Photo: Natasha Vargas-Cooper

9:55 p.m. PDT: Democrats appear to be falling one seat short of winning back control of the state senate after Tuesdays historic recall elections. 

With some votes still to be counted, Democrats were successful in unseating two GOP senators while Republicans held on to at least three other seats.

The key district is the 8th in the suborns of Milwaukee where incumbent Republican Senator Alberta Darling is opening up a sizable lead with about 80 percent of the votes counted.

If Darling hangs on as vote counting moves slowly in her district, Democrats will have fallen one seat short of their goal of regaining a majority in the state senate.
 
The recall votes, the most expensive collection of state legislative races in history, were launched by angry Democrats after the legislature passed a controversial bill that stripped public employee unions of collective bargaining rights.  Tens of thousands protested the bill backed by Republican Governor Scott Walker who became a national lightning rod for Democratic and union rage.

Some $30 million dollars were poured into Tuesday's six recall races, the majority of the funding on the GOP side.  Democrats were supported by an army of union volunteers.  Sen. Alberta Darling received an estimated $8 million in funding both directly and indirectly.

TalkingPointsMemo continues live blogging of the showdown.