There are likely no states that were hit harder by the Republican wave than Wisconsin. Two House seats, a Senate seat, the governorship and both houses of the state legislature -- thems some serious war wounds. Politico is reporting on another way in which Wisconsin distinguished itself in 2010:
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, only one of the eight candidates running for Congress who contributed more than $3.5 million to their own campaigns stood amid the confetti and balloons on Election Night.
The biggest loser was Republican Linda McMahon, the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, who spent about $47 million of her own cash on an unsuccessful quest to gain a seat in the Senate.
The one winner in the group is Republican businessman Ron Johnson, who beat Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), one of the Senate's most ardent champions of campaign finance reforms that would limit the role of big money in federal races.
As the article goes on to discuss, however, Johnson was not entirely dependent on his personal wealth, although it accounted for roughly 2/3 of his campaign spending. Parties often recruit big spenders for uncompetitive races in which they are unwilling to spend precious fundraising dollars. The Senate race in Wisconsin was never considered quite uncompetitive, but not a top target. Hence Dick Morris' inspirational advice to "a rich guy in Wisconsin."