Douglas La Follette
Douglas J. La Follette (Democratic Party) was the Wisconsin Secretary of State. He assumed office in 1983. He left office on March 17, 2023.
La Follette (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for Wisconsin Secretary of State. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
La Follette previously served as secretary of state from 1975 to 1979. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1972 and served until 1974.
La Follette ran unsuccessfully for governor of Wisconsin in the 2012 recall election against incumbent Gov. Scott Walker (R), losing in the Democratic primary.[1] In 1978, he was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor.[2] La Follette ran unsuccessfully for Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District in 1970 and 1996, and for United States Senate in 1988, losing in the primary each time.[3][4][5]
Biography
La Follette received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Marietta College in 1963, a master’s degree in chemistry from Stanford University in 1964, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Columbia University in 1967. Before entering politics, La Follette was an assistant professor of chemistry and ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside. La Follette has been involved in multiple initiatives and organizations related to the environment and renewable energy, including being appointed by President Jimmy Carter (D) as an assistant director to the Mid-American Solar Energy Complex.[6][7][8]
La Follette was an organizer for Earth Day 1970 and a founder of Wisconsin's Environmental Decade, later renamed Clean Wisconsin. La Follette wrote the book The Survival Handbook: A Strategy for Saving Planet Earth, which was published in 1991. He was named a Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar in 2003. He has been associated with the Council on Economic Priorities, Friends of the Earth, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Sierra Club.[9]
Elections
2022
See also: Wisconsin Secretary of State election, 2022
General election
General election for Wisconsin Secretary of State
Incumbent Douglas J. La Follette defeated Amy Loudenbeck, Neil Harmon, and Sharyl McFarland in the general election for Wisconsin Secretary of State on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Douglas J. La Follette (D) | 48.3 | 1,268,748 | |
| Amy Loudenbeck (R) | 48.0 | 1,261,306 | ||
| Neil Harmon (L) | 2.1 | 54,413 | ||
| Sharyl McFarland (G) | 1.6 | 41,532 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 944 | ||
| Total votes: 2,626,943 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State
Incumbent Douglas J. La Follette defeated Alexia Sabor in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Douglas J. La Follette | 63.6 | 300,773 | |
| Alexia Sabor | 36.4 | 171,954 | ||
| Total votes: 472,727 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State
Amy Loudenbeck defeated Jay Schroeder and Justin Schmidtka in the Republican primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Amy Loudenbeck | 46.3 | 264,940 | |
| Jay Schroeder | 39.9 | 228,191 | ||
| Justin Schmidtka | 13.8 | 78,846 | ||
| Total votes: 571,977 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Dmitry Becker (R)
Libertarian primary election
Libertarian primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State
Neil Harmon advanced from the Libertarian primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State on August 9, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Neil Harmon | 95.8 | 769 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 4.2 | 34 | ||
| Total votes: 803 | ||||
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2018
General election
General election for Wisconsin Secretary of State
Incumbent Douglas J. La Follette defeated Jay Schroeder in the general election for Wisconsin Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Douglas J. La Follette (D) | 52.7 | 1,380,752 | |
| Jay Schroeder (R) | 47.2 | 1,235,034 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2,162 | ||
| Total votes: 2,617,948 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State
Incumbent Douglas J. La Follette defeated Arvina Martin in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Douglas J. La Follette | 65.9 | 327,020 | |
| Arvina Martin | 34.1 | 169,130 | ||
| Total votes: 496,150 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State
Jay Schroeder defeated Spencer Zimmerman in the Republican primary for Wisconsin Secretary of State on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jay Schroeder | 71.4 | 254,424 | |
| Spencer Zimmerman | 28.6 | 101,818 | ||
| Total votes: 356,242 | ||||
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2014
La Follette ran for re-election to the office of Wisconsin Secretary of State. He won re-nomination without opposition in the Democratic primary on June 2. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.[10]
Results
General election
| Secretary of State of Wisconsin, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Doug La Follette Incumbent |
50% | 1,161,113 | |
| Republican | Julian Bradley | 46.3% | 1,074,835 | |
| Libertarian | Andy Craig | 2.5% | 58,996 | |
| Constitution | Jerry Broitzman | 1.1% | 25,744 | |
| Nonpartisan | Scattering | 0.1% | 1,347 | |
| Total Votes | 2,322,035 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board | ||||
Race background
Incumbent Democrat Doug La Follette faced Republican challenger Julian Bradley and two third-party candidates, Constitution Party candidate Jerry Broitzman and Libertarian Party candidate Andy Craig, in the general election for Wisconsin Secretary of State. La Follette had held this seat since 1983. During his time in office, the powers of the Secretary of State's office had been reduced by the Wisconsin Legislature.[11]
Both Republican primary candidates, Bradley and State Representative Garey Bies, argued that the office had become ceremonial and that the current state was unacceptable. While Bies wanted to eliminate the office and give its remaining powers to other agencies, Bradley's platform was to reform the office and regain its former powers.[11][12]
2012
- See also: Scott Walker recall, Wisconsin (2012)
La Follette ran for Wisconsin Governor in the recall election against incumbent Gov. Scott Walker.
Recall petitions were turned in on January 17, 2012 and officially certified on March 30. La Follette filed papers to run on February 23[13] and officially declared his campaign on March 28.[14] He faced Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout and protest candidate Gladys Huber in the primary on May 8.[15] Hariprasad "Hari" Trivedi ran as an independent.[16]
| Wisconsin Governor Recall - Democratic Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Tom Barrett |
58.1% | 390,191 | ||
| Kathleen Falk | 34.1% | 229,236 | ||
| Kathleen Vinehout | 4% | 26,967 | ||
| Doug La Follette | 2.9% | 19,497 | ||
| Gladys Huber | 0.7% | 4,847 | ||
| Scattering | 0.1% | 864 | ||
| Total Votes | 671,602 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. | ||||
2010
- 2010 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary
- Douglas LaFollette ran unopposed this contest
On November 2, 2010, Douglas La Follette won re-election to the office of Wisconsin Secretary of State. He defeated David D. King in the general election.
| Wisconsin Secretary of State, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Douglas La Follette Incumbent |
51.6% | 1,074,118 | |
| Republican | David D. King | 48.3% | 1,005,217 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 1,863 | |
| Total Votes | 2,081,198 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. | ||||
2006
On September 12, 2006, LaFollette won re-nomination as the Democratic candidate for Secretary of State over primary challenger Scot Ross.[17]
His general election opponent, Republican Sandy Sullivan, drew local media attention for a self-published book in which she claimed she had affairs with several ex-Green Bay Packers football players.[18]
| 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary[19] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | 72.0% | ||
| Democratic Party | Scott Ross | 28.0% | |
| Total Votes | 332,265 | ||
| Wisconsin Secretary of State, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Douglas La Follette Incumbent |
57.1% | 1,184,720 | |
| Republican | Sandy Sullivan | 38.4% | 796,686 | |
| Green | Michael LaForest | 4.5% | 92,587 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 1,412 | |
| Total Votes | 2,075,405 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board | ||||
2002
- 2002 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary
- Douglas La Follette ran unopposed in this contest
On November 5, 2002, Douglas La Follette won re-election to the office of Wisconsin Secretary of State. He defeated Robert Gerald Lorge (R) and Edward J. Frami (C) in the general election.
| Wisconsin Secretary of State, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Douglas La Follette Incumbent |
56.6% | 950,929 | |
| Republican | Robert Gerald Lorge | 41.3% | 693,476 | |
| Constitution | Edward J. Frami | 2.1% | 34,750 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 1,009 | |
| Total Votes | 1,680,164 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. | ||||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Douglas J. La Follette did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Douglas La Follette participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on September 6, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Douglas La Follette's responses follow below.[20]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | Restoring the important duties that have been removed from the Office of Secretary of State. This will make Wisconsin like the rest of the nation and be easier for people to do business here.[21][22] | ” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | Openness in Government and campaign finance reform and making it easier for people to vote. We must get the giant money out of elections.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[22]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Douglas La Follette answered the following:
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow and why?
| “ | Sen. Gaylord Nelson and Sen. Russ Feingold[22] | ” |
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
Lawsuit against Gov. Scott Walker over budget (2015)
- See also: Wisconsin state budget and finances
On July 14, 2015, LaFollette filed a lawsuit against Gov. Scott Walker (R) over the budget for the secretary of state's office. He requested a judge to stay the budget changes, as LaFollette claimed it impeded his ability to carry out the constitutionally-mandated duties of his office.[23][24][25] Circuit Judge Rhonda L. Lanford declined to issue a temporary injunction to stop the budget cuts on September 4, 2015, after ruling La Follette had not demonstrated his lawsuit against Walker was likely to succeed. Lanford's ruling did not dismiss La Follette's claim that Walker's budget had infringed on La Follette's ability to carry out his constitutionally-mandated responsibilities outright. Instead, her 17-page ruling noted that the evidence before her court at the time of the ruling was not sufficient to substantiate La Follette's claim.[26]
Secretary of state no longer responsible for publishing laws (2013)
Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed Republican-sponsored Senate Bill 2, which became 2013 Wisconsin Act 5, on March 13, 2013. According to the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Wisblawg, Act 5 "[removed] the authority of the Secretary of State to designate the date of publication [for acts.] ... [Act 5 required] the Legislative Reference Bureau to publish each act on its date of publication."[27] According to the secretary of state's office, "[A] bill is now [electronically published by the Legislative Reference Bureau] the day after the Governor has signed it, and it becomes effective the day after it is published by the Legislative Reference Bureau, unless an effective date is specified in the text of the bill. ... The bill is then delivered to the Office of the Secretary of State."[28]
La Follette said of the bill in January 2013, "It's hard not to see this as some sort of retribution issue. ... The only reason they’re doing this is because they couldn’t get what they wanted immediately," referring to 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, a collective bargaining law passed two years earlier.[29] Rep. Sandy Pasch (D) said, "What this bill does is just a mean vindictive bill. It eliminates a position that we have had in our body out of spite for what happened two years ago."[30] Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) said, "We’re not trying to take any power away from Doug La Follette," and bill sponsor Sen. Glenn Grothman (R) said that the bill's intent was not political.[29] Assembly sponsor Stephen Nass (R) said, "Current law does not reflect the reality of modern times. The publishing of all legislation should be accomplished without inserting politics into the decision-making."[30]
According to Wisconsin Public Radio, after Walker signed Act 10 on March 11, 2011, La Follette "waited the full 10 days allowed him [under the law at the time] before publicizing it. That delay gave opponents a window to temporarily block the bill in court before it had even taken effect."[30] On March 18, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Maryann Sumi "halted enactment of the law and forbade ... La Follette from publishing the law."[31] According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the bill "was published [on March 25] despite [Sumi]'s hold on the measure[.] ... The restraining order was issued against [La Follette]. But the bill was published by the [Legislative Reference Bureau], which was not named in the restraining order."[32] To view a timeline of subsequent legal developments, click here.
La Follette said in 2013, "I didn’t hold back on publishing it. That’s a fallacy. ... By law, I have 10 days to publish and that’s how long we take with 99 percent of the bills that come through the office."[29]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Awards
- Environmental Quality Award, Environmental Protection Agency
- Environmental Advocate of the Year, Clean Water Action Council, 1996
- Environmental Excellence Award, Midwest Renewable Energy Assoc., 1992
Contact information
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Huffington Post, "Tom Barrett Wins Wisconsin Recall Primary, Faces Scott Walker In June," May 8, 2012
- ↑ University of Wisconsin–Madison, "The State of Wisconsin 1979-1980 Blue Book," 1979 (page 914)]
- ↑ University of Wisconsin–Madison, "The State of Wisconsin 1971 Blue Book," 1971 (page 296)]
- ↑ University of Wisconsin–Madison, "The State of Wisconsin 1997-1998 Blue Book," 1997 (page 878)]
- ↑ University of Wisconsin–Madison, "The State of Wisconsin 1989-1990 Blue Book," 1989 (page 904)]
- ↑ University of Wisconsin–Madison, "The State of Wisconsin 1973 Blue Book," 1973 (page 64)
- ↑ Wisconsin Historical Society, "La Follette, Douglas J.," accessed October 13, 2022
- ↑ WUWM, "Wisconsin secretary of state: Your guide to the 2022 election & the candidates," October 10, 2022
- ↑ Sierrans for U.S. Population Stabilization, "Doug LaFollette is elected to the Sierra Club Board of Directors in April, 2003!" accessed October 15, 2022
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Nomination Paper Tracking with Supplemental Signature Report," accessed May 30, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 THOnline, "Bradley wins GOP primary for Wisconsin secretary of state," August 12, 2014
- ↑ Julian Bradley for Secretary of State, "Platform," accessed September 12, 2014
- ↑ Channel 3000, "La Follette Files Papers For Gubernatorial Run," accessed February 23, 2012
- ↑ WTAQ, "La Follette enters recall race," March 29, 2012
- ↑ Wisconsin State Journal, "GOP's fake Democrats for recall primaries named," April 5, 2012
- ↑ WTAQ, "Recall elections officially ordered against Gov. Walker, 5 other GOP lawmakers," March 30, 2012
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Assembly Democrats drawn into caucus scandal" 31 Jan. 2006
- ↑ CNN "Candidate has sex with the Green Bay Packers" 11 Oct. 2006
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board - 2006 Democratic Primary Election Results
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Douglas La Follette's responses," September 6, 2018
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Governing, "Wisconsin Secretary of State Sues Scott Walker Over Budget," July 15, 2015
- ↑ WISN 12, "Wisconsin secretary of state sues over funding cuts," July 15, 2015
- ↑ Associated Press, Star Tribune, "Longtime Wisconsin secretary of state sues Walker over budget cuts to his office," July 14, 2015
- ↑ 12 WISN, "Judge won't block budget cuts to secretary of state's office," September 7, 2015
- ↑ Wisblawg, "WI Act 5 Changes Publication and Effectiveness Process for Acts – Removes Authority of Sec of State," March 29, 2013
- ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, "Publication of New Laws," accessed October 16, 2022
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 The Cap Times, "Secretary of state speaks out against continuing assault on the office," January 31, 2013
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Wisconsin Public Radio, "GOP Strips Power From Secretary Of State," March 7, 2013
- ↑ CNN, "New twist in Wisconsin collective bargaining battle," March 27, 2011
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Collective bargaining law published despite restraining order," March 25, 2011
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Wisconsin Secretary of State 1983-2023 |
Succeeded by Sarah Godlewski (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Wisconsin Secretary of State 1975-1979 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Wisconsin State Senate 1973-1974 |
Succeeded by - |
 |
State of Wisconsin Madison (capital) |
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