I was so very proud of my state, Wisconsin, last night as the polls closed and the talking heads called it bright blue for Obama within a minute!
Oh yes, we went blue in 2000 and 2004 as well. But Kerry's margin was only 11,000 votes, and it was more like 4,000 for Gore.
This time around, the margin was more like 350,000. Obama even won by 300 votes in Ripon, WI -- one of the towns that claims to have been the birthplace of the Republican Party!
But the big local story didn't break till late. Wisconsin Democrats now hold a state government trifecta: Jim Doyle is our current governor, the Wisconsin Senate remains in Democratic hands (Cap Times has it at 18-14), and the Wisconsin Assembly flipped to a Democratic majority as well, not counting the races that are still uncalled!
The Republican majority in the Wisconsin Assembly stood at a 51-47 margin with one independent going into last night (WI State Journal).
Democrats ousted three Republican incumbents and won two empty seats, taking it to 52 Dem vs. 46 Rep. at worst (Capital Times), with several races not yet determined.
Oh, this is one in the eye for Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, co-chair of the McCain campaign here in Wisconsin, who failed in his dirty-tricks bid to purge new voter registrations by making them match with faulty existing databases! (Lawsuit Thrown Out in Wisconsin, Washington Post)
With a trifecta in place, we've got the leverage to move ahead with all sorts of issues. Health insurance is a big one; autism insurance in particular is a sub-issue near and dear to my heart that was blocked by Assembly Republicans at the 11th hour earlier this year.
Gov. Jim Doyle has been an Obama supporter since way back in the primaries. At the very least, he'll have the new president's ear; there's speculation that he may be in line for a federal judgeship, maybe even a Cabinet slot?
I understand that the Democrats now have both houses in the New York State legislature too.
Any other state legislative houses turn blue?