Today, voters in two state Senate districts are going to the polls in two final recall elections—final for now, at least. The outcome of these races will determine whether the GOP will cling to a razor-thin 17-16 majority in the Senate, or if they'll be able to pad their margin. It will also likely affect whether Democrats will push for further recalls.
In SD-12, Democratic state Sen. Jim Holperin faces tea party activist Kim Simac. Holperin sits in the reddest district currently held by a Dem and was therefore always assumed to be the most vulnerable of the three Democratic senators who were up for recall. But a poll taken by PPP for Daily Kos over the weekend showed Holperin leading Simac by a surprising 55-41 margin, and the internals suggested Simac has struggled in broadening her appeal outside the conservative base. Other polling has shown a closer race, though, and this one is by no means in the bag.
Meanwhile, in SD-22, Democratic state Sen. Bob Wirch is trying to hold off attorney Jonathan Steitz. PPP showed Wirch up by a similar margin as Holperin (55-42), though he's benefitting from his district's more favorable composition; Steitz actually has a narrow lead among independents. While commentators generally have not thought of Wirch as being especially vulnerable, no other public polling has been released on this race, so again, we should remain cautious.
Polls close tonight at 8 PM CT/9 PM ET. As per usual, we'll be liveblogging the results as they come in.