On her campaign website, Republican candidate for Wisconsin’s 68th assembly district Kathy Bernier, a three-term assemblywoman, claims she “voted for the first balanced budget Wisconsin has seen in decades.” She furthers her statement by claiming that “these hard choices helped eliminate the state’s $3.6 billion deficit.” Bernier, who has served in the state assembly since 2010, is referring to her vote in 2011 in favor of Wisconsin Act 10, or the Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill, that Gov. Scott Walker introduced. The bill, arguably the most controversial of Gov. Walker’s tenure, addressed a projected $3.6 billion budget deficit. Cuts were felt across the the board for public sector employees, affecting collective bargaining rights and a wide range of benefits. Gov. Walker’s Act 10, however substantial, cannot, as Bernier claims, be considered to have led to the first balanced budget in decades. 
Bernier capitalizes on definition of deficit
['Wisconsin', 'Republican_Party_(United_States)', 'Scott_Walker_(politician)']