WISCONSIN — Wisconsin kept its reputation as a purple state with split votes for the two big midterm state races. 

The margins were thin for both the governor and Senate race, with the Democratic Party winning the race for governor and Republican Party winning for Senate.

Mark Jefferson, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, pointed to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s grassroots campaign that made the difference in his win over Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes.

“It appears that Ron Johnson got more votes than any other Republican in a midterm election in history,” Jefferson said. “So the Republican turnout was very strong. We wish we could have held all of those people for Tim Michels and get him across the finish line as well, but we had to settle for a split.” 

Chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party Ben Wikler said this is the first time in 32 years Wisconsin voters elected a Democratic president and governor.

“They defied every poll in every expectation in the Senate race,” said Wikler. “They stopped Republicans from getting supermajorities in the State Assembly. Wisconsin is on the map.”

Both parties certainly had big wins, but they also admittedly had some mixed results, something constituents in the swing state of Wisconsin are getting used to.