The Hill News

The takeaway of the recent Wisconsin state recall elections in which Republicans held control of the state's senate was that voters want the state's legislators to continue focusing on jobs and balancing the budget, Wisconsin's governor said.

"I think the message was clear: focus on jobs, focus on balancing the budget," Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) said Friday on MSNBC. "But they also told us not just in Tuesday's results but I think they told us in the months leading up to it, they want us to do more to work together and so that's exactly what we're going to do."

Walker's comments come a few days after Tuesday night recall elections in which Democrats tried to win three of six seats in which Republicans faced recalls to regain control of the state senate. Democrats fell short,  winning two seats of the three seats they needed.

The recall elections are the culmination of a long and embittered fight between Wisconsin Democrats and Walker surrounding a controversial bill curtailing collective bargaining rights for public employees.

The fight over union rights caught national attention and the recall elections had been labeled as a reflection of public sentiment toward Democrats and Republicans.

Even though Democrats failed to win control of the senate, they still plan on trying to recall Walker in 2012.