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Kedzie wins with 75% of the vote

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Republican Neal Kedzie won another term as state senator Tuesday by taking a whopping 75 percent of the vote in the four-county 11th District.

Challenger L.D. Rockwell didn't come close to taking any of Walworth, Kenosha, Jefferson or Waukesha counties.

Kedzie said he couldn't wait to get back to work in Madison when the next legislative session convenes early next year.

"I couldn't be more pleased," Kedzie said. "My message and the message of my party have resonated across the state—creating jobs, reducing taxes and getting the state back on a positive track.

"There's a large task ahead of us of balancing the budget. This is more than just about the current generation. It's about future generations."

Kedzie spoke on his cell phone while standing in a mass of celebrants at the Country Springs Hotel in Waukesha.

Republicans gathered there expecting victories in state and national offices. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker was slated to take the stage later to address the packed crowd about his win in the governor's race.

"The mood here is ecstatic," Kedzie said. "This must have been what Woodstock was like, a mass of humanity coming together and celebrating a single cause, the way we are."

The hotel parking lot was described as overflowing, and the road that leads to the convention center had cars parked on both sides of the street as far as the eye could see.

"There so many people here, Kedzie said. "The temperature inside must be 90 degrees. The congestion is like rush hour in Milwaukee."

The pre-election mood of voters indicated they wanted a change from Democrats, the dominant party during the past few years.

Early reports say large number of voters showed up at the polls and bolstered the Republicans.

Kedzie said he is an advocate of zero-based budgeting, meaning that state departments must start budgets from scratch instead of automatically at the previous resource level.

Kedzie said he had more to offer voters than political leanings. He said his diversity of experience in local and state government makes him a skilled senator.

He has served on a many committees, from natural resources to finance, and he helped create the Great Lakes Compact. He also was instrumental in groundwater protection and anti-bullying legislation.