Wisconsin’s Democrats have got the blues as they fend off resurgent Republicans

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Wisconsin’s Democrats have got the blues

MADISON, Wis. — The Democratic stronghold of Wisconsin is suddenly flush with strong Republican challengers.

Until recently, the state seemed to be a Democratic strategist’s dream — a blue state getting bluer.

Its two U.S. senators were well-established liberal Democrats. The governor’s office and both houses of the Legislature were in Democratic control after years of divided government. And President Barack Obama won the state in 2008 by 14 percentage points.

Now, with six months before Election Day, Republicans are pressing to claim the governor’s office for the first time since 2001 and win majorities in the Legislature. They’re also challenging liberal U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold with a tea party proponent and seriously contending in three of the five congressional districts held by Democrats.