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Republicans rally as US governor beats recall effort
Source: Agencies |
June 7, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WISCONSIN'S Scott Walker became the first governor in US history to survive a recall election on Tuesday in a decisive victory that dealt a blow to the labor movement and raised Republican hopes of defeating President Barack Obama in the November election.
Unions and liberal activists forced the recall election over a law curbing collective bargaining powers for public sector workers passed soon after Walker took office last year.
With nearly all of the votes counted, Republican Walker won by 8 percentage points over Democratic challenger Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a bigger victory for the governor over the same challenger than two years ago.
Republicans around the country were elated by the result in a state that President Obama won by 14 percentage points in 2008.
Obama's presumed Republican opponent in November, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, called Walker to congratulate him, an aide to Romney said. Romney had called Walker a "hero" when he visited Wisconsin earlier this year.
"A win like this shows Wisconsin may be a redder (more Republican) state in 2012 and could be bad news for Obama," said Thad Kousser, an associate politics professor at the University of California San Diego.
Even Obama's campaign organization conceded on Tuesday that Wisconsin could be competitive in November. No Republican has won the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
Walker's win may also embolden Republican governors in other states to take on labor unions, analysts said.
"The unions tried to take a stand here and when you stake everything on one election and lose, politicians around the country will not be afraid to take on the unions," Kousser said.
The victory also branded Walker as a rising Republican star. While he has ruled out serving as Romney's vice presidential nominee, he may be a future national candidate.
Walker struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech, saying he wanted to try to bring the divided state together.
"Early in 2011, I rushed in to try to fix things before I talked about them. Because you see for years, too many politicians ... talked about things but never fixed them," Walker said to a crowd of roaring supporters.
The outcome is the latest evidence of a growing partisan climate in American politics that values confrontation over compromise and has led to gridlock in Washington.
Unions and liberal activists forced the recall election over a law curbing collective bargaining powers for public sector workers passed soon after Walker took office last year.
With nearly all of the votes counted, Republican Walker won by 8 percentage points over Democratic challenger Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a bigger victory for the governor over the same challenger than two years ago.
Republicans around the country were elated by the result in a state that President Obama won by 14 percentage points in 2008.
Obama's presumed Republican opponent in November, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, called Walker to congratulate him, an aide to Romney said. Romney had called Walker a "hero" when he visited Wisconsin earlier this year.
"A win like this shows Wisconsin may be a redder (more Republican) state in 2012 and could be bad news for Obama," said Thad Kousser, an associate politics professor at the University of California San Diego.
Even Obama's campaign organization conceded on Tuesday that Wisconsin could be competitive in November. No Republican has won the state since Ronald Reagan in 1984.
Walker's win may also embolden Republican governors in other states to take on labor unions, analysts said.
"The unions tried to take a stand here and when you stake everything on one election and lose, politicians around the country will not be afraid to take on the unions," Kousser said.
The victory also branded Walker as a rising Republican star. While he has ruled out serving as Romney's vice presidential nominee, he may be a future national candidate.
Walker struck a conciliatory tone in his victory speech, saying he wanted to try to bring the divided state together.
"Early in 2011, I rushed in to try to fix things before I talked about them. Because you see for years, too many politicians ... talked about things but never fixed them," Walker said to a crowd of roaring supporters.
The outcome is the latest evidence of a growing partisan climate in American politics that values confrontation over compromise and has led to gridlock in Washington.
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