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John W. Duncan (Wisconsin)
John W. Duncan is a member of the Madison Common Council in Wisconsin, representing District 1. He assumed office on April 18, 2023. His current term ends on April 20, 2027.
Duncan ran for re-election to the Madison Common Council to represent District 1 in Wisconsin. He won in the general election on April 1, 2025.
Biography
John W. Duncan was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He earned a bachelor's degree from Texas Christian University in 2002 and a J.D. from the University of Massachusetts School of Law in 2005.[1] Duncan’s career experience includes working for a nonprofit HIV/AIDS service organization.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in Madison, Wisconsin (2025)
General election
General election for Madison Common Council District 1
Incumbent John W. Duncan won election in the general election for Madison Common Council District 1 on April 1, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John W. Duncan (Nonpartisan) | 98.9 | 5,653 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.1 | 64 | ||
| Total votes: 5,717 | |||
 = 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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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent John W. Duncan advanced from the primary for Madison Common Council District 1.
Endorsements
Duncan received the following endorsements.
2023
See also: City elections in Madison, Wisconsin (2023)
General election
General election for Madison Common Council District 1
John W. Duncan won election in the general election for Madison Common Council District 1 on April 4, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John W. Duncan (Nonpartisan) | 98.7 | 4,540 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 59 | ||
| Total votes: 4,599 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. John W. Duncan advanced from the primary for Madison Common Council District 1.
Endorsements
Duncan received the following endorsements.
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 6
Ronald Wright defeated Jana Lynne Sanchez and Jason Harber in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 6 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Ronald Wright (R) | 53.1 | 135,961 |
 | Jana Lynne Sanchez (D) | 45.4 | 116,350 | |
| Jason Harber (L) | 1.5 | 3,731 | ||
| Total votes: 256,042 | |||
| = 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
- Gregory Brady (Independent)
Democratic primary runoff election
Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 6
Jana Lynne Sanchez defeated Ruby Faye Woolridge in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 6 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jana Lynne Sanchez | 53.1 | 6,103 |
 | Ruby Faye Woolridge | 46.9 | 5,386 | |
| Total votes: 11,489 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 6
Ronald Wright defeated Jake Ellzey in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 6 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ronald Wright | 52.2 | 12,747 |
 | Jake Ellzey | 47.8 | 11,686 | |
| Total votes: 24,433 | |||
| = 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 U.S. House Texas District 6
Ruby Faye Woolridge and Jana Lynne Sanchez advanced to a runoff. They defeated John W. Duncan, Justin Snider, and Levii Shocklee in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 6 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ruby Faye Woolridge | 36.9 | 10,857 |
| ✔ | | Jana Lynne Sanchez | 36.9 | 10,838 |
| John W. Duncan | 13.5 | 3,978 | |
 | Justin Snider | 6.9 | 2,014 | |
 | Levii Shocklee | 5.8 | 1,702 | |
| Total votes: 29,389 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 6
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 6 on March 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Ronald Wright | 45.1 | 20,750 |
| ✔ | | Jake Ellzey | 21.8 | 9,999 |
 | Ken Cope | 7.7 | 3,540 | |
 | Shannon Dubberly | 6.3 | 2,884 | |
 | Mark Mitchell | 4.7 | 2,152 | |
 | Troy Ratterree | 4.0 | 1,858 | |
 | Kevin Harrison | 3.9 | 1,771 | |
| Deborah Gagliardi | 3.6 | 1,676 | ||
 | Thomas Dillingham | 1.2 | 544 | |
| Shawn Dandridge | 1.1 | 518 | ||
| Mel Hassell | 0.6 | 268 | ||
| Total votes: 45,960 | |||
| = 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
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John W. Duncan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.
2023
John W. Duncan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Duncan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- My husband and I are proud to call Madison home. We decided to move here because we saw the city for what it is – a beautiful and welcoming place to live, grow, and one day retire. The strong sense of community on the Westside is just one of the many reasons we are excited to be starting our family here.
- I believe that my professional and personal experiences make me the right person to represent my community. At a critical time when the rights of vulnerable populations are being chipped away at the state and federal levels, I believe I can be a powerful advocate to fight for these rights and protections at the city level.
- Our city is at an exciting crossroads. I know that bold, progressive leadership can help make Madison a better place for everyone – no matter who they are, where they come from, or how they imagine their future. To accomplish this, we need elected officials who will listen to the stories and experiences of their constituents and use what they learn to represent the needs of their district, with particular attention on the needs of historically marginalized communities. I am running for Common Council to be that kind of compassionate and responsive representative for my community.
Homelessness and a broader lack of affordable housing is a policy failure. As Alder, I will fight to ensure everyone can seek out and obtain housing without going into debt. No one should be pushed out of Madison because of the cost of living. We must continue to invest in affordable housing units across the city to ensure diverse, mixed housing opportunities for all.
Climate & Sustainability:
Climate change is the defining issue of our time. Madison must continue to lead the state on innovative solutions to curbing emissions, expanding clean energy sources, preserving our natural resources, and protecting air and water quality. We must take action now to ensure a livable Madison for future generations.
Transportation:
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
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Candidate Madison Common Council District 1 |
Officeholder Madison Common Council District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Madison Common Council District 1 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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