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Wisconsin State Senate elections, 2012
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Wisconsin's 2012 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State Assembly • Candidate ballot access |
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Elections for the office of Wisconsin State Senate were held in Wisconsin on November 6, 2012. A total of 16 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was June 1, 2012. The primary Election Day was August 14, 2012.
Incumbents retiring
| Name | Party | Current office |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Holperin |  Democratic |
Senate District 12 |
| Spencer Coggs | Democratic |
Senate District 6 |
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 6 election, the Democratic Party held the majority in the Wisconsin State Senate. The party took control of the chamber after the successful recall of Van Wanggaard on June 5, 2012:
| Wisconsin State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2012 | After the 2012 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 17 | 15 | |
| Republican Party | 15 | 18 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 33 | |
Game-changers
Wisconsin State Senate: In total, 16 of 33 seats were up for election in November. Going into the election, Democrats held a slim 17-15 margin (with one vacancy), meaning that any Democratic seat changing hands would have flipped the chamber to Republicans.
Wisconsin House of Representatives: Heading into the election, Republicans held a 58-39 advantage, with one vacancy and one Independent in the 99 seat chamber. While it was not as close as the Senate, a total of 18 Representatives retired, leaving many open seats that both parties attempted to pick up.
Primaries
Senate
- District 6: Spencer Coggs (D) retired, leaving five Democrats to vie for his seat in the primary; they were: Elizabeth Coggs, Nikiya Harris, Michael Mayo, Allyn Monroe Swan, and Delta Triplett. Harris won.
- District 14 incumbent Luther Olsen (R) faced primary opponent David Wayne Eiler on August 14. Olsen escaped unscathed, with a 14,782-4,341 victory.
General election
Senate
- District 12: Susan Sommer sought to keep this seat for Democrats in a conservative leaning district, as incumbent Jim Holperin did not seek re-election. She was defeated by Republican Tom Tiffany.
- District 18: Democrats thought that freshman incumbent Jessica King (D) would need to retain her seat against challenger Rick Gudex if Democrats were to keep a majority in the Senate. Gudex narrowly won, and Republicans did take the chamber.[1]
House
- District 25 was seen as one of the most competitive seats, as Independent Robert Ziegelbauer did not seek re-election. A crowded primary field with eight incumbents yielded a general election contest between Jim Brey (D) and Paul Tittl (R). Tittl won in the general election.
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Wisconsin in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[2]
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 41 | $4,251,736 |
| 2008 | 42 | $4,912,818 |
| 2006 | 52 | $4,536,726 |
| 2004 | 55 | $4,324,018 |
| 2002 | 51 | $3,014,637 |
In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $4,251,736 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were:[3]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Public Fund | $56,785 |
| Galloway, Pamela G | $45,131 |
| Elmer, Monk | $34,248 |
| Richard, Rick | $30,675 |
| Hutchison, David E | $17,699 |
| Cmte to Elect a Republican Senate | $17,226 |
| Northwestern Mutual Life | $16,000 |
| State Senate Democratic Cmte of Wisconsin | $15,767 |
| Deutsch, Dane A | $11,657 |
| United Transportation Union | $11,000 |
Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Wisconsin
New maps were passed by the Republican-controlled legislature on July 19, 2011, and signed by Gov. Scott Walker (R) on August 9, the day of six senate recall elections; the maps were expected to help Republicans maintain majorities in both chambers. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said the maps made "three state Senate seats in southeastern Wisconsin significantly more Republican."[4][5]
Qualifications
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."
Nine of the 16 senators up for election faced recall elections in 2011. Those nine senators are:
Robert Cowles
Alberta Darling
Sheila Harsdorf
Dave Hansen
Jim Holperin
Randy Hopper
Dan Kapanke
Luther Olsen
Robert Wirch
The seven senators who face re-election in 2012 but did not face a recall in 2011 are:
List of candidates
District 2
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- August 14 GOP primary:
- Robert Cowles
- Incumbent Cowles first assumed office in 1987.
- Robert Cowles
November 6 General election candidates:
- Robert Cowles: 64,192
District 4
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Lena Taylor - Incumbent Taylor first assumed office in 2004.
- Lena Taylor
- August 14 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed.
August 14 Independent primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Lena Taylor: 67,064
- David King: 10,154
District 6
Note:Incumbent Democrat Spencer Coggs did not seek re-election.
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Elizabeth Coggs: 4,466
- Nikiya Harris: 6,388
- Michael Mayo: 1,351
- Allyn Monroe Swan: 767
- Delta Triplett: 377
- August 14 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Nikiya Harris: 60,543
District 8
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- August 14 GOP primary:
- Alberta Darling - Incumbent Darling first assumed office in 1992.
- Alberta Darling
November 6 General election candidates:
- Alberta Darling: 76,402
District 10
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- August 14 GOP primary:
- Sheila Harsdorf - Incumbent Harsdorf first assumed office in 2000.
- Sheila Harsdorf
November 6 General election candidates:
- Daniel Olson: 35,728
- Sheila Harsdorf: 51,911
District 12
Note:Incumbent Democrat Jim Holperin did not seek re-election.
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Susan Sommer: 3,695
- Lisa Theo: 2,027
- Susan Sommer: 3,695
- August 14 GOP primary:
August 14 Libertarian primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Susan Sommer: 36,809
- Tom Tiffany: 51,176
- Paul Ehlers: 2,964
District 14
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- August 14 GOP primary:
- David Wayne Eiler: 4,341
- Luther Olsen: 14,782 - Incumbent Olsen first assumed office in 2004.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Margarete Worthington: 34,742
- Luther Olsen: 47,137
District 16
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Mark Miller - Incumbent Miller first assumed office in 2004.
- Mark Miller
- August 14 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Mark Miller: 72,298
District 18
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Jessica King - Incumbent King first assumed office in 2011.
- Jessica King
- August 14 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Jessica King: 42,479
- Rick Gudex: 43,079 [6]
District 20
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- August 14 GOP primary:
- Glenn Grothman - Incumbent Grothman first assumed office in 2004.
- Glenn Grothman
November 6 General election candidates:
- Tanya Lohr: 30,504
- Glenn Grothman: 66,882
District 22
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Robert Wirch - Incumbent Wirch first assumed office in 1996.
- Robert Wirch
- August 14 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Robert Wirch: 51,177
- Pam Stevens: 22,278
District 24
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Julie Lassa - Incumbent Lassa first assumed office in 2003.
- Julie Lassa
- August 14 GOP primary:
- Steve Abrahamson: 5,727
- Scott Noble: 6,632
November 6 General election candidates:
- Julie Lassa: 48,677
- Scott Noble: 37,259
District 26
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Fred Risser - Incumbent Risser first assumed office in 1962.
- Fred Risser
- August 14 GOP primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 6 General election candidates:
- Fred Risser: 87, 144
District 28
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- August 14 GOP primary:
- Mary Lazich - Incumbent Lazich first assumed office in 1998.
- Mary Lazich
November 6 General election candidates:
- Jim Ward: 35,053
- Mary Lazich: 60,854
District 30
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Dave Hansen - Incumbent Hansen first assumed office in 2000.
- Dave Hansen
- August 14 GOP primary:
- John Macco: 8,826
- Ray Suennen: 4,369
- John Macco: 8,826
November 6 General election candidates:
- Dave Hansen: 42,949
- John Macco: 36,178
District 32
- August 14 Democratic primary:
- Jennifer Shilling - Incumbent Shilling first assumed office in 2011.
- Jennifer Shilling
- August 14 GOP primary:
November 6 General election candidates:
- Jennifer Shilling: 51,153
- Bill Feehan: 36,545
See also
- Wisconsin State Senate
- Wisconsin State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2012
- Recall of Wisconsin State Senators (2011)
External links
- Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, Official 2012 primary results
- Wisconsin Secretary of State - 2012 General Election Candidates by Office
Footnotes
- ↑ Dlccorg "Introducing the 2012 DLCC Essential Races!" accessed October 24, 2012
- ↑ Follow the Money, Wisconsin
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Wisconsin Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Journal Sentinel, "Walker signs legislation to redraw district boundaries," August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2012
- ↑ WITI, "Court ruling ends redistricting lawsuit," April 12, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012
- ↑ fdlreporter.com, "Gudex defeats King in 18th Senate District; King not conceding yet," accessed November 9, 2012
