Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., a candidate for Wisconsin governor, speaks during a news conference Wednesday, April 8, 2026, about what the GOP needs to do in November after big defeats in the spring election, outside of the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)2026-04-09T04:08:16Z MADISON, Wisc. (AP) The bluntest assessment of Republican failures during this weeks elections in Wisconsin came from one of their own.We got our butts kicked, said U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is running for governor.He was referring to Democratic victories in campaigns for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the mayors office in Waukesha, a conservative suburb outside of Milwaukee. But some Republicans were also rattled by a Georgia special election, where their candidate to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress won by a much slimmer margin than the party enjoyed in the past.Taken together, the swings from red to blue added more data points to an increasingly clear picture of Democratic momentum heading into the November midterms, when control of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and state governments around the country are up for grabs. In rural, urban, red, blue, Democrats have overperformed everywhere, said Jared Leopold, a Democratic consultant whose clients include Keisha Lance Bottoms, a candidate for Georgia governor. That is a significant canary in the coal mine about what November of 26 is going to look like. Some Republicans insisted there was no need to panic, and their fundraising remains stronger than Democrats. Stephen Lawson, a Georgia strategist, said the sky is not falling. But he also said his party is running behind where it has been in the past, and Republicans need to be looking at these results carefully. Read More A red alarm for RepublicansSpecial elections can be notoriously unreliable as political benchmarks, but Democrats have consistently demonstrated surprising strength. They flipped a Texas state Senate district. They won a Florida state House seat in a district that includes President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.Then they gained ground on Tuesday in the race to replace Greene, who resigned from Congress in January after a falling out with Trump. Clay Fuller, the Republican candidate, prevailed by 12 points. Two years ago, Greene won by 29 points and Trump carried the district by almost 37 points. Thats a red alarm for Republicans, said Democratic strategist Meredith Brasher. Fuller defeated Shawn Harris, who plans to challenge him again in November.Jackie Harling, the districts Republican chairwoman, said she believed that Greenes resignation energized Democrats while her party is suffering from election fatigue.Marjorie Taylor Greene was like a freight train that you couldnt stop, and when she pulled out, it gave Democrats hope and it gave them a shot at winning something they believed was unwinnable, Harling said. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Slightly bluer side of purpleGeorgia has key races this year, including an open contest for the governors office. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, is trying to defend his seat as well. Theres reason to think that simmering discontent could boomerang back on Republicans just two years after Trump harnessed voters anger with his comeback presidential campaign.In November, Democrats defeated two Republican incumbents in statewide races for seats on the Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities. Rising electricity rates have been a fault line in recent campaigns, especially as enormous data centers are built to power artificial intelligence. But Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey is trying to maintain modest expectations.We could cement ourselves, put ourselves, on the slightly bluer side of purple, he said. Were not going to overnight turn into Colorado.A very clear sign of momentumWisconsin holds statewide elections for supreme court seats, and liberals expanded their majority with a 20-point blowout victory on Tuesday.Democrats saw gains in red, blue and purple counties when compared to another judicial race last year, which was also won by the liberal candidate. This to me was a very clear sign of momentum and enthusiasm for Democrats in the fall, said Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Devin Remiker. The state has its own open race for governor this year, and Democrats are hoping to take control of the state legislature and oust Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden. Its time for us to put this thing in overdrive, said Mandela Barnes, a Democratic former lieutenant governor who is running for governor. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, another Democratic candidate for governor, said its clear that people are really upset with the Republican Party and their brand right now.But that doesnt mean that theyre automatically going to come over to the Democrats, Crowley said. And thats why we have to continue to focus on the issues and speak to the values of all the voters here in the state of Wisconsin. A lot of anxietyTiffany, the Republican candidate for governor in Wisconsin, cautioned against reading too much into Tuesdays results.He said every election is unique, and he wasnt making any changes to his campaign. He said the key to winning will be to paint that clear contrast of how we are going to help everyday Wisconsinites.But Democrats seemed to be making inroads, including in Waukesha. The city is located outside of Milwaukee in the Republican stronghold of Waukesha County.Democrat Alicia Halvensleben, president of the citys Common Council, defeated Republican Scott Allen, one of the most conservative members of the state Assembly.She said Trump came up a lot when she was campaigning, although she thinks her victory came down to local issues and how the state legislature wasnt addressing them. Theres so much uncertainty at the national level, Halvensleben said. I think that level of uncertainty is causing people a lot of anxiety, all the way down to the local level.___Amy reported from Atlanta and Cooper reported from Phoenix. SCOTT BAUER Bauer is the APs Statehouse reporter covering politics and state government in Madison, Wisconsin. He also writes music reviews. twitter mailto JEFF AMY Amy covers Georgia politics and state government for The Associated Press. He began work with the AP in 2011 and covered Mississippi for eight years before transferring to the Atlanta bureau in 2019. twitter JONATHAN J. COOPER Cooper is a national politics reporter based in Phoenix. He previously covered news and politics in Arizona, California and Oregon. mailto