Although "survive" is the wrong word. Walker easily defeated Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett. The CBS story on the recall election has a lot of exit polling data that reveals quite a bit, but one stat from the exit polling stands out in my mind:
Sixty percent of Wisconsin voters said in CBS News exit polls that recall elections are only appropriate for official misconduct. Twenty-seven percent said they think they are suitable for any reason, while 10 percent think they are never appropriate.
So the margin of victory could very well be those ten percent who think that recalls are never appropriate, which I find rather interesting. But the big takeawy I'm getting from this is that Republican governors in other states now have incentive to go after public sector unions, since there's no political price for doing so. In Pennsylvania, the Corbett administration is already laying the groundwork for attacking pensions. I fully expect that effort to accelerate, especially if he wins a second term. There are other interesting details, such as men went for Walker, women for Barrett, people making more than $50,000 trended Walker, and those making less trending Barrett, along with majorities stating support for President Obama.
Another thing I'm reading from this, and which I find rather annoying, is that 60% of the voters think recall is only appropriate for official misconduct. Tell that to Gray Davis, who was recalled by California voters in 2003 for having the audacity to increase vehicle registration fees. Recall, like impeachment is a political act. If an elected official violates the law, there are courts and juries to handle the situation.