MILWAUKEE -- Scott Walker did it. In the historic Wisconsin recall battle, Walker emerged victorious on Tuesday, beating back labor unions and Democrats who tried to kick him out of the governor's office.
He remains governor of Wisconsin and will finish his original term.
Multiple TV networks called the race by 9 p.m. Central time, ending the race much earlier than many pundits had anticipated.
"Bringing our state together will take some time, but I hope to start right away," Walker said after his win. "It is time to put our differences aside and figure out ways that we can move Wisconsin forward."
Walker said he would meet with his cabinet on Wednesday to plan education reform, job growth and bringing Wisconsin back together.
Symbolically, the race became second in importance behind only the 2012 presidential contest. Republicans poured $45.6 million into the election and Democrats spent $17.9 million. The cash disparity was even greater when comparing what the two campaigns raised, without factoring in all the outside cash: Walker had a nearly eight-to-one advantage.
Both sides saw it as an opportunity to fire up their base and show their strength in advance of the presidential contest in November. But more fundamentally, the race was a fight between two starkly opposed ideologies. Walker's view of governing is aggressive, taking on the state's powerful labor unions and eschewing compromise to lower taxes, decrease regulations and make the state friendlier to businesses. On the other side, progressives saw the nature of the state changing under Walker. Where there was once compromise, moderation and a focus on shared sacrifice, there was now only what Walker called "divide and conquer."
Perhaps that's why, even after the networks had called the race, Democrats at the party for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) remained defiant, refusing to admit defeat.
"We are not going to let the media corporations decide this election!" declared Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Mike Tate, noting that voters in Milwaukee still stood in line to vote. (As long as voters were in line by 8 p.m. Central time, they could cast a ballot.)
Indian Lendowski, a steelworker who lives in a suburb of Milwaukee and attended the Barrett party, said the election was "a once-in-a-lifetime event for most of us. We're hoping the right thing happens, and Mr. Barrett wins." When asked whether he believed the networks' projections, he said, "No way. People are still voting."
Walker first earned the ire of labor unions and progressives in February 2011, when he pushed through legislation that stripped most collective bargaining rights from public employees. Since then, Democrats have railed against his cuts to education, repeal of an equal pay enforcement law and controversial remarks about his plan to "divide and conquer" unions.
In January, Democrats collected enough signatures to trigger a recall election against the governor. Since then, Walker pulled in millions from his backers all over the U.S. and become a conservative hero. Barrett, meanwhile, had to go through a contentious primary process and never quite caught up in fundraising or enthusiasm from national Democrats, who were slower to throw their weight behind the recall. While former President Bill Clinton stumped for Barrett, Obama never did -- instead offering a last-minute tweet and some grassroots organizing support from his campaign.
Barrett's defeat is a significant disappointment for the labor movement, which put all its muscle into getting out the vote and opposing Walker.
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka admitted defeat, but insisted the labor movement had had a positive effect.
"We wanted a different outcome, but Wisconsin forced the governor to answer for his efforts to divide the state and punish hard-working people," Trumka said in a statement Tuesday night. "Their resolve has inspired a nation to follow their lead and stand up for the values of hard work, unity, and decency that we believe in. We hope Scott Walker heard Wisconsin: Nobody wants divisive policies. It?s time to work together to forge a new path forward. The challenge to solve a generation of economic policies and create an economy that celebrates hard work over a partisan agenda gained momentum today."
Republicans used the victory to argue that they have a chance to turn the state red in November, putting it in the column for Mitt Romney and the Republican Party. Indeed, shortly after the race was called, the National Republican Senatorial Committee put out a press release saying Walker's win "spells trouble" for Democrats.
Romney phoned Walker soon after networks projected the winner and congratulated Walker on his win. Romney also put out a public statement, allying himself with Walker and saying he looked forward to "working together."
"Governor Walker has demonstrated over the past year what sound fiscal policies can do to turn an economy around, and I believe that in November voters across the country will demonstrate that they want the same in Washington, D.C. ... Tonight voters said ?no? to the tired, liberal ideas of yesterday, and ?yes? to fiscal responsibility and a new direction," he said. "I look forward to working with Governor Walker to help build a better, brighter future for all Americans."
UPDATE: 11:07 p.m. -- This article has been updated to include the AFL-CIO president's comments.
Earlier on HuffPost:
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