Democrats point to their win in a western Wisconsin state Senate district that Republicans held for 17 years as evidence of growing voter dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump. Saint Croix County Medical Examiner Patty Schachtner won a special election for the seat vacated when Republican Sheila Harsdorf became Wisconsin agriculture secretary. Governor Scott Walker called Democrats’ victory “a wake up call for Republicans in Wisconsin.”
Minnesota Republicans are pushing for a different outcome in a hard-fought campaign for the state Senate seat formerly held by South Saint Paul Democrat Dan Schoen, who resigned amid allegations of sex harassment. If Democrats retain that seat in a February 12th special election, it increases the stakes in the legal battle over whether Lieutenant Governor Michelle Fischbach can continue serving in the state Senate at the same time.