For the second consecutive election, Democrats tried to beat Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, by defining him as just another partisan Republican in Madison.
Probably because that claim simply isn't true, the Democrats lost again in the 80th Assembly District.
But Davis' 12-point margin of victory Tuesday over Monroe challenger John Waelti was a stunner, particularly for a district the state Democratic Party targeted in its apparently successful pursuit of control of the Assembly. And particularly for a district that Davis twice had won by very narrow margins.
One explanation for the surprisingly comfortable win was that Davis distinguished himself during his second term as a Republican willing to work with Democrats on a key virtual schools bill and on the state budget. His courageous lone GOP vote with the Democratic Party on a budget proposal last summer stands out, and likely wasn't forgotten by district voters.
Another explanation, for better or worse, is money. Davis raised and spent significantly more campaign donations - to the tune of something like a 3-to-1 ratio than his Democratic challenger. Waelti won his September primary over Monroe resident Kris Wisnefske without party support. And he never was able in the short stretch to the general election to raise the funds to counter Davis' $100,000 war chest. Much of that money was spent by Davis to effectively portray Waelti as a typical tax-and-spend liberal. That probably impacted the outcome, too.
So congratulations, Mr. Davis, and good luck. Your tenure in Madison is about to get much more difficult.
With Democrats apparently now in control of the Assembly, along with the Senate and the governor's mansion, Republicans will find it very difficult to prevent the Democrats from pushing through a number of proposals and policies that make the GOP bristle. By the very nature of the new political landscape, Davis' bipartisan nature will be put to an extreme test.
Probably because that claim simply isn't true, the Democrats lost again in the 80th Assembly District.
But Davis' 12-point margin of victory Tuesday over Monroe challenger John Waelti was a stunner, particularly for a district the state Democratic Party targeted in its apparently successful pursuit of control of the Assembly. And particularly for a district that Davis twice had won by very narrow margins.
One explanation for the surprisingly comfortable win was that Davis distinguished himself during his second term as a Republican willing to work with Democrats on a key virtual schools bill and on the state budget. His courageous lone GOP vote with the Democratic Party on a budget proposal last summer stands out, and likely wasn't forgotten by district voters.
Another explanation, for better or worse, is money. Davis raised and spent significantly more campaign donations - to the tune of something like a 3-to-1 ratio than his Democratic challenger. Waelti won his September primary over Monroe resident Kris Wisnefske without party support. And he never was able in the short stretch to the general election to raise the funds to counter Davis' $100,000 war chest. Much of that money was spent by Davis to effectively portray Waelti as a typical tax-and-spend liberal. That probably impacted the outcome, too.
So congratulations, Mr. Davis, and good luck. Your tenure in Madison is about to get much more difficult.
With Democrats apparently now in control of the Assembly, along with the Senate and the governor's mansion, Republicans will find it very difficult to prevent the Democrats from pushing through a number of proposals and policies that make the GOP bristle. By the very nature of the new political landscape, Davis' bipartisan nature will be put to an extreme test.
