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Wisc GOP State Sen. Alberta Darling Retiring After 32 Years In State Legislature

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Wisconsin Republican State Sen. Alberta Darling announced that she will be retiring after a 32-year career in the state Legislature.

“Darling, a River Hills Republican, will step down Dec. 1. Her departure leaves Republicans one seat short of a two-thirds supermajority in the Senate at least until a special election is held to fill the seat. Her district includes a swath of Milwaukee’s affluent northern suburbs, including Mequon, Cedarburg, Germantown, and Menomonee Falls. The area leans decidedly conservative,” Fox News reported.

“Republicans went into the Nov. 8 elections hoping to establish two-thirds majorities in both the Senate and Assembly, which would give them enough votes to override any vetoes from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The GOP emerged from the elections with a 22-11 advantage in the Senate, a supermajority in that chamber, but fell two seats short of a supermajority in the Assembly. Darling is leaving in the middle of her four-year term. Her retirement leaves Republicans with a 21-11 advantage in the Senate, one seat shy of a supermajority, but even if a Republican wins her seat in the special election, the Assembly will still be two seats short,” the outlet added.

The longtime Republican released a statement on her website.

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“I am honored the great people of the 8th Senate District have entrusted me to be their representative in Madison for so long. I worked hard each and every day to bring their ideas and values to the State Capitol. As the longest-serving woman to co-chair the Joint Committee on Finance, I made sure each and every dollar was spent prudently knowing this money comes from the hardworking people of our state. Our state finances went from massive projected deficits to real surpluses. This was not by chance or accident. I followed the same principles my parents taught me and the same ones Wisconsin families follow every day,” Darling said.

“I am proud to be one of the original authors of the first school choice program in the nation. I fought to make sure every child in the state has access to a quality education. It is my hope the Legislature continues to empower parents and improve outcomes for all. Anything less is a disservice to our children. As great as the many legislative achievements have been, I am humbled by the many friends, colleagues, supporters, and constituents I have had the privilege of meeting during my time in the Legislature. In my time of service, I have worked with many impactful leaders of Wisconsin all with the same passion for making our state the best in the nation,” she added.

“I am especially fortunate to have been surrounded by a supportive family and staff. I thank them for their patience and dedication to the state of Wisconsin. Service comes with sacrifices. I look forward to staying active in the community and spending more time with my grandchildren, family, and friends. It is time for someone else to take up the mantle, build on these successes, and continue moving Wisconsin forward,” she continued.

Republicans won control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

In addition to winning a majority in the lower chamber, Republicans also won more votes nationwide, edging Democrats by around three or four percentage points.

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“If they do ultimately win by around three or four points, it would mean Republicans improved on their margin from the 2020 election by around six or seven points, but they were only able to add about 2 percent of seats, as the Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman notes,” the Washington Post reported.

“This has understandably led to some griping and head-scratching among Republicans who wonder how they’re struggling to win the House despite that swing. But it’s worth putting in context. The first thing to note is that we have incomplete results. The Cook Political Report’s national popular vote tracker currently shows Republicans winning 51.5 percent of House votes to the Democrats’ 47 percent — a gap of 4.5 points. It’s safe to assume Republicans will win the popular vote by a few points, but that margin will continue to narrow as we get more results from blue-leaning states out west, especially California,” the outlet added.

Editor’s note: An original version of this story labeled Wisconsin State Sen. Alberta Darling a Democrat. She’s a Republican. We regret the error.