Gov. Walker’s victory a boon to Wisconsin Democrats and a boost to recall efforts

Republicans in the Wisconsin state assembly rammed through a bill on Thursday to cut bargaining rights for most government workers in the state. 

But here’s the good news: within 24 hours, the Democratic party in Wisconsin received donations from supporters totaling $360,000, and the recall effort of several Republican state senators is well underway.

Monica Davey and A. G. Sulzberger at the NY Times have the latest:

MADISON, Wis. — After nearly a month of angry demonstrations and procedural maneuvering in the State Capitol here, Gov. Scott Walker won his battle on Thursday to cut bargaining rights for most government workers in Wisconsin.

But his victory, after the State Assembly passed the bill, also carries risks for the state’s Republicans who swept into power last November. 

Democratic-leaning voters appeared energized by the battle over collective bargaining on a national stage. The fight has already spurred a list of potential recall elections for state lawmakers this spring. Protesters are planning more large demonstrations this weekend.

“From a policy perspective, this is terrible,” said Mike Tate, the leader of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. 

“But from a political perspective, he could not have handed us a bigger gift,” Mr. Tate said of the governor. 

In the last 24 hours, he added, the state party had received $360,000 in contributions and volunteers have streamed into offices where signatures were being collected for recall bids.

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