting property and income taxes, writing new academic standards, expanding the private school voucher program and requiring drug tests for those seeking food stamps and unemployment benefits.
Larson, who was first elected to the Senate in 2010 after serving on the Milwaukee County Board, has been an outspoken critic of the Republican agenda. As Democratic minority leader the past two years, he's led the charge against Republicans both publicly and behind the scenes in recruiting candidates to run and overseeing those campaigns.
Shilling issued a statement thanking Larson and saying that Senate Democrats are united in fighting for public schools, small business growth and improving the economy.