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Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District
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General election
Election details
Filing deadline: Pending
Primary: August 11, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Voting in Wisconsin

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th
Wisconsin elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 5th Congressional District of Wisconsin, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5

Andrew Beck and Ben Steinhoff are running in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Andrew Beck
Andrew Beck (D) Candidate Connection
Image of Ben Steinhoff
Ben Steinhoff (D)

Candidate Connection = 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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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Andrew Beck

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I am running for Wisconsin's 5th US Congressional District to bring integrity and passion to the House of Representitives. Congress is a disfuntional institution, unable to pass laws to help all Americans or keep our government running smoothly. I want to bring my non-politician values to Congress and work for the people of the 5th district, Wisconsin and the United States. I have Midwest hardworking work ethics and am well educated. I was born and grew up in Milwaukee and attended Milwaukee Public Schools. I have a Certificate in Radiologic Technology and an MBA. I have lived in Wisconsin for most of my life and in the 5th District for the last 20 years. I know what the people in the district want and will take those ideas to Washington to make Wisconsin and America a better place to live."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


Democracy - Protecting our democracy is the single most important issue we need to address today. Without having the truly democratic country that we currently enjoy, with all of our freedoms, the other issues that we are facing will not be attainable.


Healthcare - We all deserve to have the best health care that the United States can provide at a practical price and with easy access. One of the areas I want to spotlight is that of mental health. Many of our societal woes are caused by some mental health issue, and proper treatment of these problems can help reduce many other crimes and tragedies that we face in our country. In addition, a Woman's right to decide her own healthcare choices is paramount.


The Environment and Global Warming - We need to continue to work on policies that will reduce the effects of global warming. This needs to be in regard to reducing greenhouse gases, supporting the different agencies needed to counteract the effects of global warming and understand the dynamics of global warming on the world stage.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Wisconsin

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

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.

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Democracy - Protecting our democracy is the single most important issue we need to address today. Without having the truly democratic country that we currently enjoy, with all of our freedoms, the other issues that we are facing will not be attainable.

Healthcare - We all deserve to have the best health care that the United States can provide at a practical price and with easy access. One of the areas I want to spotlight is that of mental health. Many of our societal woes are caused by some mental health issue, and proper treatment of these problems can help reduce many other crimes and tragedies that we face in our country. In addition, a Woman's right to decide her own healthcare choices is paramount.

The Environment and Global Warming - We need to continue to work on policies that will reduce the effects of global warming. This needs to be in regard to reducing greenhouse gases, supporting the different agencies needed to counteract the effects of global warming and understand the dynamics of global warming on the world stage.
The policies that I would like to affect while in Congress would be equality amongst all those in the United States, LGBTQ+, minorities, women, and immigrants, so that we can all be equal in the eyes of the government and laws. I am also passionate about the environment and global warming as I see this as a truly tragic event that is on our doorstep that we need to address now. Lastly, I look forward to working in Congress to help make mental health a focus and access available to treatment for all who need it. We need to reduce the stereotype for mental health treatment and problems so more Americans can get the treatment that they deserve.
Integrity is the most important principle that politicians in Washington need to have. Lack of integrity has thrown the Congress, the House and the Senate, into a downward spiral. We need to start reversing this trajectory and bring in more individuals with high morals and integrity.
I think I am empathetic, persistent, and thoughtful, which should be good qualities for a member working in the House. Looking to hear all sides of a point of view, and understanding how it's going to affect people and the nation, while looking to find all the facts about a certain situation. I think these would be good qualities entering the House.
The core responsibility for people elected to public office is to work for the people and make the people's lives better in our country. They will need to work to keep and expand our freedoms, make the economy thrive for all, and create an environment where everyone can live in peace and comfort. We need to look out for the people rather than for special interests and corporations so the we can get the most out of life that they deserve.
The legacy that I would like to leave with in life is that I made people close to me and around me better people through my actions and deeds. This would be true for being a representative in the House, having done the most and the best I could do to bring about positive change to my district and to the country.
My first historical event that I remember was in 1967 during the riots in Milwaukee. As a four-year-old, I sat in my home during curfew and watched as National Guard troops drove their vehicles down my street into the riot affected areas of the city. These were events that I later found to be crucial within America’s history.
My first job was as a busboy when I was 16 years old and expanded into other positions within the restaurant as I worked there for about 3 or 4 years. I had met many good people while working there and some are still friends today. It was hard work, but it was enjoyable and some decent money for a 16-year-old.
One of the struggles I have in life is trying to understand how certain people act the way they do. Between mass shootings, violence within our streets, with corruption, and mean-spirited politics to repression of people, I just can't understand how they, these people, can do what they do.
The House is unique because it is comprised of many more individuals that represent much more of the United States than the Senate does. Having more representatives evenly distributed throughout the country allows more people's thoughts to be heard and desires to be met. This I think makes the House a true representation of the American public.
There are pluses and minuses to being a new, green candidate going into politics. The process of the election is difficult to consider having not been an elected official before. However, I think the ideas someone who has not been an elected official can bring to the office can be very fresh. From a campaign process, it's probably better if you have been an elected official in the past, but for the individual working within the elected office, I think individual’s ideas and passion are the key to success.
The two areas I think that will be most challenging over the next 10 years will be that of keeping democracy alive in the United States and for combating global warming. There is a true fear of our democratic way of life being stifled if the democracy loving politicians are not elected to office this coming November. Many of our freedoms that we enjoy today I think will be curtailed and we will not be living in the same United States that we have flourished in for the last 20 – 30 years. As for global warming, this is a problem we need to tackle for the next 10 years and beyond, so we can have a consistent climate environment for us to grow our crops in, for us to live in, and to reduce any traumatic weather events.
Two years is a very short period of time to be in an elected office. The campaign cycle seems to be never-ending, and as soon as you start making some progress within the office, you're back on the campaign trail trying to get re-elected to that office. I think an extended period, other than two years, possibly three or four years, might be best for work to get done within the House.
I think reasonable term limits for elected official are needed to keep fresh ideas coming into the government and decreasing "group thought" as the elected officials continue to hold the same office year, after year, after year.
I believe compromise and working across the aisle is sorely needed in the House today. Fewer and fewer bills are getting across the President's desk as there is infighting within the parties or there is very little bipartisan work that is going into the bills that are being introduced. If there was more compromise on both sides of the aisle, much more could get done in Congress while each side can try to get their ideals passed through these bills.
Spending bills and taxation are two key areas within the House that are important to make the United States fiscally responsible and retain its global strength. I will find it a solemn duty to perform within the House in response to spending bills and taxation bills, reducing or the elimination budget deficits.
The House should use its investigative powers to investigate corruption, wrongdoing, or issues that affect the U.S. government or its peoples. These investigative powers should not be used for political purposes looking to investigate individuals from the other party on purely partisan issues.
I believe I can bring my passion and expertise to the following committee assignments. Natural Resources, Homeland Security and Science, Space, and Technology.
Financial transparency and government accountability is very important to maintain the freedoms that we all enjoy. Transparency needs to be from all the bills that pass through Congress so we understand where the money that is being allocated on different programs actually goes and how that is being used. There are plenty of funds that I think the average American doesn't fully understand are available to them, that there is access to these funds. And then there are other bills that are loaded with earmarks that do not pertain to the main focus of that bill. The government needs to be accountable for all the funds that are proposed in spending bills. We also need to look at financial transparency in regards to election financing. All the dark money and other groups using funds to buy their candidate’s way into office is not good for American democracy. Candidates who have difficulty accessing campaign funds have a very hard time trying to get elected to office while other candidates have a large influx of monies from dark funds that nobody can trace back to individual donors.


Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Andrew Beck Democratic Party $1,452 $354 $1,234 As of June 30, 2025
Ben Steinhoff Democratic Party $927 $778 $-2,459 As of June 30, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
9/9/20259/2/20258/26/20258/19/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

2024

See also: Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District election, 2024

Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 13 Republican primary)

Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District election, 2024 (August 13 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5

Incumbent Scott Fitzgerald defeated Ben Steinhoff in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald (R)
 
64.4
 
300,521
Image of Ben Steinhoff
Ben Steinhoff (D) Candidate Connection
 
35.5
 
165,653
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
508

Total votes: 466,682
Candidate Connection = 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 Wisconsin District 5

Ben Steinhoff advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on August 13, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Ben Steinhoff
Ben Steinhoff Candidate Connection
 
99.8
 
57,039
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.2
 
94

Total votes: 57,133
Candidate Connection = 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

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5

Incumbent Scott Fitzgerald advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on August 13, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald
 
99.3
 
100,916
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
734

Total votes: 101,650
Candidate Connection = 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.

2022

See also: Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5

Incumbent Scott Fitzgerald defeated Mike Van Someren in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald (R)
 
64.4
 
243,741
Image of Mike Van Someren
Mike Van Someren (D) Candidate Connection
 
35.6
 
134,581
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
201

Total votes: 378,523
Candidate Connection = 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

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5

Mike Van Someren advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mike Van Someren
Mike Van Someren Candidate Connection
 
99.9
 
44,305
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
62

Total votes: 44,367
Candidate Connection = 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

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5

Incumbent Scott Fitzgerald advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on August 9, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald
 
99.4
 
118,411
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.6
 
769

Total votes: 119,180
Candidate Connection = 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.

2020

See also: Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5

Scott Fitzgerald defeated Tom Palzewicz in the general election for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald (R)
 
60.1
 
265,434
Image of Tom Palzewicz
Tom Palzewicz (D) Candidate Connection
 
39.8
 
175,902
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
263

Total votes: 441,599
Candidate Connection = 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 Wisconsin District 5

Tom Palzewicz advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tom Palzewicz
Tom Palzewicz Candidate Connection
 
99.9
 
43,710
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
49

Total votes: 43,759
Candidate Connection = 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 Wisconsin District 5

Scott Fitzgerald defeated Clifford DeTemple in the Republican primary for U.S. House Wisconsin District 5 on August 11, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Scott Fitzgerald
Scott Fitzgerald
 
77.2
 
60,676
Image of Clifford DeTemple
Clifford DeTemple Candidate Connection
 
22.7
 
17,829
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
63

Total votes: 78,568
Candidate Connection = 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.



District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

See also

Wisconsin 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
Tony Wied (R)
Republican Party (7)
Democratic Party (3)