Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2016

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2016 Wisconsin
Assembly Elections
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PrimaryAugust 9, 2016
GeneralNovember 8, 2016
2016 Election Results
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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.
  • 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 Ends.png Republican Assembly District 3
    Mandela Barnes Electiondot.png Democratic Assembly District 11
    LaTonya Johnson Electiondot.png Democratic Assembly District 17
    John Murtha Ends.png Republican Assembly District 29
    Dean Knudson Ends.png Republican Assembly District 30
    Andy Jorgensen Electiondot.png Democratic Assembly District 43
    Robb Kahl Electiondot.png Democratic Assembly District 47
    Tom Larson Ends.png Republican Assembly District 67
    Dave Craig Ends.png Republican Assembly District 83
    Dave Heaton Ends.png 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 »

    CA 2016 Wisconsin.png
    • 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 Democratic Party Democrat Republican Party Republican Other
    1 Lynn Utesch: 13,289 Joel Kitchens: 20,044 (I) Approveda
    2 No candidate Andre Jacque: 20,039 (I) Approveda Mark Grams: 8,837 (Ind.)
    3 Sharon Wasileski: 11,969 Ron Tusler: 18,361 Approveda
    4 Tony Lee: 12,016 David Steffen: 17,817 (I) Approveda
    5 Sam Kelly: 10,933 Jim Steineke: 19,941 (I) Approveda
    6 William Switalla: 7,944 Gary Tauchen: 18,690 (I) Approveda
    7 Daniel Riemer: 13,514 (I) Approveda Zachary Marshall: 9,212 Matthew Bughman: 1,303 (L)
    8 JoCasta Zamarripa: 8,528 (I) Approveda No candidate
    9 Josh Zepnick: 12,142 (I) Approveda No candidate
    10 David Bowen: 21,228 (I) Approveda No candidate
    11 Jason Fields: 18,418 Approveda No candidate
    12 Frederick Kessler: 18,642 (I) Approveda No candidate
    13 No candidate Rob Hutton: 23,904 (I) Approveda
    14 Chris Rockwood: 14,934 Dale Kooyenga: 20,001 (I) Approveda
    15 No candidate Joe Sanfelippo: 21,525 (I) Approveda
    16 Leon Young: 18,019 (I) Approveda No candidate
    17 David Crowley: 21,715 Approveda No candidate
    18 Evan Goyke: 18,006 (I) Approveda No candidate
    19 Jonathan Brostoff: 26,732 (I) Approveda No candidate
    20 Christine Sinicki: 21,222 (I) Approveda No candidate
    21 John F. Redmond: 11,338 Jessie Rodriguez: 16,589 (I) Approveda
    22 No candidate Janel Brandtjen: 26,131 (I) Approveda
    23 No candidate Jim Ott: 25,670 (I) Approveda
    24 No candidate Daniel Knodl: 24,047 (I) Approveda
    25 Ronald Kossik: 9,305 Paul Tittl: 17,325 (I) Approveda
    26 Rebecca Clarke: 11,283 Terry Katsma: 16,583 (I) Approveda
    27 Nanette Bulebosh: 11,501 Tyler Vorpagel: 18,644 (I) Approveda
    28 Jeff Peterson: 9,837 Adam Jarchow: 17,612 (I) Approveda Vincent Zilka: 1,580 (Veterans Party of America)
    29 Scottie Ard: 10,661 Rob Stafsholt: 16,774 Approveda
    30 Scott Nelson: 12,358 Shannon Zimmerman: 17,790 Approveda Aaron Taylor: 1,574 (Ind.)
    31 Clinton Anderson: 10,348 Amy Loudenbeck: 18,465 (I) Approveda
    32 Christine Welcher: 10,090 Tyler August: 16,862 (I) Approveda
    33 Brandon White: 11,246 Cody Horlacher: 18,851 (I) Approveda
    34 Matthew Michalsen: 12,715 Rob Swearingen: 21,686 (I) Approveda
    35 Renea Frederick: 9,564 Mary Czaja: 18,622 (I) Approveda
    36 No candidate Jeffrey Mursau: 22,899 (I) Approveda
    37 Jordan Turner: 10,990 John Jagler: 17,821 (I) Approveda
    38 Scott Michalak: 12,288 Joel Kleefisch: 20,708 (I) Approveda
    39 Jim Zahn: 9,192 Mark Born: 19,028 (I) Approveda
    40 Dmitri Martin: 9,801 Kevin Petersen: 17,866 (I) Approveda
    41 No candidate Joan Ballweg: 17,711 (I) Approveda Bradley Pearson: 7,382 (Ind.)
    42 George Ferriter: 11,867 Keith Ripp: 16,842 (I) Approveda
    43 Don Vruwink: 16,179 Approveda Allison Hetz: 13,427
    44 Debra Kolste: 19,948 (I) Approveda No candidate
    45 Mark Spreitzer: 17,867 (I) Approveda No candidate
    46 Gary Hebl: 24,678 (I) Approveda No candidate
    47 Jimmy Anderson: 19,154 Approveda No candidate Adam Dahl: 8,596 (Bernie Sanders Ind.)
    48 Melissa Sargent: 26,534 (I) Approveda No candidate
    49 Jesse Bennett: 11,344 Travis Tranel: 15,056 (I) Approveda
    50 Art Shrader: 10,762 Ed Brooks: 14,774 (I) Approveda
    51 Jeff Wright: 13,189 Todd Novak: 13,912 (I) Approveda
    52 Paul Czisny: 9,829 Jeremy Thiesfeldt: 17,293 (I) Approveda
    53 No candidate Michael Schraa: 21,641 (I) Approveda
    54 Gordon Hintz: 17,923 (I) Approveda No candidate Jordan Hansen: 7,682 (L)
    55 Bob Baker: 11,523 Mike Rohrkaste: 18,393 (I) Approveda
    56 Mariana Stout: 11,551 Dave Murphy: 21,022 (I) Approveda
    57 Amanda Stuck: 19,048 (I) Approveda No candidate
    58 No candidate Bob Gannon: 25,457 (I) Approveda
    59 No candidate Jesse Kremer: 25,847 (I) Approveda
    60 No candidate Robert Brooks: 23,806 (I) Approveda David Pelikan: 7,895 (Ind.)
    61 Amee Janus: 9,792 Samantha Kerkman: 19,622 (I) Approveda
    62 No candidate Tom Weatherston: 22,523 (I) Approveda
    63 Andy Mitchell: 10,487 Robin Vos: 18,771 (I) Approveda
    64 Peter Barca: 18,799 (I) Approveda No candidate
    65 Tod Ohnstad: 16,112 (I) Approveda No candidate
    66 Cory Mason: 13,526 (I) Approveda No candidate George Meyers: 3,107 (L)
    67 Dennis Hunt: 10,308 Rob Summerfield: 18,574 Approveda
    68 Howard White: 11,263 Kathy Bernier: 15,628 (I) Approveda
    69 No candidate Bob Kulp: 21,443 (I) Approveda
    70 Mark Holbrook: 10,266 Nancy VanderMeer: 16,963 (I) Approveda
    71 Katrina Shankland: 21,834 (I) Approveda No candidate
    72 David Gorski: 12,279 Scott Krug: 15,972 (I) Approveda
    73 Nick Milroy: 22,107 (I) Approveda No candidate
    74 Beth Meyers: 22,624 (I) Approveda No candidate
    75 Joe Huftel: 10,894 Romaine Quinn: 17,786 (I) Approveda
    76 Chris Taylor: 33,628 (I) Approveda Jon Rygiewicz: 6,877
    77 Terese Berceau: 29,069 (I) Approveda No candidate
    78 Lisa Subeck: 25,362 (I) Approveda No candidate Chris Fisher: 6,661 (Ind.)
    79 Dianne Hesselbein: 23,211 (I) Approveda Jordan Zadra: 13,105
    80 Sondy Pope: 26,250 (I) Approveda No candidate
    81 Dave Considine: 17,270 (I) Approveda David Moore: 11,265
    82 No candidate Ken Skowronski: 21,080 (I) Approveda
    83 No candidate Chuck Wichgers: 26,596 Approveda
    84 No candidate Mike Kuglitsch: 21,987 (I) Approveda
    85 Mandy Wright: 12,837 Patrick Snyder: 14,722 Approveda
    86 Nancy Stencil: 11,142 John Spiros: 18,246 (I) Approveda Michael Tauschek: 2,047 (Ind.)
    87 Elizabeth Riley: 8,554 James Edming: 18,179 (I) Approveda
    88 Noah Reif: 11,312 John Macco: 17,742 (I) Approveda
    89 Heidi Fencl: 9,055 John Nygren: 19,429 (I) Approveda
    90 Eric Genrich: 14,387 (I) Approveda No candidate
    91 Dana Wachs: 17,780 (I) Approveda Bill Ingram: 11,341
    92 Chris Danou: 12,540 (I) Treig Pronschinske: 13,605 Approveda
    93 No candidate Warren Petryk: 24,298 (I) Approveda
    94 Steve Doyle: 16,721 (I) Approveda Julian Bradley: 15,049
    95 Jill Billings: 23,020 (I) Approveda No candidate
    96 Alicia Leinberger: 10,186 Lee Nerison: 16,000 (I) Approveda
    97 No candidate Scott Allen: 21,611 (I) Approveda
    98 No candidate Adam Neylon: 25,592 (I) Approveda
    99 No candidate Cindi Duchow: 28,597 (I) Approveda
     
    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 Democratic Party Democrat Republican Party Republican Other
    1 Lynn Utesch Approveda Joel Kitchens (I) Approveda
    2 No candidate Andre Jacque (I) Approveda Mark Grams (Ind.) Approveda
    3 Sharon Wasileski Approveda Josh Young: 197
    Ron Tusler: 2,589 Approveda
    Bradley Schinke: 1,218
    Christopher Schaefer: 739
    4 Tony Lee Approveda David Steffen (I) Approveda
    5 Sam Kelly Approveda Jim Steineke (I) Approveda
    6 William Switalla Approveda Gary Tauchen (I) Approveda
    7 Daniel Riemer (I) Approveda Zachary Marshall Approveda Matthew Bughman (L) Approveda
    8 JoCasta Zamarripa: 683 (I) Approveda
    Laura Manriquez: 381
    No candidate
    9 Marisabel Cabrera: 1,073
    Josh Zepnick: 1,222 (I) Approveda
    No candidate
    10 David Bowen (I) Approveda No candidate
    11 Jason Fields: 2,933 Approveda
    Darrol Gibson: 2,063
    No candidate
    12 Frederick Kessler (I) Approveda No candidate
    13 No candidate Rob Hutton (I) Approveda
    14 Chris Rockwood Approveda Dale Kooyenga (I) Approveda
    15 No candidate Joe Sanfelippo (I) Approveda
    16 Stephen Jansen: 214
    Brandy Bond: 418
    Leon Young: 2,211 (I) Approveda
    Edgar Lin: 1,641
    No candidate
    17 Marcus Hart: 887
    Kim Burns: 1,635
    David Crowley: 3,303 Approveda
    No candidate
    18 Evan Goyke (I) Approveda No candidate
    19 Jonathan Brostoff (I) Approveda No candidate
    20 Julie Meyer: 2,374
    Christine Sinicki: 3,530 (I) Approveda
    No candidate
    21 Frank Disco Gratke: 781
    John F. Redmond: 1,771 Approveda
    Jessie Rodriguez (I) Approveda
    22 No candidate Janel Brandtjen (I) Approveda
    23 No candidate Jim Ott (I) Approveda
    24 No candidate Daniel Knodl (I) Approveda
    25 Ronald Kossik Approveda Paul Tittl (I) Approveda
    26 Evan Braun: 650
    Rebecca Clarke: 2,372 Approveda
    Terry Katsma (I) Approveda
    27 Nanette Bulebosh Approveda Tyler Vorpagel (I) Approveda
    28 Jeff Peterson Approveda Adam Jarchow (I) Approveda Vincent Zilka (Veterans Party of America) Approveda
    29 Randy Knaack: 1,047
    Scottie Ard: 1,103 Approveda
    Rob Stafsholt: 1,352 Approveda
    Vince Trudell: 485
    30 Scott Nelson Approveda Shannon Zimmerman: 1,565 Approveda
    Paul Berning: 1,138
    Aaron Taylor (Ind.) Approveda
    31 Don Prestia: 1,009
    Clinton Anderson: 1,652 Approveda
    Amy Loudenbeck (I) Approveda
    32 Christine Welcher Approveda Tyler August (I) Approveda
    33 Brandon White Approveda Cody Horlacher (I) Approveda
    34 Lawrence Dale: 630
    Matthew Michalsen: 2,109 Approveda
    Rob Swearingen (I) Approveda
    35 Renea Frederick: 999 Approveda
    Derek Woellner: 622
    Erik Pfantz: 481
    Mary Czaja (I) Approveda
    36 No candidate Jeffrey Mursau (I) Approveda
    37 Jordan Turner Approveda John Jagler (I) Approveda
    38 Chris Gutschenritter: 696
    Scott Michalak: 1,672 Approveda
    Joel Kleefisch (I) Approveda
    39 Jim Zahn Approveda Mark Born (I) Approveda
    40 Dmitri Martin Approveda Kevin Petersen (I) Approveda
    41 No candidate Joan Ballweg (I) Approveda Bradley Pearson (Ind.) Approveda
    42 George Ferriter Approveda Keith Ripp (I) Approveda
    43 Anissa Welch: 2,207
    Don Vruwink: 3,038 Approveda
    Allison Hetz Approveda
    44 Debra Kolste (I) Approveda No candidate
    45 Mark Spreitzer (I) Approveda No candidate
    46 Gary Hebl (I) Approveda No candidate
    47 Julia Arata-Fratta: 3,021
    H. Tony Hartmann: 1,336
    Jimmy Anderson: 3,517 Approveda
    No candidate Adam Dahl (Bernie Sanders Ind.) Approveda
    48 Melissa Sargent (I) Approveda No candidate
    49 Jesse Bennett Approveda Travis Tranel (I) Approveda
    50 Art Shrader: 2,192 Approveda
    Tom Crofton: 925
    Ed Brooks (I) Approveda
    51 Jeff Wright Approveda Todd Novak (I) Approveda
    52 Paul Czisny Approveda Jeremy Thiesfeldt (I) Approveda
    53 No candidate Michael Schraa (I) Approveda
    54 Gordon Hintz (I) Approveda No candidate Jordan Hansen (L) Approveda
    55 Bob Baker Approveda Mike Rohrkaste (I) Approveda
    56 Mariana Stout Approveda Dave Murphy (I) Approveda
    57 Amanda Stuck (I) Approveda No candidate
    58 No candidate Bob Gannon (I) Approveda
    59 No candidate Jesse Kremer (I) Approveda
    60 No candidate Robert Brooks (I) Approveda David Pelikan (Ind.) Approveda
    61 Amee Janus Approveda Samantha Kerkman (I) Approveda
    62 No candidate Tom Weatherston (I) Approveda
    63 Andy Mitchell Approveda Robin Vos (I) Approveda
    64 Peter Barca (I) Approveda No candidate
    65 Tod Ohnstad (I) Approveda No candidate
    66 Cory Mason (I) Approveda No candidate George Meyers (L) Approveda
    67 Dennis Hunt: 1,813 Approveda
    Denny Doughty: 780
    Travis C. Hakes: 647
    Tony Zammit: 328
    Rob Summerfield: 1,231 Approveda
    Michael Hanke: 849
    68 Howard White Approveda Kathy Bernier (I) Approveda
    69 No candidate Bob Kulp (I) Approveda
    70 Mark Holbrook Approveda Nancy VanderMeer (I) Approveda
    71 Katrina Shankland (I) Approveda No candidate
    72 Russ Brown: 1,380
    David Gorski: 1,781 Approveda
    Scott Krug (I) Approveda
    73 Nick Milroy (I) Approveda No candidate
    74 Beth Meyers (I) Approveda No candidate
    75 Joe Huftel Approveda Romaine Quinn (I) Approveda
    76 Chris Taylor (I) Approveda Jon Rygiewicz Approveda
    77 Terese Berceau (I) Approveda No candidate
    78 Lisa Subeck: 6,882 (I) Approveda
    Jacob Wischmeier: 1,170
    No candidate Chris Fisher (Ind.) Approveda
    79 Dianne Hesselbein (I) Approveda Jordan Zadra Approveda
    80 Sondy Pope: 5,210 (I) Approveda
    Luke Joseph: 978
    No candidate
    81 Dave Considine (I) Approveda David Moore Approveda
    82 No candidate Ken Skowronski (I) Approveda
    83 No candidate Karen Schuh: 915
    Chuck Wichgers: 4,077 Approveda
    Jordan Karweik: 576
    Steven Whittow: 2,817
    84 No candidate Mike Kuglitsch (I) Approveda
    85 Mandy Wright Approveda Patrick Snyder Approveda
    86 Nancy Stencil: 1,942 Approveda
    John Small: 408
    John Spiros (I) Approveda Michael Tauschek (Ind.) Approveda
    87 Elizabeth Riley Approveda James Edming (I) Approveda
    88 Noah Reif Approveda John Macco (I) Approveda
    89 Heidi Fencl Approveda John Nygren (I) Approveda
    90 Eric Genrich (I) Approveda No candidate
    91 Dana Wachs (I) Approveda Bill Ingram Approveda
    92 Chris Danou (I) Approveda Treig Pronschinske: 960 Approveda
    Debbie Bork: 808
    93 No candidate Warren Petryk (I) Approveda
    94 Steve Doyle (I) Approveda Julian Bradley Approveda
    95 Jill Billings (I) Approveda No candidate
    96 Alicia Leinberger Approveda Lee Nerison (I) Approveda
    97 No candidate Scott Allen (I) Approveda
    98 No candidate Adam Neylon (I) Approveda
    99 No candidate Cindi Duchow (I) Approveda
     
    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.
    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.

    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.

    F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

    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]

    External links[edit]

    BP-Initials-UPDATED.png
    Suggest a link

    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.


    Current members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
    Leadership
    Speaker of the House:Robin Vos
    Representatives
    District 1
    District 2
    District 3
    District 4
    District 5
    District 6
    District 7
    District 8
    District 9
    District 10
    District 11
    District 12
    District 13
    District 14
    District 15
    District 16
    District 17
    District 18
    District 19
    District 20
    District 21
    District 22
    District 23
    District 24
    District 25
    District 26
    District 27
    District 28
    District 29
    District 30
    District 31
    District 32
    District 33
    District 34
    District 35
    District 36
    District 37
    District 38
    District 39
    Mark Born (R)
    District 40
    District 41
    District 42
    District 43
    District 44
    District 45
    District 46
    Gary Hebl (D)
    District 47
    District 48
    District 49
    District 50
    District 51
    District 52
    District 53
    District 54
    District 55
    District 56
    District 57
    District 58
    District 59
    District 60
    District 61
    District 62
    District 63
    Robin Vos (R)
    District 64
    District 65
    District 66
    District 67
    District 68
    District 69
    District 70
    District 71
    District 72
    District 73
    District 74
    District 75
    District 76
    District 77
    District 78
    District 79
    District 80
    District 81
    District 82
    District 83
    District 84
    District 85
    District 86
    District 87
    District 88
    District 89
    District 90
    District 91
    District 92
    District 93
    District 94
    District 95
    District 96
    District 97
    District 98
    District 99
    Republican Party (61)
    Democratic Party (38)



    Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 | Original source: https://ballotpedia.org/Wisconsin_State_Assembly_elections,_2016
    Status: cached on November 18 2021 15:00:57
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