Shilling campaign declares victory after recount complete
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — State Senator Jennifer Shilling of La Crosse declared victory Friday after the recount in the 32nd State Senate District concluded.
She released a statement saying that after all the votes were counted, canvassed and recounted, she maintained her lead over Republican candidate Dan Kapanke and Independent candidate Chip DeNure.
Unofficial results from the November election showed Shilling leading Kapanke by 58 votes.
Officials in the four counties in the district — La Crosse, Crawford, Monroe and Vernon — completed their official counts the following week. The new tallies showed Shilling’s margin of victory shrunk to 56 votes.
Kapanke then filed for a recount of the votes.
On Thursday, Kapanke’s lawyer challenged some of the absentee ballots in three municipalities in Vernon County because they lacked a required witness signature, however, it was determined most of those ballots would be counted.
Shilling released the following statement on her victory following Friday’s results:
“With the result of the race once again confirmed, I hope we can put this election behind us and continue moving forward on the issues that working families are concerned about. It’s time to get to work strengthening our schools, investing in infrastructure and expanding economic opportunities in our state.
“I want to thank all of the local election officials, poll workers, volunteers and observers who put in many long hours to protect the integrity of our electoral process and make sure every vote was counted. Once again, their efforts have resulted in another clean, open and transparent election in western Wisconsin.”
Kapanke released the following statement:
“Now that the recount is complete, I would like to congratulate Senator Jennifer Shilling on her win. I wish her the best, and know that when she returns to Madison she will represent all of the voters in the 32nd district. What a great responsibility and privilege for her to do so.”
“I requested this recount to ensure that each and every vote that was cast was recorded correctly and fairly. This recount has ensured that. This was a great campaign. I’m proud that we focused on the issues and talked about what we can all do to make Wisconsin a better place to live, work and raise a family.”
“I would like to thank all of my supporters, friends and family for their encouragement and help. A special thanks is owed to my wonderful wife, Ruth. Her love and friendship mean the world to me.”
