Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2023
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Janet Protasiewicz defeated Daniel Kelly in the nonpartisan general election for Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 4, 2023. Protasiewicz's election meant the balance of the court would switch from a 4-3 conservative majority to a 4-3 liberal majority for the first time in 15 years.[1]
The election determined who would succeed retiring conservative Justice Patience Roggensack, whose term expired in July 2023. While supreme court elections are officially nonpartisan, justices and candidates are considered to be liberal or conservative. With Roggensack—a member of the court's conservative majority—retiring, the general election determined the ideological control of the court.[2][3][4][5][6]
Wisconsin media identified abortion, election administration, and legislative redistricting as legal issues the court could address following the election.[6][7][8][9][10][11] For media analysis and commentary on this election, click here.
At the time of the election, Protasiewicz, a former assistant district attorney, had served on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court since 2014.[12] After the primary, Protasiewicz said, "We're saving our democracy in the state of Wisconsin. … I'm talking about the ability to vote, to have a vote that counts about women's rights, reproductive freedoms, the fact that the 2024 presidential election results could likely come into our Supreme Court chamber, just everything people care about."[13]
Kelly previously served on the supreme court from 2016, when Gov. Scott Walker (R) appointed him to fill a vacancy, to 2020, when he lost re-election to Jill Karofsky 55.2% to 44.7%. As a result of that election, the supreme court went from a 5-2 conservative majority to a 4-3 conservative one. Ahead of the 2023 election, Kelly said, "If an activist were to win next April, Wisconsin's public policy would be imposed by four lawyers sitting in Madison instead of being adopted through our constitutional processes. I won't let that happen on my watch.[14]
At a March 21 debate, Protasiewicz criticized Kelly for accepting the endorsements of organizations that opposed abortion and said Kelly would support keeping in place an 1849 state law that prohibited abortion in most cases. She also accused Kelly of advising state Republican officials who planned on sending an alternate slate of electors to Washington D.C. after the 2020 election.[15][16]
Kelly criticized Protasiewicz for accepting contributions from the state Democratic Party and said those contributions might influence her actions as a member of the court. Kelly also criticized Protasiewicz for publicly stating her views on issues that could come before the court, including abortion and legislative redistricting.[15] To view recordings and summaries of the debate, click here.
The three liberal justices on the court—Rebecca Dallet, Ann Walsh Bradley, and Jill Karofsky—endorsed Protasieweicz.[17][18][19] EMILY's List, a political action committee dedicated to electing Democratic women who support abortion, also endorsed Protasiewicz.[20]
Conservative justices Roggensack, Rebecca Bradley, and Annette Ziegler endorsed Kelly. The groups Wisconsin Right to Life, Wisconsin Family Action, and Pro-Life Wisconsin also endorsed Kelly.[21][22]
The election set a new record for campaign spending in state judicial elections. According to WisPolitics, more than $44 million had been spent in the race as of March 30, three times the $15 million spent in the previous record holder, a 2004 Illinois Supreme Court race.[23]
Voters also decided a state constitutional amendment that would increase the discretion judges have to impose cash bail on people accused of violent crimes. According to NBC's Sam Edelman, the amendment could affect the turnout for the supreme court election.[24][24] Click here to learn more.
Protasiewicz and Kelly were the top two vote-getters among the four candidates who ran in the February 21 nonpartisan primary.. Protasiewicz received 46.5% of the primary vote, and Kelly received 24.2%. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Dorow, a conservative candidate, and Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell, a liberal candidate, received 21.9% and 7.5%, respectively. Together, Protasiewicz and Mitchell received 53.9% of the vote to Kelly and Dorow's combined 46.1%.
As of 2023, Wisconsin had a divided government. The governor was Democrat Tony Evers, while the Republican Party controlled both chambers of the state legislature.
Wisconsin was one of two states that held elections for state supreme court in 2023. To view Ballotpedia's study of the partisan affiliation of state supreme court justices, click here. For an overview of state supreme court elections in 2023, click here.
For coverage of the February 21, 2023 primary, click here.
Election news
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| Wisconsin Supreme Court election with Staff Writer Doug Kronaizl. Subscribe here. |
This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Wisconsin Supreme Court
Janet Claire Protasiewicz defeated Daniel Kelly in the general election for Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 4, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Janet Claire Protasiewicz (Nonpartisan) | 55.4 | 1,021,822 | |
| Daniel Kelly (Nonpartisan) | 44.4 | 818,391 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 3,267 | ||
| Total votes: 1,843,480 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Wisconsin Supreme Court
Janet Claire Protasiewicz and Daniel Kelly defeated Jennifer Dorow and Everett Mitchell in the primary for Wisconsin Supreme Court on February 21, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Janet Claire Protasiewicz (Nonpartisan) | 46.4 | 446,403 | |
| ✔ | Daniel Kelly (Nonpartisan) | 24.2 | 232,751 | |
| Jennifer Dorow (Nonpartisan) | 21.9 | 210,100 | ||
| Everett Mitchell (Nonpartisan) | 7.5 | 71,895 | ||
| Total votes: 961,149 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Justices not on the ballot
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Wisconsin
Candidate comparison
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Wisconsin Supreme Court (2016-2020)
Biography: Kelly received a bachelor's degree in political science and Spanish from Carroll University in 1986 and a J.D. from Regent University School of Law in 1991. Kelly previously worked as a shareholder at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, vice president and general counsel for the Kern Family Foundation, and a founding partner at Rogahn Kelly LLC. In 2020, he founded Daniel Kelly Consulting and became a senior fellow at the Institute for Reforming Government.
Show sources
Sources: WisPolitics, "Kelly campaign: Daniel Kelly launches his campaign to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court," September 8, 2022; Daniel Kelly 2023 campaign website, "Meet Daniel," accessed December 15, 2022; YouTube, "WISN 12 News: Crowded race for Wisconsin's highest court," November 30, 2022; Twitter, "Justice Daniel Kelly," February 27, 2023; LinkedIn, "Daniel Kelly," accessed December 15, 2022; State Bar of Wisconsin, "Gov. Walker Picks Dan Kelly to Replace Justice Prosser on Supreme Court," July 25, 2016
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023.
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Branch 24 (Assumed office: 2014)
Biography: Protasiewicz received a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1985 and a J.D. from Marquette University Law School in 1988. Protasiewicz was a Milwaukee County assistant district attorney for 26 years. She also served as an adjunct law professor at Marquette Law School.
Show sources
Sources: WisPolitics, "Protasiewicz Campaign: Judge Janet Protasiewicz announces campaign for state Supreme Court," May 25, 2022; Wisconsin Public Radio, "Wisconsin's next partisan battle will be over the balance of power on its Supreme Court," December 1, 2022; Janet Protasiewicz 2023 campaign website, "Why I’m running," accessed December 15, 2022; Twitter, ''Judge Janet Protasiewicz,'' March 3, 2023; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: The College of Letters & Science, "The view from the bench: History alum lays down law," March 20, 2017; Janet Protasiewicz 2023 campaign website, "Meet Janet," accessed December 15, 2022
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign advertisements
This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.
Daniel Kelly
| March 23, 2023 |
| March 17, 2023 |
| March 23, 2023 |
Janet Protasiewicz
| March 19, 2023 |
| March 19, 2023 |
| March 9, 2023 |
View more ads here:
Satellite ads
This section includes a selection of campaign advertisements released by satellite groups. If you are aware of other satellite ads that should be included, please email us.
Debates and forums
This section includes links to debates, forums, and other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated. If you are aware of any debates or forums that should be included, please email us.
March 21, 2023, debate
On March 21, 2023, Kelly and Protasiewicz participated in a debate hosted by WisPolitics and News 3. This was the only debate scheduled ahead of the general election.[32]
Click on the links below for summaries of the event:
- AP News
- Wisconsin Public Radio
- Fox6 News Milwaukee
- Fox6 News Milwaukee
- The Capitol Times
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noteworthy endorsements
Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.
| Noteworthy endorsements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Endorser | ||
| Government officials | ||
| U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) source | ✔ | |
| U.S. Sen. Ronald Harold Johnson (R) source | ✔ | |
| U.S. Rep Gwen Moore (D) source | ✔ | |
| U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D) source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) source | ✔ | |
| Judge Jennifer Dorow source | ✔ | |
| State Sen. Dianne Hesselbein (D) source | ✔ | |
| Justice Jill Karofsky source | ✔ | |
| Judge Everett Mitchell source | ✔ | |
| Justice Patience Drake Roggensack source | ✔ | |
| Justice Annette Ziegler source | ✔ | |
| Dane County Supervisor Andrew Schauer source | ✔ | |
| Individuals | ||
| Frmr. Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. Gov. James Doyle source | ✔ | |
| Frmr. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder source | ✔ | |
| Organizations | ||
| End Citizens United source | ✔ | |
| Human Rights Campaign PAC source | ✔ | |
| NARAL Pro-Choice America source | ✔ | |
| People for the American Way source | ✔ | |
| Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin source | ✔ | |
| Wisconsin Education Association Council source | ✔ | |
| Wisconsin Laborers' District Council source | ✔ | |
February 21 primary
- Click here to view endorsements made ahead of the Feb. 21 primary
Election competitiveness
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Election spending
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from reports submitted to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission in this election. It does not include information on spending by satellite groups. Click here to access the reports.
Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[43][44]
If available, satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. FEC links include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports. OpenSecrets.org compiles data from those reports as well as 24- and 48-hour reports from the FEC.[45]
Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. The amounts listed may not represent the total satellite spending in the election. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.
Click here to search independent expenditures reported to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.
Spending news
- On March 20, The Hill reported that Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund would spend $500 thousand to run an ad opposing Kelly.[46]
- On March 15, The New York Times reported that Protasiewicz' campaign spent $9.1 million in the three weeks leading to March 15. Satellite groups supporting Protasiewicz spent more than $2 million.[47]
- On March 8, 2023, WisPolitics reported that the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Issues Mobilization Council would spend $3.2 million to run an ad opposing Protasiewicz statewide.[48]
Media analysis and commentary
Local and national media commentators have offered their views on the political dynamics influencing the election. Below is a curated list of quotes and commentary from media observers.
Partisan balance of the court
| “ |
Conservatives are defending a 4-3 majority on the state's highest court, with candidates and aligned interest groups spending tens of millions to keep liberals from taking control for the first time in 15 years. The fight to flip the court is drawing more firepower from Democratic interests for a total price tag that's already the highest ever spent on a single judicial election. The stakes of this year's state Supreme Court race range from how routine cases like criminal appeals are decided to watershed rulings, including deciding whether doctors may terminate pregnancies within the state's boundaries and whether Republicans will continue to control the state Legislature by wide margins. Challenges to the state's election laws leading up to the 2024 presidential election will also end up at the high court as will lawsuits filed after a winner is chosen.[54] |
” |
| —Molly Beck and Corrinne Hess, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (March 21, 2023)[55] | ||
| “ |
...
|
” |
| —Jack Kelly, Allison Garfield, and Scott Girard, The Cap Times (March 22, 2023)[56] | ||
Campaign spending
| “ |
The return of an 1849 anti-abortion law has propelled so much interest in an open Wisconsin Supreme Court seat that there’s been twice as much spent on advertising than in any judicial race in US history—and the campaign still has a week and a half to go. Over $31 million in ads have been booked in the contest between former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly and Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, more than doubling the $15 million record spent on one seat in Illinois and exceeding the $21 million spent on a three-seat race in Pennsylvania, said state judicial campaign finance expert Douglas Keith. ... Groups bankrolling pro-Kelly commercials have been emphasizing the word “conservative” in their spots, and state Republican Chairman Brian Schimming said the party’s backing him in the nominally non-partisan election because a loss would put “25 years of conservative reform at risk.” ... So far, Protasiewicz and the groups backing her have dominated the airwaves. Her campaign alone has booked roughly $12.6 million of TV and digital ads, with different messages depending on where the voters live, according to data compiled by the commercial-tracking company AdImpact. Outside groups backing Protasiewicz have spent an additional $5.4 million, giving the liberal candidate a roughly $5 million spending advantage over Kelly on booked advertisements, according to AdImpact. In Democratic strongholds around Milwaukee and Madison, commercials by the candidate and outside groups are emphasizing Protasiewicz’s support for abortion rights and Kelly’s alignment with anti-abortion groups. ... In more-rural northern counties, attack ads call Kelly corrupt for his recusal decisions and criticize his private practice representation of sexual assault defendants.[54] |
” |
| —Alex Ebert, Bloomberg Law (March 24, 2023)[57] | ||
Abortion
| “ |
The contest has significant implications for the future of abortion access in Wisconsin. State Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, has sued to overturn the state’s 1849 abortion law, which prohibits the procedure in almost all circumstances. Providers have stopped performing abortions as the legal challenge winds its way through the court system, where it is expected to eventually come before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. [...] Those on both sides of the abortion rights debate are already gearing up for an intense general election fight. On the pro-abortion rights side, Planned Parenthood is planning to spend seven-figures on the race in conjunction with its local affiliate, which has already hired staff in several cities to support its get-out-the-vote effort. Students for Life is also planning to engage in the race with digital media and outreach to activists on the ground in Wisconsin, while Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which made a six-figure investment into the primary election, is planning to make another six-figure investment into the general election focusing on mail, texts, live calls and potentially digital.[54] |
” |
| —Zach Montellaro and Megan Messerly, Politico (February 27, 2023)[58] | ||
| “ |
A lawsuit challenging that 1849 law could reach the state Supreme Court as soon as this fall. And while the two candidates are refusing to say how they’d rule, they’re leaving little doubt about their leanings. In their lone debate Tuesday, Protasiewicz said she is “making no promises” on how she would rule. But she also noted her personal support for abortion rights, as well as endorsements from pro-abortion rights groups. And she pointed to Kelly’s endorsement by Wisconsin Right to Life, which opposes abortion rights. ... Even though Kelly has not explicitly said he would oppose an expansion of abortion rights, [Gracie Skogman, the the legislative director for Wisconsin Right to Life] said his history on the issue made her group comfortable that he would.[54] |
” |
| —Eric Bradner and Jeff Zeleny, CNN (March 22, 2023)[59] | ||
Election administration
| “ |
The court has also shaped Wisconsin’s election laws. It has voted in recent years to prohibit ballot drop boxes and have selected maps that cemented Republicans’ solid majority in the state legislature. The April 4 election will set the stage for the 2024 presidential race, with the court likely to be asked to weigh in again on election rules, including the state’s voter identification law, and potentially sort through another round of legal challenges afterward. Those high stakes have turned the state Supreme Court race into one of the nation’s most closely watched contests of 2023.[54] |
” |
| —Eric Bradner and Jeff Zeleny, CNN (March 22, 2023)[59] | ||
Legislative district maps
| “ |
For more than a decade, Republicans have held strong control of both houses of the state Legislature, thanks in part to the district lines they drew in 2011. In 2015, Wisconsin Democrats thought they had the answer to this — a new standard to measure gerrymandering that would give federal courts the ability to rule when a redistricting plan was too partisan. They took the idea all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the day they made their arguments, it was obvious some justices had their doubts. Chief Justice John Roberts called their ideas "sociological gobbledygook." The case was eventually remanded to a lower court, and in 2019, the Supreme Court slammed the door to the idea when it decided that partisan gerrymandering wasn't justiciable at the federal level. ... But according to [Rob Yablon, a University of Wisconsin-Madison law professor], one avenue remains: state courts, including the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In fact, the Supreme Court "explicitly left the door open" for state courts to consider partisan gerrymandering claims, he said. And that's why the maps are a huge issue in this year's race for Wisconsin's court race.[54] |
” |
| —Bridgit Bowden, Wisconsin Public Radio (March 21, 2023)[60] | ||
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Presidential elections
Cook PVI by congressional district
| Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Wisconsin, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
| Wisconsin's 1st | Bryan Steil | R+3 | |
| Wisconsin's 2nd | Mark Pocan | D+19 | |
| Wisconsin's 3rd | Open | R+4 | |
| Wisconsin's 4th | Gwen Moore | D+25 | |
| Wisconsin's 5th | Scott Fitzgerald | R+14 | |
| Wisconsin's 6th | Glenn Grothman | R+10 | |
| Wisconsin's 7th | Tom Tiffany | R+12 | |
| Wisconsin's 8th | Mike Gallagher | R+10 | |
2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines
| 2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Wisconsin[61] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Joe Biden |
Donald Trump | ||
| Wisconsin's 1st | 48.3% | 50.3% | ||
| Wisconsin's 2nd | 70.2% | 28.4% | ||
| Wisconsin's 3rd | 46.8% | 51.5% | ||
| Wisconsin's 4th | 75.9% | 22.8% | ||
| Wisconsin's 5th | 37.9% | 60.8% | ||
| Wisconsin's 6th | 41.4% | 57.0% | ||
| Wisconsin's 7th | 39.3% | 59.2% | ||
| Wisconsin's 8th | 41.5% | 57.0% | ||
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 46.1% of Wisconsinites lived in one of the state's 37 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 35.7% lived in one of 12 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Wisconsin was Battleground Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Wisconsin following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Wisconsin county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 37 | 46.1% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 12 | 35.7% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 21 | 16.6% | |||||
| Battleground Democratic | 2 | 1.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 14 | 37.3% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 58 | 62.7% | |||||
Historical voting trends
Wisconsin presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 15 Democratic wins
- 15 Republican wins
- 1 other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | P[62] | R | D | D | D | R | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | D |
Statewide elections
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Wisconsin.
| U.S. Senate election results in Wisconsin | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2022 | 50.4% |
49.4% |
| 2018 | 55.4% |
44.6% |
| 2016 | 50.2% |
46.8% |
| 2012 | 51.4% |
45.9% |
| 2010 | 51.9% |
47.0% |
| Average | 51.9 | 46.7 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Wisconsin
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Wisconsin.
| Gubernatorial election results in Wisconsin | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2022 | 51.1% |
47.8% |
| 2018 | 49.5% |
48.4% |
| 2014 | 52.3% |
46.6% |
| 2010 | 52.2% |
46.5% |
| 2006 | 52.8% |
45.4% |
| Average | 51.6 | 46.9 |
State partisanship
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Wisconsin's congressional delegation as of January 2023.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Wisconsin, January 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Republican | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 8 | 10 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Wisconsin's top four state executive offices as of January 2023.
| State executive officials in Wisconsin, January 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Office | Officeholder |
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General | |
State legislature
The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Wisconsin State Legislature as of January 2023.
Wisconsin State Senate
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 21 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 33 | |
Wisconsin State Assembly
| Party | As of January 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 35 | |
| Republican Party | 64 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 99 | |
Trifecta control
As of January 2023, Wisconsin was a divided government, with Democrats controlling the governorship and Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.
Wisconsin Party Control: 1992-2023
Two years of Democratic trifectas • Ten years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Demographics
The table below details demographic data in Wisconsin and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.
| Demographic Data for Wisconsin | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | United States | |
| Population | 5,686,986 | 308,745,538 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 54,167 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 85.4% | 72.5% |
| Black/African American | 6.4% | 12.7% |
| Asian | 2.8% | 5.5% |
| Native American | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more | 2.4% | 3.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 6.8% | 18% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 92.2% | 88% |
| College graduation rate | 30.1% | 32.1% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $61,747 | $62,843 |
| Persons below poverty level | 11.3% | 13.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Election context
April 4 ballot measures
- See also: Wisconsin 2023 ballot measures
The April 4, 2023, general election ballot included three ballot questions—two constitutional measures and one advisory question. On January 19, 2023, the Wisconsin State Legislature passed Senate Joint Resolution 2, sending to the ballot two ballot questions related to conditions for the release of an accused person before conviction and cash bail. Also on January 19, the legislature voted to refer an advisory question to the April ballot asking voters whether able-bodied childless adults should have to apply for work before receiving welfare benefits.
Wisconsin Question 1, Conditions of Release Before Conviction Amendment (April 2023)
The ballot question for the amendment was as follows:[63]
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Wisconsin Question 2, Conditions for Cash Bail Amendment (April 2023)
The ballot question for the amendment was as follows:[64]
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Wisconsin Question 3, Work Requirement for Welfare Benefits Advisory Question (April 2023)
The full text of the measure was as follows:[65]
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Ballot access requirements
The table below details filing requirements for supreme court candidates in Wisconsin in the 2023 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Wisconsin, click here.
| Filing requirements for supreme court candidates, 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source | Notes |
| Wisconsin | Justice of the Supreme Court | All candidates | 2,000 | N/A | January 3, 2023 | Source | |
General election vote margins
General election voter turnout
Wisconsin Supreme Court election history
Overview
| Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2005-2020 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Winning candidate | Ideological lean | Percent share of vote | Losing candidate | Ideological lean | Percent share of vote | Margin of victory | Majority on court | Turnout | Other statewide elections on ballot |
| 2020 | Jill Karofsky | 55.2% | Daniel Kelly | 44.7% | 10.5% | 4-3 | 45.8% | Primary election - U.S. President | ||
| 2019 | Brian Hagedorn | 50.2% | Lisa Neubauer | 49.7% | 0.5% | 5-2 | 26.6% | None | ||
| 2018 | Rebecca Dallet | 55.8% | Michael Screnock | 44.2% | 11.5% | 4-3 | 22.2% | None | ||
| 2017 | Annette Ziegler (incumbent) |
97.2% | Write-in | -- | 2.8% | 94.4% | 5-2 | ~16% | State Superintendent of Public Instruction | |
| 2016 | Rebecca Bradley (incumbent) |
52.4% | JoAnne Kloppenburg | 47.5% | 4.9% | 5-2 | 47.4% | Primary election - U.S. President | ||
| 2015 | Ann Walsh Bradley (incumbent) |
58.1% | James Daley | 41.9% | 16.2% | 4-3 | 18.3% | None | ||
| 2013 | Patience Roggensack (incumbent) |
57.5% | Ed Fallone | 42.5% | 15% | 4-3 | 20.5% | State Superintendent of Public Instruction | ||
| 2011 | David T. Prosser (incumbent) |
50.2% | JoAnne Kloppenburg | 49.7% | 0.5% | 4-3 | 34.3% | None | ||
| 2009 | Shirley Abrahamson (incumbent) |
59.6% | Randy Koschnick | 40.2% | 19.4% | 4-3 | 18.2% | None | ||
| 2008 | Michael Gableman | 51.1% | Louis Butler (incumbent) |
48.5% | 2.6% | 4-3 | 19.3% | None | ||
| 2007 | Annette Ziegler | 58.6% | Linda M. Clifford | 41.1% | 17.5% | 4-3 | 19.4% | None | ||
| 2006 | N. Patrick Crooks (incumbent) |
99.4% | Write-in | -- | 0.6% | 98.8% | 4-3 | 11.8% | None | |
| 2005 | Ann Walsh Bradley (incumbent) |
99.6% | Write-in | -- | 0.4% | 99.2% | 4-3 | 17.1% | State Superintendent of Public Instruction | |
2020
- Main article: Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2020
General election
General election for Wisconsin Supreme Court
Jill Karofsky defeated incumbent Daniel Kelly in the general election for Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 7, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jill Karofsky (Nonpartisan) | 55.2 | 855,573 | |
| Daniel Kelly (Nonpartisan) | 44.7 | 693,134 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 990 | ||
| Total votes: 1,549,697 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Wisconsin Supreme Court
Incumbent Daniel Kelly and Jill Karofsky defeated Edward A. Fallone in the primary for Wisconsin Supreme Court on February 18, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Daniel Kelly (Nonpartisan) | 50.1 | 352,876 | |
| ✔ | Jill Karofsky (Nonpartisan) | 37.2 | 261,783 | |
| Edward A. Fallone (Nonpartisan) | 12.7 | 89,184 | ||
| Total votes: 703,843 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2019
- See also: Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2019
Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Brian Hagedorn defeated Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Lisa Neubauer in the nonpartisan election for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court on April 2, 2019. Hagedorn won with 50% support. The seat was previously held by Justice Shirley Abrahamson, a member of the court's 4-3 liberal minority at the time of the election. Abrahamson did not run for re-election.
Although the election was officially nonpartisan, groups associated with the Democratic Party tended to support Neubauer while groups associated with the Republican Party tended to support Hagedorn.
