WAVE?

Democrats Flip 34th Seat From Red to Blue Since Trump’s Inauguration

Special election losses are mounting for the GOP ahead of an expected wave in 2018.

Democrats won a Wisconsin Senate seat in a deeply Republican district Tuesday night, their 34th legislative pickup since President Trump’s took office.

Patty Schachtner defeated Republican Adam Jarchow in Senate District 10, flipping control of a seat that has been held by Republicans since 2000. In the 2016 presidential election, Trump beat Hillary Clinton 55-38 in the district. Mitt Romney won the district in 2012 despite losing statewide against President Barack Obama.

Schachtner won despite conservative groups pouring money into the race. One group, Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin, reportedly spent $50,000 on ads to boost Jarchow.

The Democratic victory came as such a surprise that Republican Gov. Scott Walker even called it a “wake up call for Republicans in Wisconsin,” on Twitter.

The Wisconsin win for Democrats extends a victory streak that began as early as July 2017 when they flipped a Republican seat in Oklahoma. The wins became bigger late last year when Democrats won the Virginia governor's race and several legislative seats, and of course the shocking upset of Doug Jones over Roy Moore for Alabama's U.S. Senate seat.

The next test for Democrats will take place in a special election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, where President Trump won by almost 20 points in 2016. As perhaps a sign of nerves about the contest, the president is visiting the area on Thursday.

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Gideon ResnickPolitical Reporter

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