MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Latest on Wisconsin reaction to Alabama Senate race (all times local):
11:55 a.m.
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is offering a blunt assessment of why scandal-plagued Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore lost.
Johnson told reporters Wednesday that “Alabamians didn’t want somebody who dated 14-year-old girls.”
Moore has faced allegations of sexual misconduct with teenagers when he was in his 30s. Moore denied the allegations, but they helped fuel his defeat to Democrat Doug Jones in deeply Republican Alabama.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, of Wisconsin, says “Alabama had a better choice and they made it.” She said she looked forward to working together with Jones on issues important to both Wisconsin and Alabama, including protecting shipbuilding jobs.
Baldwin faces re-election next year.
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10:55 a.m.
Republican candidates for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin are trying to downplay the significance of Alabama Republican Roy Moore’s defeat.
State Sen. Leah Vukmir and businessman Kevin Nicholson are running in the Republican primary for Senate in Wisconsin.
Both say the Wisconsin race will focus on whether Democratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin deserves to be re-elected.
Nicholson’s spokesman Brandon Moody says, “Now, more than ever, Republicans in Wisconsin need to be focused on defeating liberal Tammy Baldwin in order to pass President Trump’s pro-growth agenda in the United States Senate.”
Vukmir’s spokeswoman Jessica Ward says, “It’s interesting that the day after the election, Democrats are opting to ignore the flawed character and conduct of Moore in effort to make this a referendum on all conservatives.”
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9:55 a.m.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Leah Vukmir is trying to downplay the significant of Alabama Republican Roy Moore’s defeat.
Vukmir’s spokeswoman Jessica Ward said in a statement Wednesday that the Wisconsin Senate race will be about whether Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s record merits re-election. Democrats have been saying the Moore loss is a bad sign for Republicans across the country, especially those with close ties to President Donald Trump.
Ward says, “It’s interesting that the day after the election, Democrats are opting to ignore the flawed character and conduct of Moore in effort to make this a referendum on all conservatives.”
Vukmir is running against businessman Kevin Nicholson in the GOP primary. They both had called for Moore to drop out amid accusations of sexual misconduct.
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8:24 a.m.
Wisconsin Democrats are hopeful the defeat of Republican Roy Moore in Alabama means voters are turning against the GOP and those with close ties to President Donald Trump.
Wisconsin Republicans, meanwhile, have been largely silent since Democrat Doug Jones defeated Moore in Alabama’s special Senate election Tuesday night.
Gov. Scott Walker and Republican U.S. Senate candidates Leah Vukmir and Kevin Nicholson were all silent on Twitter following the Moore loss. All three had called for Moore to drop out of the race.
Democrats have tried to tie Nicholson to Moore given that both are supported by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and Nicholson is backed by a donor who also supported Moore.
The Wisconsin Democratic Party tweeted, “A lot of Republicans lost tonight, but perhaps no one so badly as” Nicholson.
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