THAT'S TRUE IN THE RACE FOR
PRESIDENT AS WELL AS RACES
DOWN-BALLOT.
BUT HOW COULD A BLUE WAVE IF IT
COMES IMPACT RACES FOR STATE
ASSEMBLY AND SENATE?
POLITICAL REPORTER ZAC SCHULTZ
HAS THIS STORY.
>> GOING INTO THE FALL,
WISCONSIN DEMOCRATS WERE PRETTY
BLUNT ABOUT THEIR PROSPECTS OF
TAKING BACK THE STATE SENATE AND
ASSEMBLY.
>> THERE'S A LOT OF DISTRICTS
WHERE IT'S VERY, VERY TOUGH FOR
DEMOCRATS TO WIN.
>> BEN WIKLER IS CHAIR OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF WISCONSIN.
THEY EVEN STARTED A CAMPAIGN
CALLED "SAVE THE VETO" WITH A
STRATEGY CENTERED ON NOT LOSING
SEATS.
>> IF BOTH SIDES TURN OUT YOU
WOULD EXPECT A TIGHT RACE IN
WISCONSIN.
>> GORDON HINTZ IS THE ASSEMBLY
MINORITY LEADER.
WITHDEMOCRATS ARE ALSO PREPARING FOR
THE OPPOSITE, ASKING IF DONALD
TRUMP LOOKS TO BE LOSING BY A
LARGE MARGIN, WILL REPUBLICANS
BOTHER VOTING AT ALL?
>> IF THEY'RE NOT GOING TO TURN
OUT TO VOTE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP,
YOU KNOW, ARE THEY GOING TO TURN
OUT TO VOTE FOR THEIR STATE
SENATOR OR STATE ASSEMBLY
REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE?
>> 2020 COULD BE THE PERFECT
STORM FOR A BIDEN WAVE TO CARRY
DOWN-BALLOT DEMOCRATS INTO
OFFICE.
BECAUSE ONCE EVERY 12 YEARS WE
HAVE A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
WITH NO U.S. SENATE RACE.
>> WHILE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
HAS WON A GREAT VICTORY TONIGHT,
WE DO SO WITH A MEASURE OF
HUMILITY.
>> THE LAST TIME WAS 2008, WHEN
BARACK OBAMA WON BIG AND
DEMOCRATS FLIPPED FIVE ASSEMBLY
SEATS ON THEIR WAY TO THE
MAJORITY.
TO SEE THE VALUE OF AN U.S.
SENATE RACE YOU NEED ONLY GO
BACK TO 2016, WHEN RON JOHNSON'S
SEAT WAS A RALLYING CRY FOR
NEVER TRUMP REPUBLICANS IN
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.
>> I WANT TO RUN A GREAT
CAMPAIGN TO HELP WHOEVER THAT
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WAS ALSO
WIN THE STATE.
>> JOHNSON RECEIVED MORE JOATS MORE VOTES
THAN DONALD TRUMP.
IN 2020 THEY HAVE THE CANDIDATES
IN PLACE IF THE BOTTOM DROPS OUT
FOR REPUBLICANS.
>> WE WANT TO BUILD CAMPAIGNS
THAT MAY BE ON THE MARGINS THAT
COULD TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE
ABLE TO PUT THEIR SAIL UP SHOULD
THERE BE THAT KIND OF WAVE.
>> BUT DEMOCRATS HAVE SEEN BIG
STATEWIDE WINS BEFORE THAT DON'T
RESULT IN DOWN-BALLOT WINS.
IN 2018, ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATIC
CANDIDATES RECEIVED 1.3 MILLION
VOTES COMPARED TO 1.1 MILLION
FOR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES.
BUT THEY ONLY ADDED ONE SEAT.
THEY BLAME GERRYMANDERED MAPS
THAT WERE DRAWN IN 2011 TO
VIRTUALLY GUARANTEE A REPUBLICAN
MAJORITY FOR THE NEXT DECADE.
>> ROBIN VOS KNOWS THE MAPS ARE
WHY HE IS SPEAKER.
>> WHENEVER ANYBODY CAN'T WIN ON
THEIR IDEAS THEY LOOK AT FINGERS
TO POINT AT SOMEBODY ELSE.
>> VOS HAS DEFENDED THESE MAPS
TO THE SONS SUPREME COURT AND
BACK.
HE MAINTAINS THERE'S A SIMPLE
REASON REPUBLICANS HOLD A
MAJORITY IN THE LEGISLATURE.
NEARLY HALF OF ALL DEMOCRATIC
ASSEMBLY VOTES COME FROM
MILWAUKEE AND MADISON DISTRICTS,
WHERE UNOPPOSED CANDIDATES RUN
UP THE SCORE.
>> DEMOCRATS HAVE A PROBLEM THAT
THEY LIKE TO LIVE IN BIG CITIES.
>> SO HOW MANY DEMOCRATS ARE
THERE OUTSIDE MADISON AND
MILWAUKEE IN?
WHEN YOU ADD UP THE VOTES IN THE
61 SEATS, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES
RECEIVED 945,000 VOTES OR 58%.
WHILE DEMOCRATS RECEIVED 677,000
VOTES, OR 42%.
IF REPUBLICANS HAD WON 58% OF
THE SEATS, THEY WOULD HAVE WON
35 SEATS.
THE DEMOCRATS' 42% OF THE VOTE
WOULD HAVE NETTED THEM 26 SEATS.
BUT IN REALITY OF THOSE 61
CHALLENGED SEATS, REPUBLICANS
WON 56 AND DEMOCRATS TOOK ONLY
FIVE.
>> THE NUMBERS DON'T LIE.
REPUBLICANS BUILT THESE
DISTRICTS TO ELECT REPUBLICANS
EVEN IF THE PUBLIC REJECTS THEM.
>> WE HOLD DISTRICTS THAT HAVE A
DEMOCRATIC LEAN TO THEM.
>> ROBIN VOS SAYS A DIFFERENT
RACE FROM 2018 PROVES HIS POINT.
>> DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS AND
INDEPENDENTS SENT A LOUD AND
CLEAR MESSAGE.
>> IN THE U.S. SENATE RACE,
DEMOCRAT TAMMY BALDWIN RECEIVED
THE MOST VOTES IN 55 ASSEMBLY
DISTRICTS.
ALL 36 DEMOCRATIC SEATS PLUS 19
DISTRICTS SHOWN IN LIGHT BLUE,
WHERE A REPUBLICAN WON THE
ASSEMBLY RACE.
>> PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO SPLIT
THE TICKET.
THE AGENDA OFFERED BY LIBERAL
DEMOCRAT
DEMOCRATS JUST DOESN'T RESONATE
WITH THE REST OF THE STATE.
>> WE LOOK AT IT VOTERS WERE
WILLING TO VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT.
>> THE PLAN ALL ALONG HAS BEEN
TO SURVIVE UNTIL REDISTRICTING
TWO YEARS FROM NOW.
THEY'LL BE READY JUST THE SAME.
>> NO, THERE'S NOT ANY PLAN LIKE
WE GOT THIS, IT'S A BIDEN WAVE,
BUT WE CERTAINLY WANT TO PUT
PEOPLE IN A POSITION SHOULD THAT
OCCUR.
>> REPORTING THAT