Last fall, Wisconsin Senate Democrats pushed hard for a new single-payer style state health insurance system (unironically known as "Healthy Wisconsin"), which would have raised taxes on workers by $15.2 billion.

While passage of Healthy Wisconsin was always a longshot (even the state's Democratic governor derided the plan), Senate Democrats continued to push for passage, believing universal health care was the central issue on which they could base their 2008 campaigns.

According to their own candidates, they were wrong.

The Wisconsin State Journal today examined the health care plans of several Democrats seeking election to the state senate - and none of them embrace the costly universal plan:

When Senate Democrats unsuccessfully pushed a plan to give health coverage to every person in the state last year, they all voted for it together.

But though health-care reform remains a top issue for Democrats on the campaign trail, incumbent and first-time candidates are no longer united in embracing the $15 billion plan, and some are backing away from it.

"The issue is money and right now, not many legislative candidates are talking about big, broad programs simply because we all understand that practically speaking, there's no money," said Jim Holperin, a new Democratic Senate candidate who praised the Healthy Wisconsin plan but said his focus was on reviving the economy.

The once-united Senate Democrats now acknowledge differences on the signature proposal that defined their agenda for the last two years and would restructure one-sixth of the state's economy.

UW-La Crosse political scientist Joe Heim said several Senate candidates he's observed generally seem to be distancing themselves from the controversial plan.

"I may be wrong, but I do think they're avoiding the specifics of it," Heim said.

Of course, the primary reason Democrats are distancing themselves from the plan like it's a pair of thrift store underwear isn't because of finances - it's because the voters of Wisconsin have wisened up to the significant downsides of government-run health care.

Naturally, we here at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute take full credit for this turnaround in public opinion, just as we will take credit when the Packers make the playoffs this year.