The two key elections for seats in the Legislature representing Tosa districts were on track to go blue, as two Democrats ended the evening with large wins over their Republican challengers.
A large batch of absentee votes from Wauwatosa were posted to the Milwaukee County Clerk's website shortly after 11 p.m., giving an even bigger boost to the two Democrats, Rep. Robyn Vining and Amy Zimmerman, who were favored by Tosa voters more than 2-1.
With several statewide races on the ballot, as well as four competitive races in state legislative districts that include parts of Tosa, the individual outcomes could contribute to significant changes in the balance of power in state government.
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After polls closed at 8 p.m., Milwaukee and Waukesha counties spent much of the evening updating unofficial vote totals online. By the end of the night, Vining, a Wauwatosa resident, held a lead of several thousand votes over Republican challenger Mike Roberts of Pewaukee for the Senate District 5 seat. In a post on Facebook, she declared victory.
"We did it! Love wins," Vining said in the post, referencing one of her campaign's most frequent refrains.
And in the race to fill Vining's current District 13 seat in the Assembly, Zimmerman of Brookfield led Republican of Mike Morgan of Wauwatosa by an even larger margin in the unofficial counts.
Democratic Party victories in those races, if confirmed, could build on a big party win in the gubernatorial race, where Democrat David Crowley was far ahead of Republican Tom Tiffany with most of the statewide vote counted, according to the Associated Press. At 9:50 p.m., multiple local news outlets reported that Crowley was projected to be the winner.
Voters also can get unofficial results directly from Milwaukee County Clerk's Office here and from Waukesha County here. And the Associated Press is updating statewide results here.
Senate District 5
Vining, a professional photographer who has represented parts of Wauwatosa in the Assembly since 2018, ran against Roberts, a physical therapist from Pewaukee, in District 5, which spans from East Tosa to the west edge of Pewaukee. (In case you missed it: We profiled the Senate District 5 race here.)
Current state Sen. Rob Hutton, a Republican, did not run for re-election, so a Vining win means a flip by the Democrats.
Vining led in Milwaukee County wards, while Roberts led in Waukesha County wards. Combined, that put Vining ahead, 50,107-37,794, for a landslide victory of 57%-43%.
Assembly District 13
With Vining running for Senate, that left a vacancy for her District 13 seat in the Assembly. Running to replace her were Zimmerman and Morgan. (Tosa Forward News profiled the Assembly District 13 race here.) The district includes most of Wauwatosa, all of Elm Grove and a large portion of Brookfield.
Like the Senate District 5 race, the returns showed a split decision, with Waukesha County wards slightly favoring Morgan and Milwaukee County wards decisively favoring Zimmerman. Once the Wauwatosa absentee ballots were reported, the combined total put Zimmerman well ahead of Morgan, 21,117-12,515, or 63% in favor of Zimmerman.
The Senate and Assembly are both currently controlled by Republicans, but with new district maps and a favorable national political environment, Democrats have expressed confidence that they can flip one or both chambers.
Other Assembly districts
The district with the next largest number of Tosa voters is Assembly District 18, where Rep. Margaret Arney, a Democrat, ran for re-election against Republican challenger Joel Richmond. Both are Tosa residents, and the district includes the southeast corner of the city.
That race was not close, with Milwaukee County's unofficial results showing Arney with about 87% of the vote. The Associated Press called the race for Arney.
In Assembly District 14, which includes a small part of Tosa's southwest corner, Rep. Angelito Tenorio, a Democrat, ran against challenger AmyRose Murphy, a Republican. Tenorio held a commanding lead with more than 60% of the vote.
Another race on some Tosans' ballots was called as soon as the polls closed.
Assembly District 12, which includes the far north Tosa neighborhood of Tosa Heights and the apartments at Luther Manor, has been represented by Rep. Russell Goodwin Sr. since 2025. Goodwin, a Democrat, defeated a challenger in the primary and ran unopposed in the general election.
Other races
Democrats also fought this year to hold on to the office of governor, currently held by Democrat Tony Evers, who did not run for re-election. Seeking to replace him were Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, and Tom Tiffany, who represents northern Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Vote totals reported by the Associated Press around 11 p.m. put Crowley up in that race by a large margin. With an estimated 88% of the votes counted, Crowley was up by 153,000 votes, 53.3% to 46.7%.
Statewide offices on the ballot also included lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and state treasurer.
Wauwatosa also helped to elect a U.S. representative from the 4th Congressional District. Longtime Rep. Gwen Moore, a Democrat, faced Republican challenger Tim Rogers and independent candidate Arthur Burks.
The Associated Press called the 4th District race for Moore just before 9 p.m. while showing her with nearly 80% of the district's vote.
Tosa Forward News Staff
