Democrats Flip Wisconsin Senate for First Time Since 2010

Democrats flipped the Wisconsin State Senate on election night, The Daily Cardinal reported, ending more than a decade and a half of Republican control and handing the party a rare trifecta of power in the Badger State.

The shift came when Democrats captured three of the 17 Senate seats on the ballot, exactly reversing the Republicans’ 18-15 majority that had stood since the GOP swept into power in 2010. With a Democratic governor already in office and Democrats also flipping the State Assembly, the party now controls both chambers of the legislature and the executive branch for the first time in over 15 years.

Democrats win Wisconsin trifecta for first time in 16 years

Three Races Sealed the Majority

In Senate District 5, Democrat Robyn Vining became the first candidate to flip a seat blue, defeating Republican challenger Mike Roberts with 57% of the vote; the race was called at 11:09 p.m. In Senate District 21, Democrat Trevor Jung followed with a 58% win over Republican Jim Croft, called at 11:11 p.m. Both districts had been held by Republicans since 2010, making the twin pickups a direct reversal of the 2010 wave.

In the 31st Senate District, incumbent Democrat Jeff Smith held off a contentious challenge from Republican Michele Magadance Skinner, winning 58% of the vote with 88% of precincts reporting. The final blow fell in Senate District 17, where incumbent Sen. Howard Marklein, a Republican from Spring Green, lost his seat to Democratic Rep. Jenna Jacobson of Oregon after the chamber had already been decided.

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What a Trifecta Means in Madison

Control of the Senate gives Democrats the ability to advance legislation without Republican obstruction for the first time since 2010. With the governor’s office and the Assembly also in Democratic hands, the party can now move bills to the governor’s desk on party-line votes, confirmation power over appointments, and control of the budget-writing process.

Democrats’ win comes after redistricting battles in 2024, over which Republicans expressed outrage about a perceived Democratic advantage. The new boundaries reshaped several of the districts decided Tuesday night, and Republicans had argued the lines favored Democrats; voters in Districts 5, 21, and 31 ultimately delivered the majority anyway.

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— https://x.com/WISenateDems/status/2117343934934622622

For voters in those districts, the change means their state senator now caucuses with the party that controls the governor’s mansion and the Assembly. For Republicans, the loss ends a 15-year run in the upper chamber that began with the 2010 sweep and survived multiple election cycles, including the contentious redistricting fight of 2024.

Seventeen of the 33 Senate seats were up Tuesday, and Democrats needed only three to flip the chamber. They got exactly three.