Wisconsin election: Democrats win control of State Legislature for first time since 2011

Democrats will be in full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time in 16 years. Yesterday, voters flipped control of the state senate and the assembly. Our Andrew Musu joins us live now to break this down from the newsroom. Andrew, a lot of key races that we are keeping an eye on this morning. Yeah, that's right, Donovan. And as you mentioned, you'd have to go back to 2011 for the last time that this happened. The Democrats taking control of the Wisconsin legislature, a segment of our government that directly makes decisions over topics such as taxes, how much tax money is spent, how much residents will have to pay, education policies, law enforcement policies, reproductive rights and even cannabis related regulations. Here's how things played out here in the southeastern. Wisconsin region of our state, starting with the 5th Senate District. This includes areas such as Pewaukee, Brookfield, Wauwatosa, West Allis, and Elm Grove. Democratic candidate Robin Vining won the vote over Republican Mike Roberts. This follows Republican Rob Hutton choosing not to seek re-election. The 21st Assembly District, that's for folks living in Greenfield, Hills Corner. Hale's Corners, Caledonia, and Racine. Democratic candidate Dan Bukavich won the vote there. The 61st Assembly District saw Democratic candidate Ben Brist take the win over Republican Bob Donovan. This area consists of folks living in Greendale and Hale's Corners. The 21st Senate District includes areas such as Greenfield, Franklin, and Racine. Democratic candidate Trevor Young won the vote over Jim Croft. Here's what Young had to say last week. About what a Democratic win would actually mean. We've got a lot of work to do to make sure that groceries, child care, utilities are more affordable. And the Democrats in the state legislature, if we get the majorities, are going to be laser focused on that. Because we've had a Republican state senate and state assembly that has been in charge for almost two decades. And life has just increasingly got too expensive. Now, again, this is the first time since 2011 the Democrats won control of the Wisconsin legislature. Also keep in mind, in 2024, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, under liberal control, ruled against district maps that favored Republicans. Andrew, I want to ask you this real quickly. What are we hearing from outgoing Republican leadership? Yeah, well, outgoing House Speaker Robin Voss, who announced in the spring that he would not seek re-election, said in a statement, quote, many newly elected Democrats presented themselves as moderates. Their leadership team has a different agenda. And he promised that under Democratic leadership, the conservatives, quote, will offer constructive alternatives, demand accountability and make sure voters can see the difference between growing government and growing opportunity. All righty. We'll see how this new legislature takes shape. Andrew, thank you so much.