Brad Pfaff

Brad Pfaff

Democratic Party

Wisconsin State Senate District 32

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

4

Prior offices

Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection

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Compensation

Base salary

$57,408/year

Per diem

$140/day for senators who reside outside of Dane County; $70/day for Dane County senators

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Graduate

George Mason University

Personal

Profession

Government administrator

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

Official Instagram

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

Brad Pfaff (Democratic Party) is a member of the Wisconsin State Senate, representing District 32. He assumed office on January 4, 2021. His current term ends on January 3, 2029.

Pfaff (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Wisconsin State Senate to represent District 32. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Brad Pfaff earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay and a master’s degree from George Mason University. Pfaff's career experience includes serving as the deputy chief of staff to U.S. Representative Ron Kind and as the executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency.

Political career

Wisconsin State Senate

Brad Pfaff was elected to Wisconsin State Senate District 32 on November 3, 2020. He took office on January 4, 2021.

Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (January-October 2019)

Brad Pfaff was appointed secretary of agriculture, trade, and consumer protection|Wisconsin Secretary-designee of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection by Gov. Tony Evers (D) in December 2018. The Wisconsin State Senate denied his nomination on November 5, 2019.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Pfaff was assigned to the following committees:

• Agriculture and Tourism Committee
• Committee on Economic Development and Technical Colleges
• Committee on Insurance and Small Business
• Transportation and Local Government Committee
• Committee on Universities and Revenue
• Committee on Utilities and Technology

2021-2022

Pfaff was assigned to the following committees:

• Agriculture and Tourism Committee
• Economic and Workforce Development Committee
• Transportation and Local Government Committee
• Universities and Technical Colleges Committee
• Utilities, Technology, and Telecommunications Committee

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Wisconsin State Senate elections, 2024

General election

General election for Wisconsin State Senate District 32

Incumbent Brad Pfaff defeated Stacey Klein in the general election for Wisconsin State Senate District 32 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Pfaff (D)	52.3	52,776
		Stacey Klein (R)	47.6	48,058
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	23

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 100,857
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 32

Incumbent Brad Pfaff advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 32 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Pfaff	99.9	21,455
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	23

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,478
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 32

Stacey Klein advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 32 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stacey Klein	100.0	10,060
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	2

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,062
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Pfaff in this election.

2022

See also: Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Derrick Van Orden defeated Brad Pfaff in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Derrick Van Orden (R)	51.8	164,743
		Brad Pfaff (D)	48.1	152,977
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	202

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 317,922
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Rustin Provance (L)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Brad Pfaff defeated Rebecca Cooke, Deb McGrath, and Mark A. Neumann in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Pfaff	38.9	24,041
		Rebecca Cooke	31.1	19,221
		Deb McGrath	19.1	11,770
		Mark A. Neumann	10.8	6,672
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	25

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 61,729
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brett Knudsen (D)
• Justin Bradley (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3

Derrick Van Orden advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 3 on August 9, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Derrick Van Orden	99.3	65,164
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	471

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 65,635
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Denise Hurless (R)

2020

See also: Wisconsin State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Wisconsin State Senate District 32

Brad Pfaff defeated Dan Kapanke in the general election for Wisconsin State Senate District 32 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Pfaff (D)	50.3	48,877
		Dan Kapanke (R)	49.7	48,295
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	67

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 97,239
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 32

Brad Pfaff defeated Jayne Swiggum and Paul Weber in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 32 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brad Pfaff	62.7	12,631
		Jayne Swiggum	32.6	6,558
	Submit photo	Paul Weber	4.6	934
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	11

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 20,134
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jennifer Shilling (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 32

Dan Kapanke advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Senate District 32 on August 11, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Kapanke	99.8	13,204
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	27

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,231
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Brad Pfaff did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Brad Pfaff did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Pfaff's campaign website stated the following:

“	HEALTHCARE Brad knows that access to quality and affordable health care continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing Wisconsin families. We must continue to level the playing field by increasing access to quality care and lowering costs for everyone. Brad will fight to preserve Medicare, invest in rural health care infrastructure, protect individuals with pre-existing conditions, and lower prescription drug costs. Brad knows that we have no time to waste when it comes to healthy communities. That’s why Brad has introduced legislation in the State Senate to create Wisconsin’s first-ever Office of Prescription Drug Affordability. ROBUST INFRASTRUCTURE After years of cutbacks and underfunding, it’s time to invest in our water infrastructure, fix our roads, and get back to building things. Brad knows the best way to jumpstart economic recovery is by getting people back to work and pursuing more sustainable revenue sources to improve public infrastructure. In Congress, Brad will support additional funding to improve our transportation network, fix national highways, and repair Wisconsin’s bridges and public infrastructure. BROADBAND Slow or non-existent internet has become a fact of life for too many rural residents. It needs to become a thing of the past, and Brad won’t stop until we fix it. As a member of Governor Evers Taskforce on Broadband Access, Brad worked hard to bridge the rural-urban divide by successfully advocating for a $129 million investment broadband expansion—the largest in state history. In Congress, Brad will use his passion and breadth of knowledge on this issue to leave politics at the door and help bring reliable internet to rural communities across the country. SENIORS Every working family wants to give their parents, godparents, and elders the help they need to retire with dignity and comfort. Brad will support eldercare providers and seniors and work to make sure nobody gets priced out of essential services like at-home care our nursing home residency. He also knows that investing in the Care Economy creates new economic opportunities for working families. When a new facility can open, or an existing one can expand—we create good-paying jobs. Brad will support efforts to ensure nurses, administrators, and care staff have the resources they need to succeed. STRONG ECONOMY Too many Wisconsin families are struggling to make ends meet. It’s time to reevaluate corporate tax breaks, level the playing field, and provide greater economic opportunities for working families. Brad is committed to making childcare more affordable, raising worker wages, expanding workplace flexibilities, and strengthening family medical leave protections so that everyone who works hard can get ahead. EDUCATION Excellent education is a cornerstone to Wisconsin’s success. Brad believes that everyone deserves access to a high-quality education from childcare and 4K to high school and post-secondary. After years of cuts, he understands that we need to restore Wisconsin’s position as a leader in education. Brad will work hard in Congress to strengthen our local schools, retain quality teachers, and invest in modern facilities. The Third Congressional District is fortunate to have 14 best-in-class colleges and universities. However, Brad knows that for students to unlock their full potential, they can’t be discouraged by a mountain of debt. So he will find solutions to tackle the debt crisis, decrease the cost of education, and level the barriers to entry for people of all backgrounds. FAMILY FARMS Growing up on a farm, Brad learned at a young age that when times are tough, you pull together as a family and as neighbors, and you move forward – Together. Agriculture is more than just a farmer’s business; it’s a supply chain that employs one out of every nine people in Wisconsin and serves as the bedrock for local economies across the state. Brad knows that farmers are the backbone of our state. But, unfortunately, we are losing too many. So, as your Congressman, he will use his breadth of experience in agriculture to create new market opportunities, increase research and development capabilities, and invest in our rural infrastructure. CLEAN AIR, LAND & WATER Wisconsin has an opportunity to become a leader in conservation efforts, prevent water contamination, reduce carbon emissions, and lessen the impact of climate change. Brad is committed to restoring environmental protections, investing in sustainable energy production, and pursuing long-term sustainability solutions to ensure access to clean air, land, and water for generations to come. VOTING RIGHTS Voters should pick their representatives, not the other way around. Brad will support legislation to ensure fair elections, restore voting rights, end gerrymandering, and create a transparent, non-partisan redistricting process. He will also work to protect voting access, including vote-at-home systems like vote-by-mail and early voting. VETERANS The men and women who serve our country honorably deserve our support abroad and when they come home. Brad will work to ensure that veterans get efficient, state-of-the-art healthcare through the VA, access to family-supporting jobs that will benefit from their leadership experience, and GI funds to pursue higher education.	”
—Brad Pfaff's campaign website (2022)

2020

Brad Pfaff did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Brad Pfaff campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Wisconsin State Senate District 32	Won general	$586,330	$704,542
2022	U.S. House Wisconsin District 3	Lost general	$1,890,261	$1,873,293
2020	Wisconsin State Senate District 32	Won general	$1,592,999	N/A**
Grand total			$4,069,590	$2,577,836
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Appointments

2018

Pfaff is the former secretary-designee of agriculture, trade, and consumer protection of Wisconsin. He was appointed to the position by Gov. Tony Evers (D) in December 2018. The Wisconsin State Senate denied his nomination on November 5, 2019, voting 19-14 along party lines.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Wisconsin

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Wisconsin scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].

In 2024, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 16 to March 12. Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against MMAC's position. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues. Wisconsin Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their stances on conservation issues. Wisconsin Family Action Legislators are scored by the Wisconsin Family Action on their votes on legislation related to "marriage, family, the sanctity of human life, or religious freedom." Wisconsin Professional Police Association Legislators are scored on their votes by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association on legislation related to Wisconsin's law enforcement community. Wisconsin Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].
In 2023, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 3 to December 31. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].

In 2022, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 18 to March 8. Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce: Senate and House Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against MMAC's position. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues. Wisconsin Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their stances on conservation issues. Wisconsin Family Action Legislators are scored by the Wisconsin Family Action on their votes on legislation related to "marriage, family, the sanctity of human life, or religious freedom." Wisconsin Grocers Association Legislators are scored on their votes on industry-specific legislation. Wisconsin Professional Police Association Legislators are scored on their votes by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association on legislation related to Wisconsin's law enforcement community. Wisconsin Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Wisconsin State Legislature was in session from January 4 to December 31. Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce: Senate and House Legislators are scored on whether they voted for or against MMAC's position. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. Wisconsin Conservation Voters Legislators are scored on their stances on conservation issues. Wisconsin Family Action Legislators are scored by the Wisconsin Family Action on their votes on legislation related to "marriage, family, the sanctity of human life, or religious freedom." Wisconsin Grocers Association Legislators are scored on their votes on industry-specific legislation. Wisconsin Professional Police Association Legislators are scored on their votes by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association on legislation related to Wisconsin's law enforcement community. Wisconsin Sierra Club Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

See also

2024 Elections

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Wisconsin State Senate District 32

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Wisconsin State Senate District 32

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Wisconsin State Senate District 32 2021-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection -2019	Succeeded by -

[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)

[show]

Current members of the Wisconsin State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Mary Felzkowski

Majority Leader:Devin LeMahieu

Minority Leader:Dianne Hesselbein

Senators

District 1

André Jacque (R)

District 2

Eric Wimberger (R)

District 3

Tim Carpenter (D)

District 4

Dora Drake (D)

District 5

Rob Hutton (R)

District 6

LaTonya Johnson (D)

District 7

Chris Larson (D)

District 8

Jodi Sinykin (D)

District 9

Devin LeMahieu (R)

District 10

Rob Stafsholt (R)

District 11

Stephen Nass (R)

District 12

Mary Felzkowski (R)

District 13

John Jagler (R)

District 14

Sarah Keyeski (D)

District 15

Mark Spreitzer (D)

District 16

Melissa Ratcliff (D)

District 17

Howard Marklein (R)

District 18

Kristin Alfheim (D)

District 19

Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R)

District 20

Dan Feyen (R)

District 21

Van Wanggaard (R)

District 22

Robert Wirch (D)

District 23

Jesse James (R)

District 24

Patrick Testin (R)

District 25

Romaine Quinn (R)

District 26

Kelda Roys (D)

District 27

Dianne Hesselbein (D)

District 28

Julian Bradley (R)

District 29

Cory Tomczyk (R)

District 30

Jamie Wall (D)

District 31

Jeff Smith (D)

District 32

Brad Pfaff (D)

District 33

Chris Kapenga (R)

Republican Party (18)

Democratic Party (15)