The 2008 Wisconsin State Assembly election was held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. All 99 seats in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

were up for election. Before the election, 51 Assembly seats were held by Republicans and 47 seats were held by Democrats. The primary election was held on September 9, 2008. Democrats flipped five Republican-held seats and took the Assembly majority for the first time since 1994. They entered the 98th Wisconsin Legislature with 52 of 99 Assembly seats.

Background

Results summary

Close races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%: # # # # (gain) # # # # # # (gain) # # # (gain) # # # # # # #

Outgoing incumbents

Retiring

* Sheryl Albers (R– Reedsburg), representing district 50 since

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

, retired. * Frank Boyle (D–

Superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places * Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lak ...

), representing district 73 since

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, retired. *

Barbara Gronemus Barbara "Bobby" Gronemus (née Barry; November 21, 1931January 17, 2021) was an American farmer and Democratic politician from Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. She served 26 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, from 1983 to 2009. Biography Bar ...

(D–

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London, England. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It ...

), representing district 91 since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, retired. * Eugene Hahn (R–

Cambria Cambria is a name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, . The term was not in use during the Roman period (when Wales had not come into existence as a distinct entity) or the early medieval period. After the ...

), representing district 47 since

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

, retired. * Suzanne Jeskewitz (R– Menomonee Falls), representing district 24 since

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, retired. * Terry Musser (R– Black River Falls), representing district 92 since

, retired. * Carol Owens (R– Oshkosh), representing district 53 since

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, retired. * David Travis (D– Waunakee), representing district 81 since

, retired. * Steve Wieckert (R– Appleton), representing district 57 since

, retired.

Seeking other office

* James Kreuser (D–

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 census. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Ke ...

), representing district 64 since

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, retired to serve as County Executive of Kenosha County. * Sheldon Wasserman (D–

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

), representing District 22 since

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, unsuccessfully ran for State Senate.

Predictions

Race summary

Aftermath

With this election Democrats held a trifecta in the Wisconsin government for the first time since 1982, when

Tony Earl Anthony Scully Earl (April 12, 1936 – February 23, 2023) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the 41st governor of Wisconsin from 1983 until 1987. Prior to his election as governor, he served as secretary of the Wi ...

was elected governor of Wisconsin. As of 2025, this is the last time Democrats gained a trifecta in Wisconsin, as despite winning the popular vote several times in following elections, a Republican instituted gerrymander in 2011, in addition to low voter turnout, prevented Democrats from gaining a majority of seats.{{Cite web , title=How the 2011 political district map changed the game for Wisconsin , url=https://www.wpr.org/shows/mappedout/how-2011-political-district-map-changed-game-wisconsin , access-date=June 29, 2024 , website=

Wisconsin Public Radio Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) is a network of 38 public radio radio station, stations in the state of Wisconsin. WPR's network is divided into two distinct services, the ''WPR News Network'' and the ''WPR Music Network''. History Wisconsin Publ ...

Notes

References

2008 state legislature elections in the United States 2008 Wisconsin elections Wisconsin State Assembly elections November 2008 in the United States