Democrats win crucial state Senate seat; now have majority

Democrats won one of the four state Senate recall races last night, with John Lehman’s very close win in southeast Wisconsin’s 21st District. The margin of victory was about 800 votes.

Addressing a small die-hard crowd of supporters at Racine’s Labor Center just before 1 a.m., Lehman claimed a razor-thin victory.

If the victory withstands likely challenges, Lehman’s win over Republican incumbent Van Wanggaard would shift control of the Senate to Democrats, at least until the next election in November. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca of Kenosha says he believes the switch will force Gov. Walker to live up to his word.

Over at his campaign headquarters, Wanggaard declined to speak to reporters after Lehman’s victory speech.