Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2016

Wisconsin 2016 elections

* * *

Presidential • U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State Assembly • State judges • Local judges • State ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls • Candidate ballot access |

|
|

2016 Wisconsin
Assembly Elections

Primary| August 9, 2016
General| November 8, 2016
2016 Election Results

2014・2012・2010・2008
2006・2004・2002・2000
2016 Elections

Choose a chamber below:
Select an election Alaska Senate Alaska House Arizona Senate Arizona House Arkansas Senate Arkansas House California Senate California Assembly Colorado Senate Colorado House Connecticut Senate Connecticut House Delaware Senate Delaware House Florida Senate Florida House Georgia Senate Georgia House Hawaii Senate Hawaii House Idaho Senate Idaho House Illinois Senate Illinois House Indiana Senate Indiana House Iowa Senate Iowa House Kansas Senate Kansas House Kentucky Senate Kentucky House Maine Senate Maine House Massachusetts Senate Massachusetts House Michigan House Minnesota Senate Minnesota House Missouri Senate Missouri House Montana Senate Montana House Nebraska Senate Nevada Senate Nevada Assembly New Hampshire Senate New Hampshire House New Mexico Senate New Mexico House New York Senate New York Assembly North Carolina Senate North Carolina House North Dakota Senate North Dakota House Ohio Senate Ohio House Oklahoma Senate Oklahoma House Oregon Senate Oregon House Pennsylvania Senate Pennsylvania House Rhode Island Senate Rhode Island House South Carolina Senate South Carolina House South Dakota Senate South Dakota House Tennessee Senate Tennessee House Texas Senate Texas House Utah Senate Utah House Vermont Senate Vermont House Washington Senate Washington House West Virginia Senate West Virginia House Wisconsin Senate Wisconsin Assembly Wyoming Senate Wyoming House

All 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly were up for election in 2016. Republicans gained one seat in the November 2016 general election.

HIGHLIGHTS

* Democrats fielded unopposed candidates in 28 districts, while Republicans had 21 unchallenged candidates.

* Ten incumbents—four Democrats and six Republicans—did not run for re-election in 2016. Only six of those seats had general election competition.

* If Democrats were to make any gains, it would have been in the 50 districts that had general election competition; only nine seats were competitive or mildly competitive in 2014.[1]

* Republicans held a state government trifecta heading into the election.

## Contents

* 1 Introduction
* 1.1 Majority control
* 2 Incumbents retiring
* 3 2016 election competitiveness
* 4 Races we watched
* 4.1 General election contests
* 5 List of candidates
* 6 General election
* 7 Primary election
* 7.1 Margins of victory
* 7.2 Important dates and deadlines
* 7.3 Competitiveness
* 7.3.1 Candidates unopposed by a major party
* 7.3.2 Primary challenges
* 7.3.3 Retired incumbents
* 7.3.4 Results from 2014
* 7.3.5 Historical context
* 7.4 Campaign contributions
* 7.4.1 State comparison
* 7.5 Qualifications
* 7.6 See also
* 7.7 External links
* 7.8 Footnotes

## Introduction[edit]

Elections for the Wisconsin State Assembly took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.

### Majority control[edit]

See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Wisconsin State Assembly:

Wisconsin State Assembly

Party  |  As of November 7, 2016  |  After November 8, 2016
|  Democratic Party |  36  |  35
|  Republican Party |  63 |  64
Total |  99 |  99

## Incumbents retiring[edit]

Ten incumbents did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:

Name  |  Party  |  Current Office

|
|

Alvin Ott |  Republican | Assembly District 3
Mandela Barnes |  Democratic | Assembly District 11
LaTonya Johnson |  Democratic | Assembly District 17
John Murtha |  Republican | Assembly District 29
Dean Knudson |  Republican | Assembly District 30
Andy Jorgensen |  Democratic | Assembly District 43
Robb Kahl |  Democratic | Assembly District 47
Tom Larson |  Republican | Assembly District 67
Dave Craig |  Republican | Assembly District 83
Dave Heaton |  Republican | Assembly District 85

## 2016 election competitiveness[edit]

Wisconsin saw a drop in electoral competitiveness.

Ballotpedia conducts a yearly study of electoral competitiveness in state legislative elections. Details on how well Wisconsin performed in the study are provided in the image below. Click here for the full 2016 Competitiveness Analysis »

* In the Wisconsin State Senate, there were 14 Democratic incumbents and 19 Republican incumbents. One incumbent faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There were no primary challenges in the Republican primary.

* In the Assembly, there were 36 Democratic incumbents and 63 Republican incumbents. Six assembly members faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There was one primary challenge in the Republican primary.

* Overall, 18.6 percent of Democratic incumbents and 21.4 percent of GOP incumbents faced primary opposition in all of the state legislatures with elections in 2016.

* The cumulative figure for how many state legislative candidates faced no major party opposition in November in these states was 41.8 percent. This compares to 32.7 percent in 2010, 38.3 percent in 2012, and 43.0 percent in 2014.

* More details on electoral competitiveness in Wisconsin can be found below.

## Races we watched[edit]

Ballotpedia identified six notable Wisconsin state legislative races in 2016, two of which were state Assembly contests.

Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's coverage of notable Wisconsin races »

### General election contests[edit]

State Assembly District 51

A Democratic candidate challenged the Republican incumbent for the seat.
☑ Todd Novak (Inc.) ☐ Jeff Wright

State Assembly District 85

A race for the open seat vacated by a Republican incumbent featured a candidate rematch.
☑ Patrick Snyder ☐ Mandy Wright

## List of candidates[edit]

# General election[edit]

2016 Wisconsin Assembly general election candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1  |  Lynn Utesch: 13,289  |  Joel Kitchens: 20,044 (I) a |
2  |  No candidate |  Andre Jacque: 20,039 (I) a |  Mark Grams: 8,837 (Ind.)
3  |  Sharon Wasileski: 11,969  |  Ron Tusler: 18,361 a |
4  |  Tony Lee: 12,016  |  David Steffen: 17,817 (I) a |
5  |  Sam Kelly: 10,933  |  Jim Steineke: 19,941 (I) a |
6  |  William Switalla: 7,944  |  Gary Tauchen: 18,690 (I) a |
7  |  Daniel Riemer: 13,514 (I) a |  Zachary Marshall: 9,212  |  Matthew Bughman: 1,303 (L)
8  |  JoCasta Zamarripa: 8,528 (I) a |  No candidate |
9  |  Josh Zepnick: 12,142 (I) a |  No candidate |
10  |  David Bowen: 21,228 (I) a |  No candidate |
11  |  Jason Fields: 18,418 a |  No candidate |
12  |  Frederick Kessler: 18,642 (I) a |  No candidate |
13  |  No candidate |  Rob Hutton: 23,904 (I) a |
14  |  Chris Rockwood: 14,934  |  Dale Kooyenga: 20,001 (I) a |
15  |  No candidate |  Joe Sanfelippo: 21,525 (I) a |
16  |  Leon Young: 18,019 (I) a |  No candidate |
17  |  David Crowley: 21,715 a |  No candidate |
18  |  Evan Goyke: 18,006 (I) a |  No candidate |
19  |  Jonathan Brostoff: 26,732 (I) a |  No candidate |
20  |  Christine Sinicki: 21,222 (I) a |  No candidate |
21  |  John F. Redmond: 11,338  |  Jessie Rodriguez: 16,589 (I) a |
22  |  No candidate |  Janel Brandtjen: 26,131 (I) a |
23  |  No candidate |  Jim Ott: 25,670 (I) a |
24  |  No candidate |  Daniel Knodl: 24,047 (I) a |
25  |  Ronald Kossik: 9,305  |  Paul Tittl: 17,325 (I) a |
26  |  Rebecca Clarke: 11,283  |  Terry Katsma: 16,583 (I) a |
27  |  Nanette Bulebosh: 11,501  |  Tyler Vorpagel: 18,644 (I) a |
28  |  Jeff Peterson: 9,837  |  Adam Jarchow: 17,612 (I) a |  Vincent Zilka: 1,580 (Veterans Party of America)
29  |  Scottie Ard: 10,661  |  Rob Stafsholt: 16,774 a |
30  |  Scott Nelson: 12,358  |  Shannon Zimmerman: 17,790 a |  Aaron Taylor: 1,574 (Ind.)
31  |  Clinton Anderson: 10,348  |  Amy Loudenbeck: 18,465 (I) a |
32  |  Christine Welcher: 10,090  |  Tyler August: 16,862 (I) a |
33  |  Brandon White: 11,246  |  Cody Horlacher: 18,851 (I) a |
34  |  Matthew Michalsen: 12,715  |  Rob Swearingen: 21,686 (I) a |
35  |  Renea Frederick: 9,564  |  Mary Czaja: 18,622 (I) a |
36  |  No candidate |  Jeffrey Mursau: 22,899 (I) a |
37  |  Jordan Turner: 10,990  |  John Jagler: 17,821 (I) a |
38  |  Scott Michalak: 12,288  |  Joel Kleefisch: 20,708 (I) a |
39  |  Jim Zahn: 9,192  |  Mark Born: 19,028 (I) a |
40  |  Dmitri Martin: 9,801  |  Kevin Petersen: 17,866 (I) a |
41  |  No candidate |  Joan Ballweg: 17,711 (I) a |  Bradley Pearson: 7,382 (Ind.)
42  |  George Ferriter: 11,867  |  Keith Ripp: 16,842 (I) a |
43  |  Don Vruwink: 16,179 a |  Allison Hetz: 13,427  |
44  |  Debra Kolste: 19,948 (I) a |  No candidate |
45  |  Mark Spreitzer: 17,867 (I) a |  No candidate |
46  |  Gary Hebl: 24,678 (I) a |  No candidate |
47  |  Jimmy Anderson: 19,154 a |  No candidate |  Adam Dahl: 8,596 (Bernie Sanders Ind.)
48  |  Melissa Sargent: 26,534 (I) a |  No candidate |
49  |  Jesse Bennett: 11,344  |  Travis Tranel: 15,056 (I) a |
50  |  Art Shrader: 10,762  |  Ed Brooks: 14,774 (I) a |
51  |  Jeff Wright: 13,189  |  Todd Novak: 13,912 (I) a |
52  |  Paul Czisny: 9,829  |  Jeremy Thiesfeldt: 17,293 (I) a |
53  |  No candidate |  Michael Schraa: 21,641 (I) a |
54  |  Gordon Hintz: 17,923 (I) a |  No candidate |  Jordan Hansen: 7,682 (L)
55  |  Bob Baker: 11,523  |  Mike Rohrkaste: 18,393 (I) a |
56  |  Mariana Stout: 11,551  |  Dave Murphy: 21,022 (I) a |
57  |  Amanda Stuck: 19,048 (I) a |  No candidate |
58  |  No candidate |  Bob Gannon: 25,457 (I) a |
59  |  No candidate |  Jesse Kremer: 25,847 (I) a |
60  |  No candidate |  Robert Brooks: 23,806 (I) a |  David Pelikan: 7,895 (Ind.)
61  |  Amee Janus: 9,792  |  Samantha Kerkman: 19,622 (I) a |
62  |  No candidate |  Tom Weatherston: 22,523 (I) a |
63  |  Andy Mitchell: 10,487  |  Robin Vos: 18,771 (I) a |
64  |  Peter Barca: 18,799 (I) a |  No candidate |
65  |  Tod Ohnstad: 16,112 (I) a |  No candidate |
66  |  Cory Mason: 13,526 (I) a |  No candidate |  George Meyers: 3,107 (L)
67  |  Dennis Hunt: 10,308  |  Rob Summerfield: 18,574 a |
68  |  Howard White: 11,263  |  Kathy Bernier: 15,628 (I) a |
69  |  No candidate |  Bob Kulp: 21,443 (I) a |
70  |  Mark Holbrook: 10,266  |  Nancy VanderMeer: 16,963 (I) a |
71  |  Katrina Shankland: 21,834 (I) a |  No candidate |
72  |  David Gorski: 12,279  |  Scott Krug: 15,972 (I) a |
73  |  Nick Milroy: 22,107 (I) a |  No candidate |
74  |  Beth Meyers: 22,624 (I) a |  No candidate |
75  |  Joe Huftel: 10,894  |  Romaine Quinn: 17,786 (I) a |
76  |  Chris Taylor: 33,628 (I) a |  Jon Rygiewicz: 6,877  |
77  |  Terese Berceau: 29,069 (I) a |  No candidate |
78  |  Lisa Subeck: 25,362 (I) a |  No candidate |  Chris Fisher: 6,661 (Ind.)
79  |  Dianne Hesselbein: 23,211 (I) a |  Jordan Zadra: 13,105  |
80  |  Sondy Pope: 26,250 (I) a |  No candidate |
81  |  Dave Considine: 17,270 (I) a |  David Moore: 11,265  |
82  |  No candidate |  Ken Skowronski: 21,080 (I) a |
83  |  No candidate |  Chuck Wichgers: 26,596 a |
84  |  No candidate |  Mike Kuglitsch: 21,987 (I) a |
85  |  Mandy Wright: 12,837  |  Patrick Snyder: 14,722 a |
86  |  Nancy Stencil: 11,142  |  John Spiros: 18,246 (I) a |  Michael Tauschek: 2,047 (Ind.)
87  |  Elizabeth Riley: 8,554  |  James Edming: 18,179 (I) a |
88  |  Noah Reif: 11,312  |  John Macco: 17,742 (I) a |
89  |  Heidi Fencl: 9,055  |  John Nygren: 19,429 (I) a |
90  |  Eric Genrich: 14,387 (I) a |  No candidate |
91  |  Dana Wachs: 17,780 (I) a |  Bill Ingram: 11,341  |
92  |  Chris Danou: 12,540 (I) |  Treig Pronschinske: 13,605 a |
93  |  No candidate |  Warren Petryk: 24,298 (I) a |
94  |  Steve Doyle: 16,721 (I) a |  Julian Bradley: 15,049  |
95  |  Jill Billings: 23,020 (I) a |  No candidate |
96  |  Alicia Leinberger: 10,186  |  Lee Nerison: 16,000 (I) a |
97  |  No candidate |  Scott Allen: 21,611 (I) a |
98  |  No candidate |  Adam Neylon: 25,592 (I) a |
99  |  No candidate |  Cindi Duchow: 28,597 (I) a |
|  |  |
Notes |  • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
|  • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

# Primary election[edit]

2016 Wisconsin Assembly primary candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1 | Lynn Utesch a | Joel Kitchens (I) a |
2 | No candidate | Andre Jacque (I) a | Mark Grams (Ind.) a
3 | Sharon Wasileski a | Josh Young: 197
Ron Tusler: 2,589 a
Bradley Schinke: 1,218
Christopher Schaefer: 739 |
4 | Tony Lee a | David Steffen (I) a |
5 | Sam Kelly a | Jim Steineke (I) a |
6 | William Switalla a | Gary Tauchen (I) a |
7 | Daniel Riemer (I) a | Zachary Marshall a | Matthew Bughman (L) a
8 | JoCasta Zamarripa: 683 (I) a
Laura Manriquez: 381 | No candidate |
9 | Marisabel Cabrera: 1,073
Josh Zepnick: 1,222 (I) a | No candidate |
10 | David Bowen (I) a | No candidate |
11 | Jason Fields: 2,933 a
Darrol Gibson: 2,063 | No candidate |
12 | Frederick Kessler (I) a | No candidate |
13 | No candidate | Rob Hutton (I) a |
14 | Chris Rockwood a | Dale Kooyenga (I) a |
15 | No candidate | Joe Sanfelippo (I) a |
16 | Stephen Jansen: 214
Brandy Bond: 418
Leon Young: 2,211 (I) a
Edgar Lin: 1,641 | No candidate |
17 | Marcus Hart: 887
Kim Burns: 1,635
David Crowley: 3,303 a | No candidate |
18 | Evan Goyke (I) a | No candidate |
19 | Jonathan Brostoff (I) a | No candidate |
20 | Julie Meyer: 2,374
Christine Sinicki: 3,530 (I) a | No candidate |
21 | Frank Disco Gratke: 781
John F. Redmond: 1,771 a | Jessie Rodriguez (I) a |
22 | No candidate | Janel Brandtjen (I) a |
23 | No candidate | Jim Ott (I) a |
24 | No candidate | Daniel Knodl (I) a |
25 | Ronald Kossik a | Paul Tittl (I) a |
26 | Evan Braun: 650
Rebecca Clarke: 2,372 a | Terry Katsma (I) a |
27 | Nanette Bulebosh a | Tyler Vorpagel (I) a |
28 | Jeff Peterson a | Adam Jarchow (I) a | Vincent Zilka (Veterans Party of America) a
29 | Randy Knaack: 1,047
Scottie Ard: 1,103 a | Rob Stafsholt: 1,352 a
Vince Trudell: 485 |
30 | Scott Nelson a | Shannon Zimmerman: 1,565 a
Paul Berning: 1,138 | Aaron Taylor (Ind.) a
31 | Don Prestia: 1,009
Clinton Anderson: 1,652 a | Amy Loudenbeck (I) a |
32 | Christine Welcher a | Tyler August (I) a |
33 | Brandon White a | Cody Horlacher (I) a |
34 | Lawrence Dale: 630
Matthew Michalsen: 2,109 a | Rob Swearingen (I) a |
35 | Renea Frederick: 999 a
Derek Woellner: 622
Erik Pfantz: 481 | Mary Czaja (I) a |
36 | No candidate | Jeffrey Mursau (I) a |
37 | Jordan Turner a | John Jagler (I) a |
38 | Chris Gutschenritter: 696
Scott Michalak: 1,672 a | Joel Kleefisch (I) a |
39 | Jim Zahn a | Mark Born (I) a |
40 | Dmitri Martin a | Kevin Petersen (I) a |
41 | No candidate | Joan Ballweg (I) a | Bradley Pearson (Ind.) a
42 | George Ferriter a | Keith Ripp (I) a |
43 | Anissa Welch: 2,207
Don Vruwink: 3,038 a | Allison Hetz a |
44 | Debra Kolste (I) a | No candidate |
45 | Mark Spreitzer (I) a | No candidate |
46 | Gary Hebl (I) a | No candidate |
47 | Julia Arata-Fratta: 3,021
H. Tony Hartmann: 1,336
Jimmy Anderson: 3,517 a | No candidate | Adam Dahl (Bernie Sanders Ind.) a
48 | Melissa Sargent (I) a | No candidate |
49 | Jesse Bennett a | Travis Tranel (I) a |
50 | Art Shrader: 2,192 a
Tom Crofton: 925 | Ed Brooks (I) a |
51 | Jeff Wright a | Todd Novak (I) a |
52 | Paul Czisny a | Jeremy Thiesfeldt (I) a |
53 | No candidate | Michael Schraa (I) a |
54 | Gordon Hintz (I) a | No candidate | Jordan Hansen (L) a
55 | Bob Baker a | Mike Rohrkaste (I) a |
56 | Mariana Stout a | Dave Murphy (I) a |
57 | Amanda Stuck (I) a | No candidate |
58 | No candidate | Bob Gannon (I) a |
59 | No candidate | Jesse Kremer (I) a |
60 | No candidate | Robert Brooks (I) a | David Pelikan (Ind.) a
61 | Amee Janus a | Samantha Kerkman (I) a |
62 | No candidate | Tom Weatherston (I) a |
63 | Andy Mitchell a | Robin Vos (I) a |
64 | Peter Barca (I) a | No candidate |
65 | Tod Ohnstad (I) a | No candidate |
66 | Cory Mason (I) a | No candidate | George Meyers (L) a
67 | Dennis Hunt: 1,813 a
Denny Doughty: 780 | Travis C. Hakes: 647
Tony Zammit: 328
Rob Summerfield: 1,231 a
Michael Hanke: 849 |
68 | Howard White a | Kathy Bernier (I) a |
69 | No candidate | Bob Kulp (I) a |
70 | Mark Holbrook a | Nancy VanderMeer (I) a |
71 | Katrina Shankland (I) a | No candidate |
72 | Russ Brown: 1,380
David Gorski: 1,781 a | Scott Krug (I) a |
73 | Nick Milroy (I) a | No candidate |
74 | Beth Meyers (I) a | No candidate |
75 | Joe Huftel a | Romaine Quinn (I) a |
76 | Chris Taylor (I) a | Jon Rygiewicz a |
77 | Terese Berceau (I) a | No candidate |
78 | Lisa Subeck: 6,882 (I) a
Jacob Wischmeier: 1,170 | No candidate | Chris Fisher (Ind.) a
79 | Dianne Hesselbein (I) a | Jordan Zadra a |
80 | Sondy Pope: 5,210 (I) a
Luke Joseph: 978 | No candidate |
81 | Dave Considine (I) a | David Moore a |
82 | No candidate | Ken Skowronski (I) a |
83 | No candidate | Karen Schuh: 915
Chuck Wichgers: 4,077 a
Jordan Karweik: 576
Steven Whittow: 2,817 |
84 | No candidate | Mike Kuglitsch (I) a |
85 | Mandy Wright a | Patrick Snyder a |
86 | Nancy Stencil: 1,942 a
John Small: 408 | John Spiros (I) a | Michael Tauschek (Ind.) a
87 | Elizabeth Riley a | James Edming (I) a |
88 | Noah Reif a | John Macco (I) a |
89 | Heidi Fencl a | John Nygren (I) a |
90 | Eric Genrich (I) a | No candidate |
91 | Dana Wachs (I) a | Bill Ingram a |
92 | Chris Danou (I) a | Treig Pronschinske: 960 a
Debbie Bork: 808 |
93 | No candidate | Warren Petryk (I) a |
94 | Steve Doyle (I) a | Julian Bradley a |
95 | Jill Billings (I) a | No candidate |
96 | Alicia Leinberger a | Lee Nerison (I) a |
97 | No candidate | Scott Allen (I) a |
98 | No candidate | Adam Neylon (I) a |
99 | No candidate | Cindi Duchow (I) a |
|  |  |
Notes |  • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
|  • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

## Margins of victory[edit]

The average margin of victory for contested races in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2016 was lower than the national average. Out of 99 races in the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2016, 57 were contested, meaning at least two candidates competed for that seat in the general election. The average margin of victory across these races was 26.3 percent. Across contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 29.01 percent.[2]

Democratic candidates in the Wisconsin State Assembly saw larger margins of victory than Republican candidates in 2016. Democrats won 35 races. In the 11 races where a winning Democrat faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 33.5 percent. Republicans won 64 races in 2016. In the 46 races where a winning Republican faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 24.6 percent.

More Republican candidates than Democratic candidates saw margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. Five of the 57 contested races in 2016—8.8 percent—saw margins of victory that were 10 percent or less. Two races saw margins of victory that were 5 percent or less. Republicans won three races with margins of victory of 10 percent or less.

Wisconsin State Assembly: 2016 Margins of Victory Less than 10 Percent

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 43 | D | 9.3 percent
District 51 | R | 2.7 percent
District 85 | R | 6.8 percent
District 92 | R | 4.1 percent
District 94 | D | 5.3 percent
The average margin of victory for incumbents in the Wisconsin State Assembly who ran for re-election and won in 2016 was lower than the national average. Eighty-eight incumbents who ran for re-election in 2016 won. The average margin of victory for the 49 winning Wisconsin State Assembly incumbents who faced a challenger in 2016 was 27.6 percent. The average margin of victory for all winning incumbents in contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016 was 31.8 percent.

Democratic incumbents in the Wisconsin State Assembly saw larger margins of victory than Republican incumbents. 31 Democratic incumbents won re-election. In the nine races where a winning Democratic incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 35.7 percent. 57 Republican incumbents won re-election. In the 40 races where a winning Republican incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 25.8 percent.

Wisconsin State Assembly: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis

Party | Elections won | Average margin of victory[3] | Races with incumbent victories | Average margin of victory for incumbents[3] | Unopposed incumbents | Unopposed races | Percent unopposed
Democratic | 35 | 33.5 percent | 31 | 35.7 percent | 22 | 24 | 68.6 percent
Republican | 64 | 24.6 percent | 57 | 25.8 percent | 17 | 18 | 28.1 percent
Total | 99 | 26.3 percent | 88 | 27.6 percent | 39 | 42 | 42.4 percent

Click [show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in Wisconsin State Assembly districts in 2016.

Wisconsin State Assembly: 2016 Margin of Victory by District

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 1 | R | 20.3 percent
District 2 | R | 38.8 percent
District 3 | R | 21.1 percent
District 4 | R | 19.4 percent
District 5 | R | 29.2 percent
District 6 | R | 40.4 percent
District 7 | D | 17.9 percent
District 8 | D | Unopposed
District 9 | D | Unopposed
District 10 | D | Unopposed
District 11 | D | Unopposed
District 12 | D | Unopposed
District 13 | R | Unopposed
District 14 | R | 14.5 percent
District 15 | R | Unopposed
District 16 | D | Unopposed
District 17 | D | Unopposed
District 18 | D | Unopposed
District 19 | D | Unopposed
District 20 | D | Unopposed
District 21 | R | 18.8 percent
District 22 | R | Unopposed
District 23 | R | Unopposed
District 24 | R | Unopposed
District 25 | R | 30.1 percent
District 26 | R | 19.0 percent
District 27 | R | 23.7 percent
District 28 | R | 26.8 percent
District 29 | R | 22.3 percent
District 30 | R | 17.1 percent
District 31 | R | 28.2 percent
District 32 | R | 25.1 percent
District 33 | R | 25.3 percent
District 34 | R | 26.1 percent
District 35 | R | 32.1 percent
District 36 | R | Unopposed
District 37 | R | 23.7 percent
District 38 | R | 25.5 percent
District 39 | R | 34.9 percent
District 40 | R | 29.2 percent
District 41 | R | 41.2 percent
District 42 | R | 17.3 percent
District 43 | D | 9.3 percent
District 44 | D | Unopposed
District 45 | D | Unopposed
District 46 | D | Unopposed
District 47 | D | 38.1 percent
District 48 | D | Unopposed
District 49 | R | 14.1 percent
District 50 | R | 15.7 percent
District 51 | R | 2.7 percent
District 52 | R | 27.5 percent
District 53 | R | Unopposed
District 54 | D | 40.0 percent
District 55 | R | 23.0 percent
District 56 | R | 29.1 percent
District 57 | D | Unopposed
District 58 | R | Unopposed
District 59 | R | Unopposed
District 60 | R | 50.2 percent
District 61 | R | 33.4 percent
District 62 | R | Unopposed
District 63 | R | 28.3 percent
District 64 | D | Unopposed
District 65 | D | Unopposed
District 66 | D | 62.6 percent
District 67 | R | 28.6 percent
District 68 | R | 16.2 percent
District 69 | R | Unopposed
District 70 | R | 24.6 percent
District 71 | D | Unopposed
District 72 | R | 13.1 percent
District 73 | D | Unopposed
District 74 | D | Unopposed
District 75 | R | 24.0 percent
District 76 | D | 66.0 percent
District 77 | D | Unopposed
District 78 | D | 58.4 percent
District 79 | D | 27.8 percent
District 80 | D | Unopposed
District 81 | D | 21.0 percent
District 82 | R | Unopposed
District 83 | R | Unopposed
District 84 | R | Unopposed
District 85 | R | 6.8 percent
District 86 | R | 22.6 percent
District 87 | R | 36.0 percent
District 88 | R | 22.1 percent
District 89 | R | 36.4 percent
District 90 | D | Unopposed
District 91 | D | 22.1 percent
District 92 | R | 4.1 percent
District 93 | R | Unopposed
District 94 | D | 5.3 percent
District 95 | D | Unopposed
District 96 | R | 22.2 percent
District 97 | R | Unopposed
District 98 | R | Unopposed
District 99 | R | Unopposed

## Important dates and deadlines[edit]

See also: Wisconsin elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Wisconsin in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016

Deadline  |  Event type  |  Event description
January 5, 2016 |  Ballot access  |  Last day for candidates to file nomination papers, declarations of candidacy and campaign registration statements for the spring election
January 15, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  January continuing report due
February 8, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Spring pre-primary report due
March 28, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Spring pre-election report due
June 1, 2016 | Ballot access  |  Last day for candidates to file nomination papers, declarations of candidacy and campaign registration statements for the general election
July 15, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  July continuing report due
August 1, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Fall partisan primary report due
August 9, 2016 | Election date  |  State partisan primary election
September 27, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Fourth Tuesday in September report due
October 31, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Fall general election report due
November 8, 2016 | Election date  |  General election
Sources: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Calendar of Election and Campaign Events," accessed January 11, 2016
Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "New Campaign Finance Laws Effective January 1, 2016," December 21, 2015

## Competitiveness[edit]

### Candidates unopposed by a major party[edit]

In 49 of the 99 seats up for election in 2016, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of 28 Democrats and 21 Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.

Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 50 (50.5%) of the 99 seats up for election.

### Primary challenges[edit]

Six incumbents faced primary competition on August 9. Ten incumbents did not seek re-election and another 83 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition.

### Retired incumbents[edit]

Ten incumbents did not run for re-election, while 89 (89.8%) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, four Democrats and six Republicans can be found above.

### Results from 2014[edit]

See also: 2014 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Index—the number of open seats, incumbents facing primary opposition, and general elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than in recent years.

Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.

Overall Comparison between years

|  2010  |  2012  |  2014
Competitiveness Index  | 36.2  | 35.8  | 31.4
% Open Seats  | 18.6%  | 21.2%  | 17.0%
% Inc that did face primary  | 22.7%  | 24.6%  | 20.1%
% Candidates that did face major party opp  | 67.3%  | 61.7%  | 57.0%

The following table details Wisconsin's rates for open seats, incumbents that faced primary challenges, and major party competition in the 2014 general election.

Wisconsin Legislature 2014 Competitiveness

% Open Seats  |  % Inc that did face primary  |  % Candidates that did face major party opp  |  Competitiveness Index  |  Overall rank
22.4%  |  12.2%  |  51.7%  |  28.8  |  26

### Historical context[edit]

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

## Campaign contributions[edit]

The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State Assembly in Wisconsin in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State Assembly races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[4]

Wisconsin State Assembly Donations

Year  | Candidates  | Amount
2014  |  210  |  $6,950,273
2012  |  284  |  $7,980,195
2010  |  273  |  $7,566,981
2008  |  245  |  $8,805,839
2006  |  209  |  $6,341,156

### State comparison[edit]

The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state houses. The average contributions raised by state house candidates in 2014 was $59,983. Wisconsin, at $33,097 per candidate, is ranked 28 of 45 for state house chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s house candidates in 2014.[4][5]

## Qualifications[edit]

Section 6 of Article 4 of the Wisconsin Constitution states: "No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not have resided one year within the state, and be a qualified elector in the district which he may be chosen to represent."

## See also[edit]

* Wisconsin State Assembly
* Wisconsin State Legislature
* State legislative elections, 2016

## External links[edit]

|  Suggest a link

|

* Wisconsin Government Accountability Board \- Candidate list

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Under Ballotpedia's competitiveness criteria, districts that have a margin of victory of less than 5 percent are considered highly competitive. Districts that have a margin of victory from 5 to 10 percent are considered mildly competitive.
2. ↑ This calculation excludes chambers that had elections where two or more members were elected in a race. These chambers are the Arizona House, the New Hampshire House, the North Dakota House, the South Dakota House, the Vermont House, the Vermont Senate, and the West Virginia House.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Excludes unopposed elections
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in Wisconsin," accessed July 28, 2015
5. ↑ This map relies on data collected in July 2015.

[show]

Current members of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Robin Vos

Representatives

District 1

Joel Kitchens (R)

District 2

Shae Sortwell (R)

District 3

Ron Tusler (R)

District 4

David Steffen (R)

District 5

Jim Steineke (R)

District 6

Gary Tauchen (R)

District 7

Daniel Riemer (D)

District 8

Sylvia Velez (D)

District 9

Marisabel Cabrera (D)

District 10

David Bowen (D)

District 11

Dora Drake (D)

District 12

LaKeshia Myers (D)

District 13

Sara Rodriguez (D)

District 14

Robyn Vining (D)

District 15

Joe Sanfelippo (R)

District 16

Kalan Haywood (D)

District 17

Supreme Omokunde (D)

District 18

Evan Goyke (D)

District 19

Jonathan Brostoff (D)

District 20

Christine Sinicki (D)

District 21

Jessie Rodriguez (R)

District 22

Janel Brandtjen (R)

District 23

Deb Andraca (D)

District 24

Daniel Knodl (R)

District 25

Paul Tittl (R)

District 26

Terry Katsma (R)

District 27

Tyler Vorpagel (R)

District 28

Gae Magnafici (R)

District 29

Clint Moses (R)

District 30

Shannon Zimmerman (R)

District 31

Amy Loudenbeck (R)

District 32

Tyler August (R)

District 33

Cody Horlacher (R)

District 34

Rob Swearingen (R)

District 35

Calvin Callahan (R)

District 36

Jeffrey Mursau (R)

District 37

William Penterman (R)

District 38

Barbara Dittrich (R)

District 39

Mark Born (R)

District 40

Kevin Petersen (R)

District 41

Alex Dallman (R)

District 42

Jon Plumer (R)

District 43

Don Vruwink (D)

District 44

Sue Conley (D)

District 45

Mark Spreitzer (D)

District 46

Gary Hebl (D)

District 47

Jimmy Anderson (D)

District 48

Samba Baldeh (D)

District 49

Travis Tranel (R)

District 50

Tony Kurtz (R)

District 51

Todd Novak (R)

District 52

Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R)

District 53

Michael Schraa (R)

District 54

Gordon Hintz (D)

District 55

Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R)

District 56

Dave Murphy (R)

District 57

Lee Snodgrass (D)

District 58

Rick Gundrum (R)

District 59

Timothy Ramthun (R)

District 60

Robert Brooks (R)

District 61

Samantha Kerkman (R)

District 62

Robert Wittke (R)

District 63

Robin Vos (R)

District 64

Tip McGuire (D)

District 65

Tod Ohnstad (D)

District 66

Greta Neubauer (D)

District 67

Rob Summerfield (R)

District 68

Jesse James (R)

District 69

Donna Rozar (R)

District 70

Nancy VanderMeer (R)

District 71

Katrina Shankland (D)

District 72

Scott Krug (R)

District 73

Nick Milroy (D)

District 74

Beth Meyers (D)

District 75

David Armstrong (R)

District 76

Francesca Hong (D)

District 77

Shelia Stubbs (D)

District 78

Lisa Subeck (D)

District 79

Dianne Hesselbein (D)

District 80

Sondy Pope (D)

District 81

Dave Considine (D)

District 82

Ken Skowronski (R)

District 83

Chuck Wichgers (R)

District 84

Mike Kuglitsch (R)

District 85

Patrick Snyder (R)

District 86

John Spiros (R)

District 87

James Edming (R)

District 88

John Macco (R)

District 89

Elijah Behnke (R)

District 90

Kristina Shelton (D)

District 91

Jodi Emerson (D)

District 92

Treig Pronschinske (R)

District 93

Warren Petryk (R)

District 94

Steve Doyle (D)

District 95

Jill Billings (D)

District 96

Loren Oldenburg (R)

District 97

Scott Allen (R)

District 98

Adam Neylon (R)

District 99

Cindi Duchow (R)

Republican Party (61)

Democratic Party (38)

v • e

2016 Elections to State legislatures

State Senate elections|

Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Massachusetts • Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

* * *

State House elections|

Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Maine • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

* * *