The 2010 Wisconsin State Assembly elections were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. 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, 49 Assembly seats were held by Democrats, 45 seats were held by Republicans, 2 were held by independents, and 3 seats were vacant. The primary election was held on September 14, 2010. Republicans flipped 15 seats for a net gain of 14 seats, reclaiming the Assembly majority. They were set to enter the

100th Wisconsin Legislature The One-Hundredth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 3, 2011, through January 7, 2013, in regular session, though it adjourned for legislative activity on May 22, 2012. The legislature also held two special sessions and ...

with 60 of 99 State Assembly seats, but three members resigned before the start of the term. Elected members took office on January 3, 2011.

Background

The Democratic Party had won control of the Assembly from the Republicans in the 2008 elections, establishing a governmental trifecta. The Republican Party heavily targeted control of the chamber through project REDMAP, desiring to control the state's

redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...

process required after the 2010 census.

Results

Republicans won a sizeable majority in the Assembly, 60 seats to the Democrats' 38, with one Independent. Alongside concurrent elections for the governorship and the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, Republicans, took over the entirety of Wisconsin's state government from the Democrats.

Results summary

Close races

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

Outgoing incumbents

Retiring

* Chuck Benedict (D– Beloit), representing District 45 since 2004, did not run for re-election. * Spencer Black (D– Madison), representing District 77 since 1984, did not run for re-election. * Donald Friske (R– Merrill), representing District 35 since 2000, did not run for re-election. * Steve Hilgenberg (D– Dodgeville), representing District 51 since 2006, did not run for re-election after being diagnosed with cancer. * Mary Hubler (D– Rice Lake), representing District 75 since 1984, did not run for re-election. * Thomas Lothian (R– Williams Bay), representing District 32 since 2002, did not run for re-election. *

Phil Montgomery Phil Montgomery (born July 7, 1957) is an American politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for the District 4. He then served on the as a member of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2017. Early ...

(R– Green Bay), representing District 4 since 1998, did not run for re-election. * Scott Newcomer (R–

Pewaukee Pewaukee is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 15,914 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The name of the city of Pewaukee comes from that of the name of the village, the ori ...

), representing District 33 since 2006, did not run for re-election. * Kitty Rhoades (R–

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

), representing District 30 since 1998, did not run for re-election. * John Townsend (R– Fond du Lac), representing District 52 since 1998, did not run for re-election. * Annette Polly Williams (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 10 since 1992 and a member of the Assembly since 1980, did not run for re-election. * Jeffrey Wood (I– Chippewa Falls), representing District 67 since 2002, did not run for re-election.

Seeking other office

* Brett Davis (R–

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

), representing District 80 since 2004, ran for

lieutenant governor of Wisconsin The lieutenant governor of Wisconsin is the first person in the Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Wisconsin, line of succession of Wisconsin's executive branch, thus serving as governor in the event of the death, resignation, ...

but lost in the primary. * Tom Nelson (D– Kaukauna), representing District 5 since 2004, ran for lieutenant governor of Wisconsin but lost the general election. * Roger Roth (R– Appleton), representing District 56 since 2006, ran for U.S. House of Representatives in

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district Wisconsin's 8th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northeastern Wisconsin. It has been represented by Republican Tony Wied since November 12, 2024. It was previously vacant from ...

but lost in the primary.Larry Sandler
3 vying to take on Kagen
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' (August 27, 2010). *

Leah Vukmir Leah Vukmir (née Papachristou; born April 26, 1958) is an American politician and nurse who served as a member of the Wisconsin Senate. A Republican, she represented Wisconsin's 5th Senate district. She previously served in the Wisconsin Asse ...

(R– Wauwatosa), representing District 14 since 2002, ran for state Senate in the 5th Senate district and won the election. * Rich Zipperer (R–

), representing District 98 since 2006, ran for state Senate in the 33rd Senate district and won the election.

Vacated

* Pedro Colón (D–

), representing District 8 since 1998, resigned after his appointment as a Wisconsin circuit court judge. * Mark Gundrum (R– New Berlin), representing District 84 since 1998, resigned after his election as a Wisconsin circuit court judge. * Gary Sherman (D– Port Wing), representing District 74 since 1998, resigned after his appointment to the

Wisconsin Court of Appeals The Wisconsin Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court that reviews contested decisions of the Wisconsin circuit courts. The Court of Appeals was created in August 1978 to alleviate the Wisconsin Supreme Court's rising number of appe ...

Predictions

Race summary

Notes

References

{{United States elections, 2010 2010 state legislature elections in the United States 2010 Wisconsin elections Wisconsin State Assembly elections November 2010 in the United States