2024 Wisconsin Elections

The 2024 Wisconsin fall general election will be held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 5, 2024. In the presidential election, voters will be choosing ten presidential electors. Wisconsin's junior United States senator, Tammy Baldwin, will be running for re-election, and all of Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives will be up for election, as well as sixteen seats in the Wisconsin Senate and all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly. The 2024 fall partisan primary will be held on August 13, 2024. The filing deadline for the Fall election is June 3, 2024.

The 2024 Wisconsin spring election was held April 2, 2024. This election featured the Democratic and Republican presidential nominating contests, though both party nominations were already clinched before Wisconsin voted. Two seats of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals were also up for election, but neither was contested. There were also various nonpartisan local and judicial offices on the ballot, including a county executive and mayoral election in Wisconsin's most populous city and county, Milwaukee. The 2024 Wisconsin spring primary was held on February 20, 2024. The filing deadline for the Spring election was January 2, 2024.

There will also be four constitutional amendments on the ballot in 2024—the largest number of amendments in a single year in Wisconsin since 1986. Two of the amendments were voted on at the Spring general election, the other two will appear on the Fall primary ballot. Republicans are supporting all four amendments, Democrats are opposed. The Fall ballot questions will also represent the first time in Wisconsin history that a constitutional amendment will appear on a primary ballot.

Federal offices

President

Wisconsin's vote for presidential electors in the race for President of the United States will be part of the Fall general election, to be held on November 5, 2024. Incumbent president Joe Biden is seeking a second four-year term and will face former president Donald Trump in the general election.

Democratic primary

Wisconsin's Democratic presidential preference primary was on the ballot for Wisconsin's Spring general election, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Incumbent president Joe Biden secured enough delegates to be renominated before the Wisconsin primary took place. U.S. representative Dean Phillips (MN-03) and Author Marianne Williamson also sought the nomination. Williamson suspended her campaign following the Nevada Primary on February 7, 2024, but re-entered the campaign following the Michigan primary on February 27, 2024. In spite of this, Williamson never gained ballot access in the state. Phillips suspended his campaign on March 6, after the Super Tuesday primaries and endorsed Biden. Despite his suspension, Phillips name still appeared on the ballot. Lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was briefly a declared candidate for the Democratic nomination but withdrew to pursue an independent bid.

Due to backlash against the government's policies toward the Israel–Hamas war, a movement was started to vote for uninstructed delegates in the presidential primary. Biden ultimately won 88% of the primary vote, 8% of the vote was for uninstructed delegates.

Republican primary

Wisconsin's Republican presidential preference primary was on the ballot for Wisconsin's Spring general election, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Former president Donald Trump secured enough delegates to be renominated before the Wisconsin primary took place. Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, incumbent Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy were all candidates, but withdrew during the primaries. Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. senator Tim Scott (SC), U.S. representative Will Hurd (TX-23), North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, Miami mayor Francis Suarez, radio host Larry Elder, and businessman Perry Johnson were also candidates, but withdrew from the race before voting began. Despite these withdrawals Christie, Ramaswamy, DeSantis, and Haley all appeared on the primary ballot, alongside an option for an uninstructed delegation.

Trump received 79% of the primary vote, with Haley receiving 13%, DeSantis with 3%, and 2% for uninstructed delegates.

U.S. Senate

Wisconsin's Class 1 United States Senate seat will be on the ballot in the Fall general election, to be held on November 5, 2024. Incumbent Democratic senator Tammy Baldwin is seeking a third six-year term.

Two Republicans have declared their candidacy: UW–Stevens Point College Republicans chair Rejani Raveendran and hedge fund manager Eric Hovde, who unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for this Senate seat in 2012. Two candidates have withdrawn, Trempealeau County supervisor Stacey Klein and retired U.S. Army Reserve sergeant major Patrick Schaefer-Wicke.

U.S. House of Representatives

Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives will be on the ballot in the Fall general election, to be held on November 5, 2024.

State elections

Legislative

Following the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision in ''Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission'', the state legislative maps were re-drawn by governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin state legislature to comply with the contiguity requirement of Article IV, Sections 4 and 5 of the Constitution of Wisconsin.

State Senate

The 16 even-numbered districts out of 33 in the Wisconsin Senate will be on the ballot for the Fall general election, November 5, 2024. Of those seats, 10 are held by Republicans 5 are held by Democrats, and one is vacant. Overall, Republicans hold 22 of the 33 seats in the Wisconsin Senate

State Assembly

All of the 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly are on the ballot for the Fall general election, November 5, 2024. As of now, 64 seats are occupied by Republicans, 35 by Democrats.

Judicial

State Supreme Court

There was no election for Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2024.

State Court of Appeals

Two seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals were on the ballot for the Spring general election, April 2, 2024.
* In District I, incumbent judge Pedro Colón, appointed by Governor Tony Evers in 2023, was elected to a full six-year term, running unopposed. One other candidate, Milwaukee County circuit judge Gwen Connolly, filed to run for the seat but failed to make the ballot.
* In District IV, incumbent judge JoAnne Kloppenburg was elected to a third six-year term, running unopposed. She was first elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2018, both times also without opposition.

State Circuit Courts

Fifty six of the state's 261 circuit court seats were on the ballot for the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. Only ten seats were contested, four incumbent judges faced a challenger, three were defeated.
* In Columbia County, attorney Roger L. Klopp defeated incumbent judge Troy D. Cross.
* In Door County, family court commissioner Jennifer Moeller defeated attorney Brett Reetz to succeed retiring judge D. Todd Ehlers.
* In Kenosha County, court commissioner Heather Iverson defeated incumbent judge Frank Gagliardi in the general election. Another court commissioner, William Michel, was eliminated in the primary.
* In La Crosse County, incumbent judge Mark A. Huesmann defeated former judge Candice C. M. Tlustosch in the general election.
* In Milwaukee County, Branch 43, state representative Marisabel Cabrera defeated attorney Rochelle N. Johnson-Bent to succeed retiring judge Marshall B. Murray.
* In Oneida County, assistant district attorney Mary M. Sowinski defeated county corporation counsel Michael Fugle to succeed retiring judge Michael H. Bloom.
* In Racine County, Branch 3, assistant district attorney Jessica Lynott defeated incumbent judge Toni L. Young in the general election.
* In Sauk County, attorney Blake J. Duren defeated attorney Nancy Thome to succeed retiring judge Patricia A. Barrett.
* In Walworth County, deputy county corporation counsel Estee E. Scholtz defeated court commissioner Peter M. Navis to succeed retiring judge Laura Lau.
* In Winnebago County, court commissioner Michael D. Rust defeated former judge LaKeisha D. Haase to succeed retiring judge Teresa S. Basiliere. Another court commissioner, Eric R. Heywood, was eliminated in the primary.

Ballot measures

There are four amendments to the Constitution of Wisconsin that will be voted on during 2024. The first two amendments were on the ballot for the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. The other two amendments will be on the Fall primary ballot, on August 13, 2024. All four amendments were proposed by Republicans and passed through the legislature on roughly party-line votes.

Both spring amendments were part of ongoing Republican attempts to change the process of election administration, motivated by grievances and conspiracy theories about the conduct and outcome of the 2020 elections.

The fall amendments are part of the Republican legislature's ongoing campaign to restrict the powers of the Democratic governor, which began just after he won the 2018 election. These two amendments attempt to restrict the governor's authority over spending of state money. The manner of the fall amendment process is also noteworthy, with Republicans specifying that the ratification vote should occur on the fall primary ballot rather than the fall general election ballot. Historically, all Wisconsin constitutional amendments were ratified at a general election. The unprecedented decision to place these amendments on the primary ballot may be intended to derive partisan advantage from historically low voter turnout in partisan primaries.

Spring Question 1

The first constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2024 dealt with the issue of external funding to support election administration. This amendment was proposed by Republican legislators in response to the Mark Zuckerberg-backed nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life making 10 million dollars worth of grants, spread across 100 Wisconsin municipalities and 38 Wisconsin counties to help those municipalities to pay election-related expenses for the 2020 elections. The amendment was ratified with 54% of the votes.

The question read:

Spring Question 2

The second constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2024 adds language to restrict who is allowed to perform actions related to carrying out elections in Wisconsin. Wisconsin already has laws describing who is allowed to work as a poll worker or elections officers, but the ambiguous wording of the new amendment could be intended to restrict any volunteer activities around election support that are not explicitly described by current law. The amendment was ratified with 58% of the votes.

The question read:

Fall Question 1

The third constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2024 is intended to restrict the ability of the legislature to delegate any spending authority to other entities. Existing law where the legislature had previously delegated authority could be invalidated by such an amendment.

The question reads:

Fall Question 2

The fourth constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2024 is intended to prohibit the governor from spending money that the state receives from the federal government without authorization from the state legislature. This was prompted by Republican discontent over the money Wisconsin received from President Biden's American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and CHIPS and Science Act, which enabled Governor Evers to fund a number of projects without legislative approval.

The question reads:

Local offices

County supervisor elections

There were regularly-scheduled county board of supervisors elections in all of Wisconsin's 72 counties as part of the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. County supervisors are elected for two year terms, the number of seats per county varie

Dane County

Dane County executive

There will be a special election for Dane County executive in 2024, concurrent with the Fall general election, November 5, 2024, due to the early resignation of incumbent executive Joe Parisi. So far four candidates have declared a run for the office, including former state senate minority leader Melissa Agard, Madison city councilmember Regina Vidaver, Dane county supervisor Dana Pellebon, and Dane County director of equity and inclusion Wes Sparkman.

Verona Mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Verona, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. Three-term incumbent, Luke Diaz, first elected in 2018, was re-elected unopposed with 98% of the vote, with the other 2% going to various write-in candidates.

Kenosha County

Kenosha mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Kenosha, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. The six-term incumbent John Antaramian, did not run for a seventh four-year term. In the general election, longtime city councilmember David Bogdala was elected the 51st mayor of Kenosha, defeating city plan commissioner Lydia Spottswood. Seven other candidates also ran, but were eliminated in the February primary: city councilmember Kelly MacKay, former county board member Tony Garcia, Peace in the Streets director Gregory Bennett Jr., Racial and Ethnic Equity Commission member Elizabeth Garcia, social media content creator Koerri Elijah, activist Andreas Meyer, and retiree Mary Morgan.

Kenosha County district attorney

There will be a regularly scheduled election for the district attorney's office during the Fall general election, November 5, 2024. The incumbent, Mike Graveley, is set to retire at the end of his term. So far there are two candidates in the race: deputy district attorney Carli McNeill, running as a Democrat, and attorney Xavier Solis, running as a Republican.

Marathon County

Wausau mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Wausau, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. City councilmember Doug Diny was elected mayor, defeating the incumbent mayor Katie Rosenberg. Local agitator Christopher Wood also ran, but was eliminated in the February primary. Wood has been a controversial figure in Wausau, known for shouting anti-semitic rhetoric on the sidewalk outside of Wausau events.

Milwaukee County

Milwaukee mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. The incumbent Cavalier Johnson, first elected in a 2022 special election, was elected to a full four-year term, defeating Wisconsin God Squad founder David King. Activist Ieshuh Griffin also ran, but was eliminated in the February primary.

Milwaukee County executive

A regularly scheduled county executive election was held in Milwaukee County, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. The incumbent David Crowley, first elected in 2020, was elected to a second four-year term. He defeated perennial candidate Ieshuh Griffin, who was also a candidate for mayor in 2024.

Milwaukee County district attorney

There will be a regularly scheduled district attorney election in Milwaukee County, concurrent with the Fall general election, November 5, 2024. The 18-year incumbent, John T. Chisholm, will not run for re-election and will retire at the end of this term. There is only one declared candidate in the race at this time, Chisholm's deputy, Kent Lovern.

Milwaukee city attorney

A regularly scheduled city attorney election was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. State representative Evan Goyke defeated incumbent city attorney Tearman Spencer.

Wauwatosa mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. The incumbent Dennis McBride, first elected in 2020, was elected to a second four-year term. He defeated city councilmember Andrew Meindl.

West Allis mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in West Allis, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. The incumbent Dan Devine, first elected ion 2008, was elected to a fifth four-year term. He defeated former business owner AmyRose Murphy.

Milwaukee Public Schools referendum

A referendum was held at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024, in which Milwaukee Public Schools sought $252 million increased funding by raising the property tax levy by $216 per $100,000 of property value. Milwaukee Public Schools stressed that the increased funding was needed to address a pending budget shortfall. The referendum faced significant opposition from Milwaukee's business community, but narrowly passed, with 51% voting in favor.

Outagamie County

Appleton mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Appleton, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. The incumbent Jake Woodford, first elected in 2020, won a second four-year term without opposition.

Kaukauna mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. Three-term incumbent Tony Penterman won his fourth two-year term without opposition.

Racine County

Burlington mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Burlington, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. Eight-term incumbent Jeannie Hefty did not run for a ninth two-year term. City councilmember Jon Schultz was elected mayor of Burlington, defeating fellow city councilmember Corina Kretschmer.

Waukesha County

Waukesha County district attorney

There will be a regularly scheduled district attorney election in Waukesha County, concurrent with the Fall general election, November 5, 2024. The incumbent, Susan Opper, will not run for re-election and will retire at the end of this term. So far there are two candidates in the race: deputy district attorney Mike Thurston and deputy district attorney Lesli Boese, both running for the Republican nomination.

Winnebago County

Menasha mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Menasha, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 2, 2024. Four-term incumbent Don Merkes did not run for a fifth four-year term. City councilmember Austin Hammond was elected mayor of Menasha, narrowly defeating fellow city councilmember Rebecca Nichols. Two other candidates also ran but were eliminated in the February primary: city council president Stan Sevenich and architectural intern Kyle Coenen.

See also

* Elections in Wisconsin
* ''Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission''
* Bilingual elections requirement for Wisconsin (per Voting Rights Act Amendments of 2006)
* Political party strength in Wisconsin

References

External links

Wisconsin Elections Commission
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* (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)

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