GOP regains control of state Senate, now 

has control of entire state government:

It is finally safe to watch television, listen to the radio and drive down the interstate without the threat of being bombarded with political ads. After months of fighting over a few key swing states, including Wisconsin, President Barack Obama has defeated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, ensuring he will be a two-term president.

The swing states that were thought to play a key role in the race such as Virginia, Florida, Iowa and Colorado all fell to President Obama. President Obama was expected to face a tougher test in the battle ground states this election than he did in 2008. However, Romney managed to flip only Indiana and North Carolina onto his side. Once again, President Obama had a blow out victory, clinching 332 to 206, only 33 less electoral votes than in 2008.

Wisconsin repeated history by “voting blue”, supporting a Democratic candidate for president for the seventh consecutive presidential election. The last time Wisconsin “voted red” for a presidential candidate was in 1984, when Ronald Reagan defeated challenger Walter Mondale in a historic landslide that saw President Reagan take 49 out of 50 states, only failing to secure Minnesota.

Many in the GOP considered Wisconsin to be in play for Gov. Romney after Gov. Scott Walker won his recall election on June 5th. However, Gov. Romney spent little time campaigning in Wisconsin. The former governor was in the Badger State just three times since Gov. Walker won his recall election.

Despite the lack of campaign stops in Wisconsin for Gov. Romney, his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, a native of Janesville, Wis., was in the state several times campaigning, including a surprise stop in Green Bay, Wis. on Sunday, where he visited with tailgaters at Lambeau Field.

Although Wisconsin voters spoke decisively on June 5th, to support Gov. Scott Walker in his recall election, the Wisconsin voter does not have a history of choosing the same party for governor as he or she does for president. U.S. Senate candidate and former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who lost his senate election to Democrat Tammy Baldwin, served as Wisconsin’s governor from 1987-2001. Not one time during Gov. Thompson’s governorship did Wisconsin vote for a Republican presidential candidate.

Rep. Baldwin’s victory ensures the vacated seat by Sen. Herb Kohl, who served Wisconsin for 24 years in the U.S. Senate, will be filled by a Democrat. Rep. Baldwin now joins Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in Washington D.C. to represent Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate. Baldwin also is the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Wisconsin as well as the first openly gay person to serve in the senate.

While Democrats had a victorious night nationally, the GOP retook control of the state Senate and clinched full control of the state government by controlling the governorship and state assembly. The GOP lost control of the state Senate June 5th during the recall election. With the entire control of the state government in the GOP’s hands, Gov. Scott Walker will have his party behind him when making policy decisions. Gov. Walker has two years left on his term. Despite winning the recall election in June, his term ends 2014.