La Crosse, WI (WXOW)-- The turnout for last night's vote was the highest primary turnout in 60 years, with a little more than 30 percent. Here in La Crosse County turnout was about 32 percent.
Tuesday's primary set the stage for a rematch of the 2010 gubernatorial race between Governor Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
And the three democrats defeated Tuesday night were quick to back Barrett.
"I give my full support in this race against Scott Walker to Tom and I urge you to do the same," said defeated Democrat Kathleen Falk.
"We are going to pull together and everybody in the Democratic Party understands how important it is," said Kathleen Vinehout.
"I'm going to be enthusiastically trying to get us a new Governor in June because the current governor has taken us backwards," said Secretary of the State Doug La Follette.
With the primary out of the way, today is day one of a 28-day battle to the general election.
Barrett's focus: the loss of jobs in Wisconsin between March of 2011 and March of 2012.
"Because Scott Walker chose to launch is ideological civil war, this state has seen a larger job loss than any state in this country," Barrett said. "That, that is a serious problem."
Meanwhile Governor Walker is working to draw attention to Milwaukee's unemployment rate.
"Do we want to go backwards? I mean Tom Barrett's been the mayor of Milwaukee for eight years and the unemployment rate has gone up 29 percent," Walker said. "The unemployment rate in the city of Milwaukee is 10.4 percent."
And regardless of who wins June 5, the debate of Jobs and worker's rights, will likely continue.
That June 5 election will also be a recall race for lieutenant governor. Republican incumbent Rebecca Kleefisch will face-off against democrat Mahlon Mitchell, a Madison firefighter.
