Doug La Follette
Douglas J. La Follette (born June 6, 1940) is an American academic, environmental scientist, and politician who served as the 30th secretary of state of Wisconsin from 1983 to 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. At the time of his retirement, La Follette was the longest-serving statewide elected official (excluding U.S. senators) in the United States; he was narrowly re-elected in 2022 to an unprecedented 12th term in office, but retired shortly after the start of the new term.[1] He previously served as the 28th secretary of state from 1975 to 1979, and in the Wisconsin Senate from 1973 to 1975.
Doug La Follette | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 28th and 30th Secretary of State of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – March 17, 2023 | |
| Governor | Tony Earl Tommy Thompson Scott McCallum Jim Doyle Scott Walker Tony Evers |
| Preceded by | Vel Phillips |
| Succeeded by | Sarah Godlewski |
| In office January 6, 1975 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Governor | Patrick Lucey Martin J. Schreiber |
| Preceded by | Robert C. Zimmerman |
| Succeeded by | Vel Phillips |
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 22nd district | |
| In office January 1, 1973 – January 6, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Lourigan |
| Succeeded by | John J. Maurer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 6, 1940 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Marietta College (BS) Stanford University (MS) Columbia University (PhD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organic chemistry |
| Institutions | University of Wisconsin–Parkside |
| Thesis | Intramolecular Solvation (1967) |
| Doctoral advisor | Ronald Breslow |
Early life and career
A distant relative of the prominent Wisconsin La Follette family, La Follette was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Marietta College, his Master of Science in chemistry from Stanford University, and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Columbia University. He began a teaching career as an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin–Parkside in Kenosha. La Follette also served as a research associate at University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also owned a small business.[2]
Known as an environmentalist before running for public office, he was a Wisconsin organizer of the first Earth Day for Gaylord Nelson in 1970 and co-founded Wisconsin's Environmental Decade (now known as Clean Wisconsin) with Peter Anderson.
His great-grandfather has been described as an uncle of Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette[3][4] by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Chemical & Engineering News, while Dissent Magazine referred to the great-grandfather as Robert La Follette's brother.[5] WKOW News and WEAU News state that Robert La Follette was Doug's great-uncle.[6][7] Robert's grandson, former Wisconsin Attorney General Bronson La Follette, has described Doug La Follette as a "second cousin, three times removed" from Robert La Follette.[8] Alternatively, Milwaukee Magazine has noted Doug as a first cousin three times removed of Robert La Follette.[9] According to professor and author Nancy Unger, Doug is a third cousin of Bronson.[10] Doug went on to serve with Bronson from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1987.
Political career
La Follette first ran for office in the 1970 U.S. House of Representatives election, losing to Les Aspin in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. La Follette served in the Wisconsin State Senate for Kenosha in 1973 and 1974.[11]
La Follette was elected Secretary of State of Wisconsin in 1974. He unsuccessfully ran for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin on a ticket with Governor Martin Schreiber in 1978. In 1982, he was again elected secretary of state, defeating incumbent Vel Phillips.[2]
During his time in office, the Wisconsin legislature repeatedly reduced the office's duties and budget.[12]
He has run opposed and unopposed several times for secretary of state and shuns fundraising in the style of former Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire. In 1990, his opponent, Madison attorney and radio personality Stuart Levitan, campaigned on a promise to eliminate the secretary of state's office, whose duties have been reduced and transferred to other agencies (including the State Board of Elections) by the state legislature, under La Follette's tenure.
Since being elected secretary of state, La Follette has run twice for federal office. In 1988, he ran for the U.S. Senate, losing the primary to Herb Kohl. In 1996, he made another bid for the U.S. House of Representatives, losing in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district to Lydia Spottswood, who went on to lose the general election to Mark Neumann.
In 2012, La Follette ran in the Democratic primary in the special election to recall Scott Walker.
In 2023, La Follette resigned as secretary of state. Governor Tony Evers appointed former State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski to the position.[13] At the time of his retirement, La Follette was the longest serving non-federal statewide elected official in the United States holding the same office, having served from January 3, 1983 to March 17, 2023.
Other roles
- La Follette is the author of the 1991 book The Survival Handbook: A Strategy for Saving Planet Earth.
- He has also served on the board of directors of Friends of the Earth and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
- In 2003 he ran for, and was elected to, the board of directors of the Sierra Club for a three-year term. He did not seek reelection in 2006.
- He was a Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar in 2003.
Electoral history
U.S. House (1970)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 8, 1970 | |||||
| Democratic | Les Aspin | 15,185 | 39.83% | ||
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 15,165 | 39.78% | ||
| Democratic | Gerald T. Flynn | 6,130 | 16.08% | ||
| Democratic | Perry J. Anderson | 1,644 | 4.31% | ||
| Plurality | 20 | 0.05% | |||
| Total votes | 38,124 | 100.0% | |||
Wisconsin Senate (1972)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 12, 1972 | |||||
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 4,654 | 32.11% | ||
| Democratic | John J. Maurer | 3,332 | 22.99% | ||
| Democratic | Edwin Anderson | 2,582 | 17.81% | ||
| Democratic | Ronald F. Lourigan | 2,478 | 17.10% | ||
| Democratic | Richard Lindgren | 1,448 | 9.99% | ||
| Plurality | 1,322 | 9.12% | |||
| Total votes | 14,494 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 7, 1972 | |||||
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 25,522 | 53.98% | -1.90% | |
| Republican | George W. Anderson | 21,161 | 44.75% | +0.63% | |
| American | Chester Hensley | 601 | 1.27% | ||
| Plurality | 4,361 | 9.22% | -2.54% | ||
| Total votes | 47,284 | 100.0% | +15.44% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Wisconsin Secretary of State (1974)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 10, 1974 | |||||
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 237,077 | 75.39% | ||
| Democratic | Eugene Parks | 77,409 | 24.61% | ||
| Total votes | 314,486 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 5, 1974 | |||||
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 697,528 | 59.87% | +22.45% | |
| Republican | Kent C. Jones | 406,602 | 34.90% | -26.81% | |
| American | Eugene R. Zimmerman | 60,962 | 5.23% | +4.36% | |
| Plurality | 290,926 | 24.97% | +0.69% | ||
| Total votes | 1,165,092 | 100.0% | -10.58% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1978)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Lieutenant Governor Primary, September 12, 1978 | |||||
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 151,366 | 44.78% | ||
| Democratic | Dale McKenna | 47,257 | 13.98% | ||
| Democratic | Harout O. Sanasarian | 40,268 | 11.91% | ||
| Democratic | Paul Offner | 40,008 | 11.84% | ||
| Democratic | Robert A. Anderson | 21,230 | 6.28% | ||
| Democratic | Charles F. Smith Jr. | 19,504 | 5.77% | ||
| Democratic | Monroe Swan | 18,392 | 5.44% | ||
| Total votes | 338,025 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 7, 1978 | |||||
| Republican | Lee S. Dreyfus / Russell Olson |
816,056 | 54.37% | +12.30% | |
| Democratic | Martin J. Schreiber (incumbent) / Doug La Follette |
673,813 | 44.89% | -8.30% | |
| Constitution | Eugene R. Zimmerman / George Reed |
6,355 | 0.42% | +0.12% | |
| Independent | George C. Doherty / Marion A. Doherty |
2,183 | 0.15% | ||
| Independent | Adrienne Kaplan / William Breihan |
1,548 | 0.10% | ||
| Independent | Henry A. Ochsner / Robert E. Nordlander |
849 | 0.06% | ||
| Scattering | 192 | 0.01% | |||
| Plurality | 142,243 | 9.48% | -1.65% | ||
| Total votes | 1,500,996 | 100.0% | +27.00% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
Wisconsin Secretary of State (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982[18] | Primary | Sep. 14 | Doug La Follette | Democratic | 275,729 | 51.13% | Ada Deer | Dem. | 166,371 | 30.85% | 539,227 | 109,358 |
| Vel Phillips (inc) | Dem. | 66,576 | 12.35% | |||||||||
| Lewis T. Mittness | Dem. | 30,551 | 5.67% | |||||||||
| General | Nov. 2 | Doug La Follette | Democratic | 984,835 | 65.57% | Frederick H. Rice | Rep. | 496,024 | 33.03% | 1,501,899 | 488,811 | |
| Leslie G. Key | Lib. | 13,481 | 0.90% | |||||||||
| Leslie G. Key | Con. | 7,559 | 0.50% | |||||||||
| 1986[19] | General | Nov. 4 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 754,032 | 52.07% | Clifford Krueger | Rep. | 670,672 | 46.31% | 1,448,189 | 83,360 |
| Richard L. Ackley | L-F | 23,485 | 1.62% | |||||||||
| 1990[20] | Primary | Sep. 11 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 129,926 | 72.38% | Stuart Levitan | Dem. | 49,590 | 27.62% | 179,516 | 80,336 |
| General | Nov. 6 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 733,390 | 55.67% | Robert M. Thompson | Rep. | 583,955 | 44.33% | 1,317,345 | 149,435 | |
| 1994[21] | General | Nov. 8 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 845,742 | 57.03% | Erling G. Jackson | Rep. | 590,666 | 39.83% | 1,482,943 | 255,076 |
| Kevin Scheunemann | Lib. | 26,397 | 1.78% | |||||||||
| Ernest Brusubardis III | Tax. | 20,138 | 1.36% | |||||||||
U.S. House (1996)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary, September 10, 1996 | |||||
| Democratic | Lydia Spottswood | 16,945 | 45.68% | ||
| Democratic | Doug La Follette | 13,594 | 36.64% | ||
| Democratic | Jeffrey C. Thomas | 4,691 | 12.65% | ||
| Democratic | Jerry Maiers | 1,867 | 5.03% | ||
| Plurality | 3,351 | 9.03% | |||
| Total votes | 37,097 | 100.0% | |||
Wisconsin Secretary of State (1998–2023)
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | General[23] | Nov. 3 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 973,744 | 57.98% | Linda A. Cross | Rep. | 660,406 | 39.32% | 1,679,484 | 313,338 |
| Donald L. Carlson | Lib. | 18,074 | 1.08% | |||||||||
| William C. Hemenway | Tax. | 17,354 | 1.03% | |||||||||
| Leroy Mueller | Ref. | 9,906 | 0.59% | |||||||||
| 2002 | General[24] | Nov. 5 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 950,929 | 56.60% | Robert Gerald Lorge | Rep. | 693,476 | 41.27% | 1,680,164 | 257,453 |
| Edward J. Frami | Con. | 34,750 | 2.07% | |||||||||
| 2006 | Primary[25] | Sep. 12 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 236,547 | 71.19% | Scot Ross | Dem. | 95,354 | 28.70% | 332,265 | 141,193 |
| General[26] | Nov. 7 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 1,184,720 | 58.07% | Sandy Sullivan | Rep. | 796,686 | 39.05% | 2,040,144 | 388,034 | |
| Michael LaForest | Grn. | 57,326 | 2.81% | |||||||||
| 2010 | General[27] | Nov. 2 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 1,074,118 | 51.61% | David D. King | Rep. | 1,005,217 | 48.30% | 2,081,198 | 68,901 |
| 2014 | General[28] | Nov. 4 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 1,161,113 | 50.00% | Julian Bradley | Rep. | 1,074,835 | 46.29% | 2,322,035 | 86,278 |
| Andy Craig | Ind. | 58,996 | 2.54% | |||||||||
| Jerry Broitzman | Con. | 25,744 | 1.11% | |||||||||
| 2018 | Primary[29] | Aug. 14 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 327,020 | 65.84% | Arvina Martin | Dem. | 169,130 | 34.05% | 496,720 | 157,890 |
| General[30] | Nov. 6 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 1,380,752 | 52.74% | Jay Schroeder | Rep. | 1,235,034 | 47.18% | 2,617,948 | 145,718 | |
| Brad Karas (write-in) | Grn. | 60 | 0.00% | |||||||||
| 2022 | Primary[31] | Aug. 9 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 300,773 | 63.57% | Alexia Sabor | Dem. | 171,954 | 36.34% | 473,144 | 128,819 |
| General[32] | Nov. 8 | Doug La Follette (inc) | Democratic | 1,268,748 | 48.30% | Amy Loudenbeck | Rep. | 1,261,306 | 48.01% | 2,626,943 | 7,442 | |
| Neil Harmon | Lib. | 54,413 | 2.07% | |||||||||
| Sharyl R. McFarland | Grn. | 41,532 | 1.58% | |||||||||
References
- "La Follette, Douglas J." Wisconsin Historical Society. 8 August 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
- Wisconsin Blue Book 2017-2018. Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 2017, p. 5.
- Bill Glauber. "La Follette weathers Republican tsunami" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 11, 2010.
- Carmen Drahl. "" "Douglas La Follette Chemist-turned-politician ran low-budget gubernatorial campaign", May 14th, 2012.
- Peter Dreier. "" Dissent Magazine, April 11th, 2011.
- Dan Plutchak. "" "Longtime Democratic Secretary of State Doug La Follette wins re-election", November 6th, 2018.
- AP. "" WEAU 13 News, Nov 6th, 2018.
- "Bronson La Follette critical of relative". The Milwaukee Journal, February 10, 1970, p. 12.
- Staff Archive. "" Milwaukee Magazine, November 20th, 2006.
- Unger, Nancy (2008). Fighting Bob La Follette: The Righteous Reformer. Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
- Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (comp.). The State of Wisconsin 1973 Blue Book. Madison: 1973, p. 64.
- "Doug La Follette sues Scott Walker over budget cuts to his office". Wisconsin State Journal. 15 July 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- Bauer, Scott; Richmond, Todd (March 17, 2023). "Wisconsin Democratic Secretary of State La Follette resigns". Independent. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin Blue Book, 1971 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 296, 312. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
- Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1973 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 802, 822. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
- Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1975 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 797, 817. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
- Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1979-1980 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 894, 895, 914. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- "Elections in Wisconsin". The State of Wisconsin 1983-1984 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 878, 901. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- "Elections in Wisconsin". The state of Wisconsin 1987-1988 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 878, 897. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1991-1992 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 889, 907. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1995-1996 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 893, 913. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1997-1998 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 878, 881. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
- "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1999-2000 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 888, 889. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- Results of Fall General Election (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. 2002-11-05. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-04-08 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- Results of Fall Primary Election (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. 2006-09-12. p. 4. Retrieved 2019-04-08 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- Results of Fall General Election (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. 2006-11-07. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-04-08 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- 2010 Fall General Election Results Summary Post Recount (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. 2010-11-30. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-04-08 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- Canvass Results for 2014 General Election (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. 2014-11-04. p. 2. Retrieved 2019-04-08 – via Wisconsin Elections Commission.
- Canvass Results for 2018 Partisan Primary (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. 2018-08-14. p. 6. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
- Canvass Results for 2018 General Election (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. February 22, 2019. p. 2. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- Canvass Results for 2022 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 26, 2022. p. 3. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 21, 2022. pp. 1–2. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
External links
