Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee, arrived on stage not long after 10 p.m. local time at his election rally. Barrett was defeated by Governor Scott Walker in a recall election. Barrett got on stage to announce that he was conceding the race and then was slapped in the face by one of his supporters for conceding prior to the official results being announced.
“I just got off the phone with Gov. Walker and congratulated him on his victory tonight,” Barrett said as the crowd booed. “We agreed that it is important for us to work together.” The crowd then responded with a resounding “No!”
After he made his concession remarks, Barrett walked through the crowd of his supporters to thank them, which is when a woman approached him. She reportedly asked Barrett, “Can I slap you?” Barrett responded to the woman by saying that he would prefer a hug. He then leaned down so as to hug her, which is when she slapped him on the face. Nobody in the crowd reacted angrily towards the slap and Barrett continued to walk through the crowd to greet his upset supporters. The woman was not identified but she supposedly was upset because Barrett conceded while residents were still placing their votes.
“Half the population is mad at the other half and that’s not a good thing,” Paul Sohn said at a polling station. “We need to get away from that, need to figure it out.”
