Doyle re-elected; Dems take control of state Senate

Assembly GOP holds slim 52-47 majority

By all accounts, the November elections created seismic shifts in both Congress and in statehouses across the country. Wisconsin was no different. Entering the elections, Senate Republicans held a 19-14 majority; on November 8 they were in the minority, losing four seats and giving the Democrats control of the upper house with an 18-15 majority.

Assembly Republicans tenuously retained their majority, but lost eight seats in the election cycle to hold a 52-47 majority. It is hoped that the changes take some of the sharpness out of the intense partisan rhetoric during the previous two years. Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson (D-Beloit), a registered nurse and nursing instructor at Blackhawk Technical College, has never been a shrill partisan.

The elections will allow re-elected Gov. Jim Doyle to have a working partner in the Senate and he will likely be able to store his veto pen for more select occasions. During his first term, Doyle was often described as an ace goalie for education, fending off many narrow proposals with vetoes (e.g. vetoing the GOP budget language that would have allowed only a $100 per pupil revenue limit increase, versus current law which ties the increase to inflation).

Sen. Fred Risser (D-Madison) was named the Senate President by Robson. The president controls floor debate and is part of the leadership team that determines what bills get scheduled for debate. The majority party controls the legislative agenda.

Committee assignments will not be made for several weeks. But both Sens. Jon Erpenbach (D-Middleton) and Mark Miller (D-Monona) have consistently been strong education supporters. Capitol insiders predict committee assignments will be made by the end of December.