Two Democrats kept their seats in the Wisconsin State Senate on Tuesday, drawing an end to an unprecedented series of recall elections that had distracted the state all summer.
Jim Holperin and Bob Wirch had been among the senators — the entire Democratic caucus — who left Wisconsin for weeks in an effort to block a measure to curtail collective bargaining rights for public workers.
The fight over the measure, which ultimately passed the Republican-dominated Capitol, led to nine recall efforts against senators on both sides. In the end, seven of the nine kept their jobs, and Republicans maintained their control of that chamber, though by a significantly slimmed margin — 17 Republicans to 16 Democrats.
On Tuesday, Mr. Holperin survived a challenge from Kim Simic, in the state’s northern section, and Mr. Wirch, of Pleasant Prairie, defeated Jonathan Steitz.
This article, “Two Wisconsin Democrats Retain Seats in Recall Elections,” originally appeared in The New York Times.
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