It appears the WI Senate flipped back to being GOP by 3 seats. Wasn't this supposed to be a safe Dem hold?
No. The Dems only managed to win brief control after the recalls because 2001-2011 district lines were in effect. The elections this month used the new, much more GOP-friendly lines, drawn by the Republicans after they took control in 2010.
Actually the GOP-freindly lines had nothing to do with the Democrats losing the Senate this election. Jessica King barley lost in the Oshkosh/Fond du Lac district that was almost identical to the district she won in the 2011 recall. In the other seat to flip, Jim Holperin had been representing a very Republican district and his retirement lead to an automatic pick up. In 2014 the new lines come into play. John Lehman will be out because his seat will become rural Kenosha and Racine counties. There has been some talk that Robert Wirch might retire, which would allow Lehman to run in the Kenosha/Racine 21st. The only potential seat for the Democrats to take would be Dale Shultz seat in the Southwest part of the state, but that would only be possible if he retires. The only way to take back the legislature is to hope that Democrats win the Governor's race in 2018 so we can have a court/compromise drawn map. I care more about winning in 2018 then 2014.
How did King have a different district than in 2011 if the lines don't take effect until 2014?
The lines took effect this year, but Wisconsin elects its legislators by halves every four years. So the class this year was last up for election in 2008, and the 2014 class was last elected in 2010 (before the new lines).
LOL @ California, 120 legislators for almost 40 million inhabitants. That's ridiculous.
And instead, NH is awesome.
NH is ridiculously excessive. It's two extremes.
No! It's hilariously comical that the four largest legislative bodies in the world belong to India, the UK, the US and New Hampshire.
