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Democrats flip Senate district, GOP adds Assembly seat in Wisconsin special elections

Posted at 9:58 PM, Jun 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-12 23:12:29-04

 MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The Latest on Wisconsin special elections (all times local):

 10:05 p.m.

   National Democrats are crowing over picking up a legislative seat in a Wisconsin special election.

   Democrats split two races for open seats on Tuesday, but with both seats previously held by Republicans, they portrayed the outcome as more evidence they are poised for midterm success.

   Caleb Frostman beat state Rep. Andre Jacque in Senate District 1. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said it's the 44th district to move from Republican to Democrat since the 2016 election.

   Former Attorney General Eric Holder praised Frostman's victory. Holder's group aimed at changing the redistricting process spent $175,000 supporting him.

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 9:50 p.m.

   Democrat Ann Groves Lloyd has conceded defeat in a race for an open seat in a south-central Wisconsin Assembly seat.

   Unofficial returns from Tuesday's special election in the 42nd Assembly District showed Republican Jon Plumer with a sizeable lead. Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokeswoman Melanie Conklin says Lloyd told her supporters she had conceded about 9:30 p.m.

   The win strengthens Republicans' hold on the Assembly, boosting their majority to 64-35. The Legislature isn't expected to convene again until January, however, and Plumer will have to run again in November to keep the seat.

   Lloyd has already registered to run again, setting up a rematch.

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   9:45 p.m.

   Democrat Caleb Frostman has won an open seat in northeastern Wisconsin's 1st Senate District.

   Frostman defeated Republican state Rep. Andre Jacque in Tuesday's election. The win doesn't give Democrats control of the Senate. The GOP still holds an 18-15 advantage. But it marks another in a string of Democratic victories this year.

   Democrats flipped an open state Senate seat in northwestern Wisconsin in January and liberal-backed Rebecca Dallet won a statewide race for state Supreme Court in April.

   Frostman will have to run again in November to keep the seat. Jacque and Republican Bill Nauta have registered to run in the fall.

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   9:15 p.m.

   Unofficial returns show the race for an open seat in a northeastern Wisconsin state Senate district is close.

   Democrat Caleb Frostman and Republican state Rep. Andre Jacque are squaring off in a special election in the 1st Senate District. Unofficial returns show Frostman and Jacque running close.

   Republican Jon Plumer faces Democrat Ann Groves Lloyd in another special election Tuesday for an open seat in the 42nd Assembly District. Unofficial returns show Plumer with a notable lead.

   All four candidates are registered to run for the same seats again in November's election.

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   10:30 a.m.

   Voters casting ballots in a special election for an open Wisconsin Assembly seat say they are tired of all the mudslinging in the campaign, but they're divided on what the outcome may mean for the fall.

   Tuesday's election in the 42nd Assembly District pit Republican Jon Plumer against Democrat Ann Groves Lloyd. There's also a special election for a state Senate seat in northeast Wisconsin.

   Ardell Christianson, of Lodi, says she voted for Lloyd because she's a Democrat and Christianson has known her and her family for years. The 79-year-old retired teacher says whichever side wins will provide an accurate view of how voters feel heading into the fall midterms.

   But Republican Mike Busser, of Lodi, voted for Plumer and says not to read too much into the outcome. He calls the predictions a "lot of hoopla."

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   11 p.m.

   Wisconsin Democrats are looking to keep up the momentum as voters decide who gets a pair of open legislative seats in special elections.

   Polls open at 7 a.m. in northeastern Wisconsin's 1st Senate District and the 42nd Assembly District in south-central Wisconsin. Both seats have stood vacant since December when Gov. Scott Walker appointed the Republican incumbents to his administration.

   GOP state Rep. Andre Jacque and Democrat Caleb Frostman are running in the 1st, while Republican Jon Plumer faces Democrat Ann Groves Lloyd in the 42nd.

   Democrats are coming off two big wins already this year. Democrat Patty Schachtner won an open seat in a conservative northwestern Wisconsin state Senate district in January and liberal-backed Rebecca Dallet won a spot on the state Supreme Court in April.