Evers Retains Veto Powers As WisDems Claim GOP Supermajority Avoided

WISCONSIN — Democratic leaders in the Badger State claimed victory after Tuesday's election and asserted that a veto-proof Republican majority has been avoided in the state's legislature.

Evers is projected to win over challenger Republican Tim Michels, who conceded during his election watch party. In a statement, Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler said Evers' win — plus the governor's continued ability to veto measures from the GOP-controlled Wisconsin Legislature — "ensures that free and fair elections can continue to prevail."

The Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee also hailed avoiding a veto-proof Republican majority, noting that final results are outstanding but that they are confident they blocked a supermajority. The results of the election remain unofficial until they are certified.

If Evers emerged with fewer votes than Michels, or if Republicans picked up enough seats in the state Senate and Assembly, Wisconsin could have entered into complete control by the Republicans.

“With the Governor’s veto power intact, Republicans in the Legislature will be prevented from turning Wisconsin into ground-zero for dismantling our democracy.” said Assembly Democratic Leader Greta Neubauer in the committee's release. “Despite their best efforts, Republican Legislators were unable to silence the people of Wisconsin. Everyone who came out to vote this year should be proud of the contribution they made to building a Wisconsin where we all can thrive. Through our efforts, we not only succeeded tonight, but also laid the groundwork to compete for the majority in elections to come.”

The claimed victory comes despite recent changes to representative maps in Wisconsin. Assembly Democrats say the maps are highly gerrymandered and pointed out that President Joe Biden's 2020 win total in Wisconsin would have only won 35 of 99 State Assembly seats.

Related: Michels Concedes To Evers, Johnson Takes Lead Over Barnes: WI Election

Ahead of Election Day, Evers pointed toward his veto power and the more than 120 vetoes he has issued to date against Republican legislation.

Wikler attributed Evers' win to a combination of factors and called it "a rejection of the Trumpian divisiveness and extremism advanced by Tim Michels and Republicans in the state legislature."

While Democrats celebrated a win from Evers, the race for U.S. Senate remained uncalled into Wednesday morning, though Republican incumbent Ron Johnson did claim victory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.