Wisconsin s 1st Congressional District elections, 2014

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Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District

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General Election Date
November 4, 2014

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Primary Date
August 12, 2014

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November 4 Election Winner:
Paul Ryan
Incumbent prior to election:
Paul Ryan

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Race Ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican[1]

Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2]

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Wisconsin U.S. House Elections District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8

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2014 U.S. Senate Elections

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## Contents

* 1 Candidates
* 2 Election results
* 2.1 General election
* 2.2 Republican primary
* 2.3 Democratic primary
* 3 Key votes
* 3.1 Farm bill
* 3.2 2014 Budget
* 3.3 Government shutdown
* 3.4 HR 676
* 4 Issues
* 4.1 Paul Ryan
* 4.1.1 Budget report
* 4.2 Amar Kaleka
* 4.2.1 Marijuana use
* 4.2.2 Residency
* 4.2.3 Sirius
* 5 Media
* 6 Campaign contributions
* 6.1 Paul Ryan
* 6.1.1 Big second quarter
* 6.2 Rob Zerban
* 6.3 Amar Kaleka
* 7 District history
* 7.1 2012
* 7.2 2010
* 8 See also
* 9 External links
* 10 Footnotes

The 1st Congressional District of Wisconsin held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Paul Ryan (R) defeated Rob Zerban (D) in the general election. Zerban also failed to unseat Ryan in 2012.[3] Keith Deschler (L) ran as a write-in candidate.

Ryan fended off a challenge from Jeremy Ryan in the Republican primary on August 12, 2014, while Zerban defeated Amar Kaleka in the Democratic primary.[4]

The race was rated a "Safe Republican" contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.[5]

Candidate Filing Deadline  | Primary Election  | General Election

|
|

June 2, 2014 | August 12, 2014 | November 4, 2014

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Wisconsin utilizes an open primary system; registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[6][7]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Voter registration: To vote in the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 15, 2014 (20 days before election).[8]

See also: Wisconsin elections, 2014

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Paul Ryan (R), who was first elected in 1998.

Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District encompasses Kenosha and Racine counties and portions of Milwaukee, Rock, Walworth and Waukesha counties.[9]

## Candidates[edit]

General election candidates

* Paul Ryan \- Incumbenta
* Rob Zerban
* Keith Deschler \- Write-in candidate[10][11][12]

August 12, 2014, primary results

Republican Primary

* Paul Ryana[4]
* Jeremy Ryan[13]

Democratic Primary

* Amar Kaleka[14]
* Rob Zerbana[15][4]

|

Failed to file

* Joseph Kexel[10][16]
* Steve Hogan \- Impeach Obama for Unconstitutional Acts Party[10][16]

## Election results[edit]

### General election[edit]

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 1 General Election, 2014 Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes

|
|
|

| Republican  | Paul Ryan Incumbent | 63.3% | 182,316
| Democratic  |  Rob Zerban  | 36.6% | 105,552
| Independent  |  Keith Deschler - Write-in  | 0% | 29
| N/A  |  Scattering  | 0.1% | 273
Total Votes | 288,170
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

### Republican primary[edit]

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 1 Republican Primary, 2014 Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Paul Ryan Incumbent | 94.3% | 40,813
Jeremy Ryan  | 5.7% | 2,450
Scattering  | 0.1% | 30
Total Votes | 43,293
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

### Democratic primary[edit]

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 1 Democratic Primary, 2014 Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Rob Zerban | 77.6% | 25,627
Amar Kaleka  | 22.2% | 7,318
Scattering  | 0.2% | 71
Total Votes | 33,016
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

## Key votes[edit]

Below are important votes Ryan cast during the 113th Congress.

### Farm bill[edit]

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill.[17] The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop.[18][19] It also cut the food stamp program an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states.[19] Ryan voted with 161 other Republican representatives in favor of the bill.

### 2014 Budget[edit]

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014.[20][21] The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582-page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill.[21] The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations.[22] It increased the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent, increased Head Start funding for early childhood education by $1 billion, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and protected the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Ryan voted with the majority of the Republican Party in favor of the bill.[20]

### Government shutdown[edit]

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[23] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[24] Ryan voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[25]

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[26] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Ryan voted against HR 2775.[27]

### HR 676[edit]

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit.[28] Ryan joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.[29][30]

## Issues[edit]

### Paul Ryan[edit]

#### Budget report[edit]

In a March 2014 report critiquing the budget situation, Paul Ryan developed his own proposal of programs to cut; among those programs were welfare, child care, college Pell grants and other assistance programs.[31] In the short term, Ryan's proposal attempted to introduce some concrete Republican solutions to reverse perceptions that the GOP has become simply the party of "no" in opposition to Obama.[31] "This report will help start the conversation. It shows that some programs work; others don't. And for many of them, we just don't know. Clearly, we can do better," Ryan said.[31]

### Amar Kaleka[edit]

#### Marijuana use[edit]

Kaleka (D) admitted to using medical marijuana while living in California, after his father was killed in the Sikh temple shooting in 2012.[32]

"It's something I had used in the past to get over a lot of the anxiety, the sleepless nights, the hunger. I would be hungry, but I couldn't eat...The major things were depression, suicidal thoughts, couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, going four or five days without sleep, and that really messes with you," Kaleka said.[32]

#### Residency[edit]

Kaleka (D) is a filmmaker and divides his time between Los Angeles and Wisconsin. He claimed Wisconsin is his home and pointed out that he has paid taxes in both Wisconsin and California. He also explained that his split residency does not hinder his campaign saying, "I don’t know if (where you live) corresponds to whether you’re going to do a good job in Congress. I would rather elect somebody who has a lot of national leadership experience and international experience."[33]

#### Sirius[edit]

Sirius was Kaleka's latest documentary. The film discusses "...the belief that oil interests and their allies in government have suppressed the existence of alternative energy sources."

Kaleka said, "I don’t think that any knowledgeable human would say that extra-terrestrials don’t exist."[33]

## Media[edit]

Paul Ryan, "Audit."

Paul Ryan, "Step up to the Plate."

Paul Ryan, "Mom and Aunt Ellen."

* In the October 2014 ad, "Audit," Ryan criticized the IRS and called for tax reform.

* In the October 2014 ad, "Step up to the Plate," Ryan promised to protect taxpayers' money.

* In the October 2014 ad, "Mom and Aunt Ellen," Ryan promised to protect medicare and social security.

## Campaign contributions[edit]

### Paul Ryan[edit]

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Ryan's reports.[34]

Paul Ryan (2014) Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
April Quarterly[35]| April 8, 2013| $1,363,328.25| $606,616.49| $(414,968.43)| $1,554,976.31
July Quarterly[36]| July 8, 2013| $1,554,976.31| $1,106,812.48| $(474,978.85)| $2,186,809.94
October Quarterly[37]| October 11, 2013| $2,186,809.94| $1,173,587.18| $(750,483.14)| $2,609,913.98
Year-end[38]| January 31, 2014| $2,609,913| $1,053,283| $(456,603)| $3,206,594
April Quarterly[39]| April 9, 2014| $3,206,594.31| $1,396,792.5| $(595,990.76)| $4,007,396.05
July Quarterly[40]| July 10, 2014| $4,007,396.05| $1,611,279.85| $(1,783,117.9)| $3,835,558.00
Pre-General[41]| October 21, 2014| $4,511,566.01| $223,741.11| $(1,877,139.88)| $2,858,167.24
| | | Running totals|
| | | $7,172,112.61| $(6,353,281.96)|

#### Big second quarter[edit]

During the second quarter of 2014, "Ryan's committee received over $1 million in direct contributions from individuals, $432,740 from PACs and other committees and $156,596 from transfers in from joint fundraising efforts with this leadership PAC and his Ryan-NRCC Victory Committee," according to Roll Call.[42]

### Rob Zerban[edit]

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Zerban's reports.[43]

Rob Zerban (2014) Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
Year End[44]| January 31, 2014| $0| $265,964| $(221,482)| $44,481
April Quarterly[45]| April 1, 2014| $44,481.86| $124,185.37| $(92,363.92)| $76,303.31
July Quarterly[46]| July 14, 2014| $76,303.31| $104,450.61| $(78,694.85)| $102,059.07
October Quarterly[47]| October 15, 2014| $107,901.45| $113,907.47| $(121,919.57)| $99,889.35
| | | Running totals|
| | | $608,507.45| $(514,460.34)|

### Amar Kaleka[edit]

Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Kaleka's reports.[48]

Amar Kaleka (2014) Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
Year End[49]| January 31, 2014| $0| $72,279| $(14,892)| $57,387
April Quarterly[50]| April 15, 2014| $57,387.16| $37,438.00| $(73,892.12)| $20,933.04
| | | Running totals|
| | | $109,717| $(88,784.12)|

## District history[edit]

Candidate ballot access

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Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

### 2012[edit]

On November 6, 2012, Paul Ryan (R) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Rob Zerban and Keith Deschler in the general election.

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 1 General Election, 2012 Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes

|
|
|

| Democratic  |  Rob Zerban  | 43.4% | 158,414
| Republican  | Paul Ryan Incumbent | 54.9% | 200,423
| Libertarian  |  Keith Deschler  | 1.7% | 6,054
| Miscellaneous  |  N/A  | 0% | 167
Total Votes | 365,058
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" (dead link)

### 2010[edit]

On November 2, 2010, Paul Ryan won re-election to the United States House. He defeated John Heckenlively (D) and Joseph Kexel (L) in the general election.[51]

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 1 General Election, 2010

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Republican  | Paul Ryan incumbent | 68.2% | 179,819
| Democratic  |  John Heckenlively  | 30.1% | 79,363
| Libertarian  |  Joseph Kexel  | 1.6% | 4,311
| N/A  |  Scattering  | 0.1% | 134
Total Votes | 263,627

## See also[edit]

* United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin, 2014
* United States House of Representatives elections, 2014

## External links[edit]

* Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 HOUSE RACE RATINGS FOR AUGUST 8, 2014," accessed August 12, 2014
2. ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed August 12, 2014
3. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates registered by office," accessed June 10, 2012
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Associated Press, "Wisconsin - Summary Vote Results," accessed August 12, 2014
5. ↑ Roll Call, "2014 Election Race Ratings," accessed June 24, 2014
6. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 4, 2024
7. ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Wis. State § 5.62 Partisan primary ballots," accessed October 4, 2024
8. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Registration and Voting," accessed January 3, 2014
9. ↑ Wisconsin Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed July 24, 2012
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates Registered by Office," accessed June 3, 2014 (dead link)
11. ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "CERTIFICATE OF NOMINATION FOR GENERAL ELECTION: Independent candidates," accessed July 21, 2014
12. ↑ 'Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Registered Write‐in Candidates for November 2014," accessed September 10, 2014 (dead link)
13. ↑ Government Accountability Board, "Candidates Registered by Office," accessed April 16, 2014 (dead link)
14. ↑ Wisconsin State Journal, "Son of slain Sikh temple president to challenge Paul Ryan," accessed October 14, 2013
15. ↑ Beloit Daily News, "Zerban takes another run at Paul Ryan", accessed October 25, 2013
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates Registered by Office," accessed June 13, 2014
17. ↑ Clerk of U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 31: H.R. 2642," accessed February 12, 2014
18. ↑ Politico, "House clears farm bill," accessed February 12, 2014
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 New York Times, "Senate passes long-stalled farm bill, with clear winners and losers," accessed February 12, 2014
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 CNN.com, "House passes compromise $1.1 trillion budget for 2014," accessed January 20, 2014
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 U.S. House, "Roll Call Vote 21," accessed January 20, 2014
22. ↑ Roll Call, "House passes $1.1 trillion omnibus," accessed January 15, 2014
23. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
24. ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
25. ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
26. ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
27. ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
28. ↑ U.S. House, "House Resolution 676," accessed July 30, 2014
29. ↑ Associated Press, "Suing Obama: GOP-led House gives the go-ahead," July 31, 2014
30. ↑ Washington Post, "House clears way for lawsuit against Obama," accessed July 30, 2014
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 LA Times, "Rep. Paul Ryan calls for cuts in anti-poverty programs," accessed March 4, 2014
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 WISN, "Congressional candidate admits to using medical marijuana," accessed March 24, 2014
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 The Cap Times, "Amardeep Kaleka wages an unconventional campaign for Congress," accessed November 5, 2013
34. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Ryan 2014 Summary reports," accessed July 25, 2013
35. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed July 25, 2013
36. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed July 25, 2013
37. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 30, 2013
38. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year-End Report," accessed February 19, 2014
39. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed April 18, 2014
40. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed July 23, 2014
41. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Pre-General," accessed October 24, 2014
42. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `money`
43. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Zerban 2014 Summary reports," accessed May 7, 2014
44. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year End Report," accessed March 5, 2014
45. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 7, 2014
46. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed October 24, 2014
47. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 24, 2014
48. ↑ [ Federal Election Commission, "Kaleka 2014 Summary reports," accessed May 7, 2014]
49. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year End Report," accessed March 5, 2014
50. ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 7, 2014
51. ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013

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[show]

Wisconsin's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tammy Baldwin (D)

Ronald Johnson (R)

Representatives

District 1

Bryan Steil (R)

District 2

Mark Pocan (D)

District 3

Derrick Van Orden (R)

District 4

Gwen Moore (D)

District 5

Scott Fitzgerald (R)

District 6

Glenn Grothman (R)

District 7

Tom Tiffany (R)

District 8

Tony Wied (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (3)