2014 Wisconsin elections
The 2014 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 4, 2014. Wisconsin's Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer were all up for election, as well as Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives. The November general election in 2014 also featured a statewide referendum on an amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin. The 2014 Wisconsin Fall Primary Election was held on August 12, 2014.
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Elections in Wisconsin |
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The Republican Party of Wisconsin held onto all statewide offices up for election in 2014, except for Secretary of State, where Democrat Doug La Follette won his tenth term. Republicans also retained control of the Wisconsin State Senate and Wisconsin State Assembly. The partisan breakdown of Wisconsin's delegation to the United States House of Representatives was unchanged, remaining five Republicans and three Democrats.
For nonpartisan local and judicial seats, the 2014 Wisconsin Spring General Election was held April 1, 2014. No Wisconsin Supreme Court seats were up in 2014, but three seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and 41 Wisconsin Circuit Court seats were up. The 2014 Wisconsin Spring Primary Election was held on February 18.
Federal
Senate
Neither of Wisconsin's United States Senate seats were up for election in 2014.
House of Representatives
All 8 of Wisconsin's congressional districts will be up for election in November. All eight incumbent Representatives are running for reelection, save for District 6, where incumbent Tom Petri was retiring. Party composition remained unchanged after the general election.
District | Incumbent | Elected | Defeated | Democratic | Republican | Others | Total | Result | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % | |||||||
District 1 | Paul Ryan | Paul Ryan | Rob Zerban (D) Keith R. Deschler (Ind) | 105,552 | 36.63% | 182,316 | 63.27% | 302 | 0.10% | 288,170 | 12.23% | Republican Hold | ||
District 2 | Mark Pocan | Mark Pocan | Peter Theron (R) | 224,920 | 68.40% | 103,619 | 31.51% | 308 | 0.09% | 328,847 | 13.96% | Democratic Hold | ||
District 3 | Ron Kind | Ron Kind | Tony Kurtz (R) Ken Van Doren (Ind) | 155,368 | 56.46% | 119,540 | 43.44% | 253 | 0.09% | 275,161 | 11.68% | Democratic Hold | ||
District 4 | Gwen Moore | Gwen Moore | Dan Sebring (R) Robert R. Raymond (Ind) | 179,045 | 70.24% | 68,490 | 26.87% | 7,357 | 2.89% | 254,892 | 10.82% | Democratic Hold | ||
District 5 | Jim Sensenbrenner | Jim Sensenbrenner | Chris Rockwood (D) | 101,190 | 30.40% | 231,160 | 69.45% | 476 | 0.14% | 332,826 | 14.13% | Republican Hold | ||
District 6 | Tom Petri | Glenn Grothman | Mark L. Harris (D) Gus Fahrendorf (Ind) | 122,212 | 40.87% | 169,767 | 56.77% | 7,054 | 2.36% | 299,033 | 12.69% | Republican Hold | ||
District 7 | Sean Duffy | Sean Duffy | Kelly Westlund (D) Lawrence Dale (Ind) | 112,949 | 39.41% | 169,891 | 59.28% | 3,763 | 1.31% | 286,603 | 12.17% | Republican Hold | ||
District 8 | Reid Ribble | Reid Ribble | Ron Gruett (D) | 101,345 | 34.94% | 188,553 | 65.01% | 150 | 0.05% | 290,048 | 12.31% | Republican Hold | ||
Total | 1,102,581 | 46.81% | 1,233,336 | 52.36% | 19,663 | 0.83% | 2,355,580 | 100.00% |
State
Governor and Lieutenant Governor
Incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, first elected in 2010, sought re-election to a second term after surviving a recall election in 2012.
The Democratic Party nominated business executive Mary Burke and state senator John Lehman for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively. Burke was a member of the Madison school board and former Secretary of Wisconsin's Department of Commerce. Lehman was a state senator and former teacher from Racine, who had just won back his senate seat in a recall election.
Walker and Kleefisch won the November election with 52% of the vote.[1]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Scott Walker (incumbent) / Rebecca Kleefisch (incumbent) |
1,259,706 | 52.26% | -0.79% | |
Democratic | Mary Burke / John Lehman |
1,122,913 | 46.59% | +0.31% | |
Libertarian | Robert Burke / Joseph M. Brost |
18,720 | 0.78% | ||
Independent | Dennis Fehr | 7,530 | 0.31% | ||
Scattering | 1,445 | 0.06% | |||
Plurality | 136,793 | 5.68% | |||
Total votes | 2,410,314 | 100.0% | -4.20% |
Attorney General
Republican incumbent Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen, first elected in 2006, did not seek re-election to a third term. Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel defeated Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ in the November general election.
Republican primary
- Brad Schimel, Waukesha County District Attorney, ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Candidates
- Susan Happ, Jefferson County District Attorney
- Jon Richards, State Representative
- Ismael Ozanne, Dane County District Attorney
Endorsements
- County District Attorneys
- Frederick Bourg, Bayfield County
- Angela Barenek, Barron County
- Gary King, Eau Claire County
- Chuck Simono, Forest County
- Mark Fuhr, Price County
- Louis Molepski, Jr., Portage County
- Taavi McMahon, Trempealeau County
- Statewide politicians
- Peg Lautenschlager, former Wisconsin Attorney General
- Vel Phillips, former Wisconsin Secretary of State
- County District Attorneys
- Larry Nelson, Iowa County
- Kate Findley, Lafayette County
- Joe DeCecco, Sheboygan County
- Kristi Tlusty, Taylor County
- Local politicians
- Joe Parisi, Dane County Executive
- Dave Mahoney, Dane County Sheriff
- Carlo Esqueda, Dane County Clerk of Courts
- Bob Spoden, Rock County Sheriff
- Shawn Pfaff, Fitchburg Mayor
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Susan Happ | 144,367 | 52.1 | |
Democratic | Jon Richards | 90,101 | 32.5 | |
Democratic | Ismael Ozanne | 42,555 | 15.4 | |
Total votes | 277,023 | 100 |
Candidates
- Brad Schimel, Waukesha County District Attorney (R)
- Susan Happ, Jefferson County District Attorney (D)
- Thomas Nelson (L)
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Brad Schimel (R) |
Susan Happ (D) |
Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marquette University | October 23–26, 2014 | 1,164 LV | ± 3% | 43.1% | 38.7% | 0.9% | 17.3% |
1,409 RV | ± 2.7% | 39.5% | 39.5% | 1.1% | 19.8% | ||
WPR/St. Norbert College | October 18–21, 2014 | 525 | ± 4.4% | 41% | 40% | — | 19% |
Marquette University | October 9–12, 2014 | 803 LV | ± 3.5% | 41.5% | 41.5% | — | 17% |
1,004 RV | ± 3.2% | 39.1% | 39% | 0.2% | 21.7% | ||
Marquette University | September 25–28, 2014 | 585 LV | ± 4.1% | 40.9% | 38.7% | 1.1% | 19.3% |
801 RV | ± 3.5% | 36.9% | 37.4% | 1% | 24.5% | ||
Marquette University | September 11–14, 2014 | 589 LV | ± 4.1% | 41.9% | 40.6% | 0.4% | 17% |
800 RV | ± 3.5% | 38.3% | 38.7% | 1% | 22% | ||
Marquette University | August 21–24, 2014 | 609 LV | ± 4.1% | 32% | 42.5% | 0.6% | 24.9% |
815 RV | ± 3.5% | 32.8% | 39.5% | 0.7% | 27.1% |
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 4, 2014 | |||||
Republican | Brad Schimel | 1,211,388 | 51.57% | -6.25% | |
Democratic | Susan V. Happ | 1,066,866 | 45.41% | +3.26% | |
Independent | Thomas A. Nelson, Sr. | 70,951 | 3.02% | ||
Scattering | 1,120 | 0.05% | |||
Plurality | 144,522 | 6.15% | |||
Total votes | '2,350,325' | '100.0%' | +11.26% | ||
Republican hold | |||||
Secretary of State
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County results La Follette: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Bradley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||
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Democratic Incumbent Doug La Follette was re-elected to his tenth term as Secretary of State of Wisconsin, taking 50% of the vote in the November general election. La Follette defeated La Crosse Republican Julian Bradley. State Representative Garey Bies was defeated in the Republican primary.
Democratic primary
- Incumbent Doug La Follette ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Candidates
- Julian Bradley, Telecommunications manager
- Garey Bies, State Representative
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Julian Bradley | 138,734 | 64.8 | |
Republican | Garey Bies | 75,340 | 35.2 | |
Total votes | 214,074 | 100 |
Candidates
- Doug La Follette, Incumbent (D)
- Julian Bradley, Telecommunications manager (R)
- Andy Craig, Deputy Director, Wisconsin Liberty Coalition (L)
- Jerry Broitzman (C)
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Doug La Follette (D) |
Julian Bradley (R) |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gravis Marketing | October 3–4, 2014 | 837 | ± 3% | 44% | 43% | 13% |
Gravis Marketing | September 22–23, 2014 | 908 | ± 3% | 50% | 37% | 13% |
Gravis Marketing | July 31–August 2, 2014 | 1,346 | ± 3% | 46% | 39% | 15% |
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 4, 2014[2] | |||||
Democratic | Doug La Follette (incumbent) | 1,161,113 | 50.00% | -1.61% | |
Republican | Julian Bradley | 1,074,835 | 46.29% | -2.01% | |
Independent | Andy Craig | 58,996 | 2.54% | ||
Constitution | Jerry Broitzman | 25,744 | 1.11% | ||
Scattering | 1,347 | 0.06% | |||
Plurality | 86,278 | 3.72% | +0.40% | ||
Total votes | 2,322,035 | 100.0% | +11.57% | ||
Democratic hold | |||||
Treasurer
Republican Incumbent State Treasurer Kurt W. Schuller, first elected in 2011, did not seek re-election to a second term. In the November general election, Republican Wisconsin legislative staffer Matt Adamczyk defeated Democrat Dave Sartori, a former Greenfield alderman.
Candidates
- Matt Adamczyk, legislative staffer
- Randall Melchert, attorney
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Matt Adamczyk | 132,596 | 61.8 | |
Republican | Randall Melchert | 82,108 | 38.2 | |
Total votes | 214,074 | 100 |
Candidates
- Dave Leeper, former Green County District Attorney
- Dave Sartori, former Greenfield alderman
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Dave Sartori | 119,504 | 51.6 | |
Democratic | Dave Leeper | 112,225 | 48.4 | |
Total votes | 231,729 | 100 |
Candidates
- Matt Adamczyk, legislative staffer (R)
- Dave Sartori, former Greenfield alderman (D)
- Jerry Shidell, former Rhinelander mayor (L)
- Andrew Zuelke, businessman (C)
- Ron Hardy, Winnebago County Supervisor (G)
Polling
Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Randall Melchert (R) |
Dave Leeper (D) |
Ron Hardy (G) |
Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gravis Marketing | September 22–23, 2014[4] | 908 | ± 3% | 38% | 35% | 10% | 17% |
Gravis Marketing | July 31–August 2, 2014 | 1,346 | ± 3% | 39% | 31% | 12% | 18% |
Results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
General Election, November 4, 2014[2] | |||||
Republican | Matt Adamczyk | 1,120,140 | 48.80% | -4.59% | |
Democratic | Dave Sartori | 1,026,548 | 44.73% | -1.74% | |
Independent | Ron Hardy | 66,120 | 2.88% | ||
Independent | Jerry Shidell | 53,113 | 2.31% | ||
Constitution | Andrew Zuelke | 28,053 | 1.22% | ||
Scattering | 1,244 | 0.05% | |||
Plurality | 93,592 | 4.08% | -2.85% | ||
Total votes | '2,295,218' | '100.0%' | +11.27% | ||
Republican hold | |||||
State Senate
17 of the Wisconsin State Senate's 33 seats were up for election in the November general election. Republicans added one seat to their majority, retaking the 21st senate district which had been lost in the 2012 recall elections.
Summary
Parties | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Republican | Democratic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last election (2012) | 18 | 15 | 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Before 2014 elections | 17 | 15 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Not up | 8 | 8 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Up | 10[5] | 7 | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Incumbent retiring | 4 | 3 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Incumbent running | 6 | 4 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After 2014 elections | 19 | 14 | 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Voting share | 58% | 42% |
Full Results
District | Incumbent | This race | Results | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senator | Party | First elected |
Incumbent Status | Candidates | Winner[2] | ||||
1 | Frank Lasee | Republican | 2010 | Running | Frank Lasee (Republican) Dean P. Debroux (Democratic) |
Frank Lasee 61.59% | |||
3 | Tim Carpenter | Democrat | 2002 | Running | Tim Carpenter (Democrat) | Tim Carpenter 97.10% | |||
5 | Leah Vukmir | Republican | 2010 | Running | Leah Vukmir (Republican) Wendy Friedrich (Democratic) |
Leah Vukmir 73.03% | |||
7 | Chris Larson | Democratic | 1993 | Running | Chris Larson (Democratic) Jason Red Arnold (Republican) |
Chris Larson 59.50% | |||
9 | Joe Leibham | Republican | 2002 | Not Running | Devin LeMahieu (Republican) Martha Laning (Democrat) |
Devin LeMahieu 59.95% | |||
11 | Neal Kedzie | Republican | 2002 | Not Running | Stephen Nass (Republican) Dan Kilkenny (Democrat) |
Stephen Nass 63.29% | |||
13 | Scott L. Fitzgerald | Republican | 1994 | Running | Scott L. Fitzgerald (Republican) Michelle Zahn (Democrat) |
Scott L. Fitzgerald 62.69% | |||
15 | Timothy Cullen | Democrat | 1974 | Not Running | Janis Ringhand (Democrat) Brian Fitzgerald (Republican) |
Janis Ringhand 59.47% | |||
17 | Dale Schultz | Republican | 1990 | Not Running | Howard Marklein (Republican) Pat Bomhack (Democrat) |
Howard Marklein 55.07% | |||
19 | Michael Ellis | Republican | 1982 | Not Running | Roger Roth (Republican) Penny Bernard Schaber (Democrat) |
Roger Roth 57.17% | |||
21 | John Lehman | Democrat | 2006 | Not Running | Van H. Wanggaard (Republican) Randy Bryce (Democrat) |
Van H. Wanggaard 61.42% | |||
23 | Terry Moulton | Republican | 2010 | Running | Terry Moulton (Republican) Phil Swanhorst (Democrat) |
Terry Moulton 61.15% | |||
25 | Robert Jauch | Democrat | 1986 | Not Running | Janet Bewley (Democrat) Dane Deutsch (Republican) |
Janet Bewley 51.16% | |||
27 | Jon Erpenbach | Democrat | 1998 | Running | Jon Erpenbach (Democrat) | Jon Erpenbach 97.51% | |||
29 | Jerry Petrowski | Republican | 2012 | Running | Jerry Petrowski (Republican) Paul Demain (Democratic) |
Jerry Petrowski 65.73% | |||
31 | Kathleen Vinehout | Democrat | 2006 | Running | Kathleen Vinehout (Democrat) Mel Pittman (Republican) |
Kathleen Vinehout 52.32% | |||
33 | Paul Farrow | Republican | 2012 | Running | Paul Farrow (Republican) Sherryll Shaddock (Democrat) |
Paul Farrow 73.86% |
State Assembly
All 99 seats of the Wisconsin State Assembly were up for election in November. 21 Assembly incumbents (14 Republicans, 7 Democrats) did not seek re-election.
Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||
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Republican | Democratic | Vacant | ||
Before 2014 elections | 60 | 39 | 99 | 0 |
Latest voting share | 61% | 39% | ||
After 2014 elections | 63 | 36 | 99 | 0 |
Voting share | 64% | 36% |
State Court of Appeals
Three seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals were up for election in 2014. None of the three elections was contested.
- In District I, Judge Patricia S. Curley was re-elected to her fourth term.
- In District II, Judge Lisa Neubauer was re-elected to her second full term.
- In District IV, Judge Gary Sherman was elected to his first full term. Judge Sherman had been appointed to the court in 2010 by Governor Jim Doyle.
State Circuit Courts
Forty one of the state's 249 circuit court seats were up for election in 2014. Four of those elections were contested.
Transportation Fund
In the November election, Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin to establish a dedicated transportation fund administered by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The amendment also specified that none of the money which flowed into the fund, collected by transportation fees or taxes, could be appropriated to any other program. Critics argued that purpose of the amendment was to create budget inflexibility that would force legislators to raid education funds to balance the budget.[6][7]
Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Yes | 1,733,101 | 79.94 | |
No | 434,806 | 20.06 | |
Total votes | 2,167,907 | 100 |
Personhood Amendment
There was an attempt to amend the Constitution of Wisconsin to establish a right to life. This amendment did not ultimately make it onto the ballot in 2014, as it did not obtain a necessary vote in the 101st Wisconsin Legislature.
Local
References
- Stein, Jason (November 5, 2014). "Walker defeats Burke for 3rd victory in 4 years". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- Canvass Results for 2014 General Election - 11/4/2014 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 26, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
- "Wisconsin 2014 fall primary election results". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- "Should error disqualify Gravis poll from Wisconsin governor's race poll averaging model?". The Cap Times. October 3, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
- Includes a seat vacated by Republican Neal Kedzie in June 2014.
- "Referendum on Creation of a Transportation Fund". Wisconsin Elections Commission. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- "Wisconsin voters approve transportation amendment". Wisconsin State Journal. November 5, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2020.