Democratic incumbent Sen. Russ Feingold won a third consecutive term representing Wisconsin in the U.S. Senate.
Feingold, despite his popularity, had been considered vulnerable due to the funding Republicans had put behind the campaign of its challenger Tim Michels.
\I can't believe that when you put it all together, we got outspent again,"" said a satisfied but still aggressive Feingold in his acceptance speech.
The two-term senator is popular for his strong stances against the USA Patriot Act and the war in Iraq, said Hope Nelson, a member of Washington County Democrats. She also expressed her belief that Republicans voting for the popular senator would be more likely to consider John Kerry in the presidential race.
""I think he's going to be a big help because we understood he's going to be taking a nice percentage of Republican voters. They were voting for him too because they couldn't stand Michels,"" Nelson said.
Supporters attending the Feingold victory party were informed early in the night of Feingold's win. CNN and other major news networks had declared victory for the incumbent well before available returns made the outcome official. Some networks even declared Feingold the winner while still showing Michels ahead on statistical displays broadcast.
Jonathan Backer, a Democratic supporter from Whitefish Bay, Wis., said he expected a Feingold victory but was more concerned about the Kerry campaign. Backer said he understood why the networks wanted to call some races early, but noted mistakes are easily made.
""Some of the states they probably should declare early, like, obviously, Texas, but hopefully this year [the media] won't jump the gun and we won't have to re-check our work,"" Backer said.
Late in the night, with most Wisconsin precincts reporting, Michels conceded with a humble speech to his supporters.
""I congratulate Sen. Feingold. We carried our message to all corners of the state. We sent a strong message to the people of Wisconsin but it wasn't our day. There will be future fights down the road,"" Michels said.
Despite the solid victory, Feingold and his supporters made it clear the most important election of the night was the presidential contest.
""The most important thing tonight is making sure that John Kerry becomes president,"" Feingold said. ""This election is about something bigger than ourselves-it is about our freedoms. Now sometimes, a person has to stand alone for our freedoms, but you're never alone for long.""
Regardless of the outcome of the election, the political polarization that defined this campaign season appears unlikely to fade.
""I sure hope we can do this: Get rid of that whole bunch of disgusting people,"" Nelson said.
