Johnson Wins Re-Election In Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has won re-election, beating Democratic former Sen. Russ Feingold in a rematch of their 2010 race.

Donald Trump is ahead in Wisconsin with more than half of precincts reporting. He's looking to become the first Republican to carry Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Feingold says in the wake of his defeat that "this could be one of the most challenging times in the history of the country."

Feingold delivered the dour message after losing to Johnson in Wisconsin's U.S. Senate race. Polls had shown Feingold ahead the entire race, but Johnson closed the gap in the waning days. Feingold was trying to avenge a 2010 loss to Johnson.

Feingold tells his supporters that they should "be as restrained as you can be."

Johnson says that he intends to concentrate on areas of agreement with Democrats as he sets off on his second term.

Here's a look at those and other key races:

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TRUMP VS. CLINTON

Trump was ahead of Democrat Hillary Clinton with more than half of precincts reporting. Clinton was so confident of victory in Wisconsin that she didn't campaign in the state at all during the general election. That marked the first time since 1972 that one of the two major party candidates did not campaign in the state. Plenty of surrogates, including running mate Tim Kaine and Vice President Joe Biden, stumped for Clinton in Wisconsin. Trump made five stops in the state, but canceled a planned appearance two days before the election. Some Wisconsin Republicans were slow to warm to him, with House Speaker Paul Ryan canceling a Trump appearance with him in October and saying he would not campaign or defend him. But faced with a narrowed House majority, and threats to his leadership post, Ryan in recent days spoke more positively of Trump and the need for Republican unity.

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SENATE REMATCH

Johnson's victory Tuesday came in a rematch of the 2010 race in which Johnson ended Feingold's 18-year run in the Senate. Johnson argued that Feingold had already been fired by voters once six years ago and had done nothing to warrant returning to the Senate. Feingold tried to make an issue of Johnson supporting Trump for president as he argued the former manufacturer had been an ineffective.

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CONGRESS

Republican Mike Gallagher defeated Democrat Tom Nelson in a race for northeastern Wisconsin's open congressional seat, keeping the swing district in GOP hands for two more years. The 8th Congressional District includes Appleton, Green Bay, Door County, the Menominee Indian reservation and rural swaths of Marinette, Oconto, Shawano and Waupaca counties. Republican Reid Ribble had held the seat since 2011 but announced in January he wouldn't seek a fourth term. Gallagher, of Green Bay, is a former Marine captain who holds a doctorate in international relations. He served as national security adviser for Gov. Scott Walker's short-lived presidential campaign last year and promised on the campaign trail to bolster the U.S. military. Nelson, the Outagamie County executive, worked to tie Gallagher to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump but the strategy failed. Gallagher campaign spokeswoman Madison Wiberg didn't immediately return messages Tuesday evening. Nelson issued a statement congratulating Gallagher. Ryan, who represents the 1st District in southeastern Wisconsin, cruised to victory.

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STATEHOUSE

Republicans have a nearly impenetrable 63-36 majority in the Assembly, but Democrats had an outside shot of taking the Senate where the GOP majority is tighter at 18-14 with one open seat. Democrats are most optimistic about flipping two seats, which would leave Republicans with a narrow 17-16 majority. Either way, the Republican Walker remains as governor and has broad veto authority.

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EXIT POLLS

Preliminary results of an exit poll conducted for The Associated Press and television networks showed that Wisconsin voters were concerned about the economy, with more than half describing it as the top issue — ahead of terrorism, foreign policy and immigration. About 6 in 10 said the economic situation was poor or "not good." A majority also described Clinton and Trump as dishonest, and only about 4 in 10 said they strongly favored the candidate they voted for.

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VOTING

This is the first presidential election where Wisconsin voters are required to show photo identification to cast a ballot and it's not clear what effect it will have on turnout. Election officials still predicted turnout of near 70 percent, on par with the past two presidential elections where photo IDs were not required. Democrats were pleased with record-high early voting numbers of 828,248 ballots cast. The numbers were even stronger in Democratic strongholds.

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VOTERS SAY

Stefani Berg, 25, a nurse from Milwaukee, voted for Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's presidential election. Berg said Clinton would be a stronger leader and mostly aligns with her views when it comes to picking candidates for the Supreme Court.

Berg said Republican candidate Donald Trump "acts a bit childish when it comes to trying to be a leader."

She worries about how he would react to some important matters, including immigration and foreign policy. Foreign leaders may not respect him and in turn fail to respect the U.S., Berg said.

Rebecca Zbichorski, 28, cast an early vote for Donald Trump in downtown Milwaukee last week.

Zbirchorski spent nearly eight years on active duty in the Marines with two deployments to Iraq. "America needs a kick in the behind," Zbirchorski said and added that Trump is the guy to do it.

Zbirchorski said she's tired of the political chaos and hopes the outcome of Tuesday's presidential election won't be challenged. The Wisconsin Elections Commission projects nearly 70 percent of the state's eligible voters are expected to cast ballots in this election.

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