On Wednesday when everyone knew Kloppenburg to be the winner, this is what Walker had to say:

Walker had a different rationale on why the vote was not a referendum on him. "You have two very different worlds in the state. You've got a world driven by Madison, and a world driven by everybody else, the majority out across the state of Wisconsin," said Walker, repeating his oft stated assertion that Wisconsin is not so much a politically red state or a blue state as it is a purple one.

Kloppenburg declared victory on the basis of a final statewide tally which showed her separated from Justice David Prosser by just 204 votes. "The numbers show that we won, and we are gratified to have that victory in hand," she said. The victory is not quite in Kloppenburg’s grasp, however.

A recount could begin as soon as next week. "As long as the rules are clear, as long as there aren't ballots somehow found out of the blue that weren't counted before, things of that nature, as long as everything's above board, I think that’s fair," said Walker.