Wisconsin election preview, 2024
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Last updated: Oct. 17, 2024
Thousands of general elections are taking place across the United States on Nov. 5, 2024. Those elections include offices at the federal, state, and local levels. This is one of 50 pages in which Ballotpedia previews the elections happening in each state as part of the Daily Brew’s 50 states in 25 days series.
This page provides an overview of all elections happening in Wisconsin within our coverage scope on Nov. 5, 2024. Those elections include office for one U.S Senator, eight U.S. Representatives, 99 state Representatives, and 16 state Senators. There is also one statewide ballot measure on the ballot in Wisconsin. On this page, you will also find information regarding:
- How to vote in Wisconsin
- The elected offices that Wisconsin voters can expect to see on their ballots
- The races in Wisconsin that Ballotpedia is covering as battlegrounds
- The ballot measures that voters in Wisconsin will decide on
- Ballotpedia's Sample Ballot Lookup Tool
- The partisan balance of Wisconsin's congressional delegation and state government
- Past presidential election results in Wisconsin
- The competitiveness of legislative elections in Wisconsin
- The candidates who are on the ballot in Wisconsin
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Wisconsin
What's on the ballot?
2024 elections
- See also: Wisconsin elections, 2024
Wisconsin voters will elect one U.S. Senator and eight U.S. Representatives.
All 99 seats in the state Assembly are up for election, and all 16 seats in the state Senate are up for a regularly scheduled election. There are 27 open seats in the state Assembly and three open seats in the state Senate.
One Milwaukee Public Schools school board seat is up for election. Ballotpedia covered all other school board elections in Wisconsin, including those outside of our regular coverage scope. Click here to view other school board elections.
Voters in Wisconsin will also decide one statewide ballot measure. Voters in Dane County will decide three local ballot measures.
Wisconsin is one of 26 states where we are expanding our local election coverage beyond the nation's biggest cities, school districts, and state capitals. Including those mentioned above, Ballotpedia will cover elections for offices such as local councils and other county-level positions.
Below is a list of Wisconsin elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2024. Click the links to learn more about each type:
| Wisconsin elections, 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Elections? | More information |
| U.S. Senate | ✓ | Click here |
| U.S. House | ✓ | Click here |
| Congress special election | ✓ | Click here |
| Governor | — | — |
| Other state executive | — | — |
| State Senate | ✓ | Click here |
| State House | ✓ | Click here |
| Special state legislative | ✓ | Click here |
| State Supreme Court | — | — |
| Intermediate appellate courts | ✓ | Click here |
| School boards | ✓ | Click here |
| Municipal government | ✓ | Click here |
| Recalls | ✓ | Click here |
| Ballot measures | ✓ | Click here |
| Local ballot measures | ✓ | Click here |
Legend: ✓ election(s) / — no elections
Subject to Ballotpedia's scope
Your ballot
- See also: Sample Ballot Lookup
Noteworthy elections
As of October 17, 2024, Ballotpedia has identified four elections as battleground races. Those are the races that we expect to have a meaningful effect on the balance of power in governments or to be particularly compelling.
- United States Senate election in Wisconsin, 2024: Incumbent Tammy Baldwin (D), Eric Hovde (R), and Thomas Leager (America First Party) are running. In 2022, Baldwin defeated Leah Vukmir (R) 55.4%-44.6%. As of Oct. 15, 2024, four major election forecasters differed in their ratings for the general election, with one rating it Toss-up, one rating it Tilt Democratic, and two rating it Lean Democratic.
- Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District election, 2024: Incumbent Derrick Van Orden (R) and Rebecca Cooke (D) are running. In 2022, Van Orden defeated Brad Pfaff (D) 51.8%-48.1%. As of Oct. 15, 2024, four major election forecasters differed in their ratings for the general election, with one rating it Likely Republican and three rating it Lean Republican.
- Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2024: Ballotpedia identified 12 Assembly battleground districts. Wisconsin adopted new state legislative maps on Feb. 19, 2024.
- Wisconsin State Senate elections, 2024: Ballotpedia identified five Senate battleground districts.
Ballot measures
- See also: Wisconsin 2024 ballot measures
April 2:
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Election administration | Prohibit any level of government in the state from applying or accepting non-governmental funds or equipment for election administration |
|
638,555 (54%) |
534,612 (46%) |
|
| Question 2 | Election administration | Provide that only election officials designated by law may administer elections |
|
685,806 (59%) |
483,900 (41%) |
August 13:
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Legislature | Prohibit the legislature from delegating its power to appropriate money |
|
521,538 (43%) |
704,260 (57%) |
|
| Question 2 | State executive; Legislature | Require legislative approval before the governor can expend federal money appropriated to the state |
|
521,639 (42%) |
706,637 (58%) |
November 5:
| Type | Title | Subject | Description | Result | Yes Votes | No Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment | Citizenship voting | Prohibit the state and local governments from allowing noncitizens to vote |
|
2,272,446 (71%) |
950,445 (29%) |
Thirty-nine ballot measures were on the ballot in Wisconsin from 1985 to 2023. Voters approved 30 measures and rejected nine.
State analysis
Partisan balance
Democrats represent two of the state's U.S. House districts, and Republicans represent five. In the U.S. House, Republicans have a 220-212 majority with three vacancies.
Wisconsin has one Democratic U.S. Senator—Tammy Baldwin—and one Republican U.S. Senator—Ronald Harold Johnson. Democrats have a majority in the U.S. Senate. There are 47 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and four independents. Three independents caucus with the Democratic Party, and one other counts towards the Democratic majority for committee purposes.
Republicans have a 22-10 majority in the state Senate and a 64-34 majority in the state Assembly. Republicans have had a majority in the state Senate and the state Assembly since 2010.
Because the governor is a Democrat, Wisconsin is one of 10 states with a divided government. It has held this status since 2019, when Democrats gained control of the governor's office. Wisconsin's attorney general and secretary of state are also Democrats. This makes Wisconsin one of 20 states with a Democratic triplex.
Past presidential election results in Wisconsin
- See also: Presidential election in Wisconsin, 2024
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 46.1% of Wisconsinites lived in one of the state's 37 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 35.7% lived in one of 12 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Wisconsin was Battleground Democratic, having voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Joe Biden (D) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Wisconsin following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Wisconsin county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 37 | 46.1% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 12 | 35.7% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 21 | 16.6% | |||||
| Battleground Democratic | 2 | 1.6% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 14 | 37.3% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 58 | 62.7% | |||||
State legislative competitiveness
According to Ballotpedia's annual state legislative competitiveness report, Wisconsin had a Competitiveness Index of 46.2, ranking it seventh of the 44 states that held elections.
- 30 of the 115 seats up for election were open (26%)
- 28 of the 89 incumbents who ran for re-election faced contested primaries (31%)
- 93 of the 115 seats up for election were contested by both major parties (81%)
2010-2024
Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents.
| State Legislative Competitiveness Index in Wisconsin, 2010-2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Open seats | Incs. in contested primaries | Major party competition | Competitiveness Index | Rank | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | 19.8% | 14.0% | 71.6% | 35.1 | 17 / 44 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | 20.0% | 16.0% | 71.3% | 35.8 | 23 / 44 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | 25.0% | 3.4% | 51.7% | 26.7 | 26 / 44 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | 11.3% | 7.8% | 50.4% | 23.2 | 36 / 44 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | 13.8% | 4.0% | 63.8% | 27.2 | 35 / 44 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 17.4% | 9.5% | 78.3% | 35.1 | 16 / 44 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 25.9% | 10.5% | 73.3% | 36.6 | 19 / 44 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 26.1% | 31.5% | 80.9% | 46.2 | 7 / 44 | |||||||||||||||||||
In 2024
Hover over column headings to learn more about their contents. Click on headings for more state-specific information.
| State Legislative Competitiveness Index in Wisconsin, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamber | Open seats | Incs. in contested primaries | Major party competition | Competitiveness Index | ||||||||||||||||||||
| House | 27.3% | 34.2% | 82.8% | 48.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Senate | 18.8% | 15.4% | 68.8% | 34.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 26.1% | 31.5% | 80.9% | 46.2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
List of candidates
See also
Footnotes
