He cites the fact that the Dane County Sheriff’s Office has only one full-time officer assigned to gang-related activity as an example.

“The county’s response to these problems isn’t urgent enough,” he says.

Still, he admits it’s tough for a Republican in any election year or political climate to win in Dane County.

Progressives cited the political turmoil stemming from a year of Republican rule at the Capitol as a key factor in the loss of conservative seats.

Those who won, including Dye and Pertl, described the party base as “energized,” leading to thousands of volunteers who were willing to knock on doors to get their candidates’ messages out.

Dye, who developed a following even before she decided to run through her Twitter account, @LegalEagle, says her campaign knocked on 4,000 doors.

Pertl says his campaign knocked on 8,000.

“People want to elect someone who is engaged, someone who listens to them,” Pertl says. “And I don’t know if that was the case before Act 10 (the bill that stripped collective bargaining rights from most public workers).”