In a devastating blow to the President and his party, Democrats have scored yet another victory in a district previously won by Trump and the Republican Party.
Democratic candidate Caleb Frostman, the former executive director of the Door County Economic Development Corporation, defeated Republican Andre Jacque, one of the Legislature’s most conservative members, in a race to represent Wisconsin’s 1st state Senate district, flipping the seat to Democratic control. The seat was vacated by former Republican state Rep. Frank Lasee, who retired on December 29, 2017 to serve as the administrator for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker had previously refused to call special elections despite a legal mandate to do so out of fear of losing. A judge then ordered the Republican governor to schedule the races, which ultimately validated Walker’s worries.
Underscoring the victory is the fact that the 1st district voted 52-47 for Mitt Romney and voted 56-39 for Trump. It is also the first time that a Democrat has held the seat in a staggering 41 years.
The flipped seat also reduces the GOP’s majority in the state Senate down to 18 to 15, putting a Democratic flip within reach for November.
It's a flip! Congratulations to Caleb Frostman on his victory in Wisconsin's #SD01!
Immense thanks to everyone who poured their hearts, time and support into this election. Our work in #Wisconsin is only getting started! pic.twitter.com/LZ5gs2LQEJ
— Flippable (@flippable_org) June 13, 2018
The victory is only the latest in a wave of stunning Democratic success stories around the country. Thus far, Democrats have unseated Republicans in a vast number of what were thought to be unwinnable races. Aside from flipping New Jersey’s and winning Virginia’s gubernatorial races, Democrats also earned a historic victory electing Doug Jones to the Alabama Senate, the first time that a Democrat has won in that state in a quarter century.
Democrats have also picked up a slew of seats in other races around the country.
Since Trump’s inauguration, Democrats have flipped 43 seats from red to blue. Republicans have only flipped three. In total, Democrats have seen flipped seats in 13 states: Georgia, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Washington, Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky, Connecticut, Florida, Pennsylvania, and now Wisconsin. Even in the most solidly red districts, Democrats are overperforming Trump’s numbers by double digits.
As the Trump administration and its Republican enablers in Congress continue their assault on the will of the American people – from healthcare to tax cuts for the rich to net neutrality to immigration to gun reform – voters across the country are delivering a serious message to the White House, one race at a time.
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