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Wisconsin state legislative special elections, 2019
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In 2019, one special election were called to fill a vacant seat in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Click here to read more about the special elections.
House special elections called:
- District 64: April 30
How vacancies are filled in Wisconsin
If there is a vacancy in the Wisconsin State Legislature, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat.[1] The governor can call for an election when allowed by law. The election cannot be held after February 1 before a spring general election, unless it is held on the same day of the election, which is the first Tuesday in April. The same requirement applies to any election preceding the fall general election (after August 1), with the exception of elections held on the first Tuesday in November.[2] Also, all vacancies must be filled quickly as long the vacancy happened before the second Tuesday in May during an election year.[3]
See sources: Wisconsin Cons. Art. IV, § 14
About the legislature
The Wisconsin State Legislature is the state legislature of Wisconsin. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the lower Wisconsin State Assembly and the upper Wisconsin State Senate. The boxes below show the partisan composition of both chambers directly before and after the November 2018 general election. For the most up-to-date numbers on partisan composition in this legislature, see here (Senate) and here (House).
Wisconsin State Senate | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
Democratic Party | 15 | 14 | |
Republican Party | 18 | 19 | |
Total | 33 | 33 |
Wisconsin State Assembly | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
Democratic Party | 35 | 36 | |
Republican Party | 64 | 63 | |
Total | 99 | 99 |
Special elections
Click [show] to the right of the district name for more information:
April 30, 2019
Wisconsin State Assembly District 64 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A special election for District 64 of the Wisconsin State Assembly was called for April 30, 2019. The candidate filing deadline was March 5, 2019.[4] The primary election took place on April 2, 2019. The seat became vacant when Peter Barca (D) stepped down in January 2019 after Gov. Tony Evers (D) nominated him to be secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. General electionSpecial general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 64Tip McGuire defeated Mark Stalker in the special general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 64 on April 30, 2019.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Democratic primary electionSpecial Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 64Tip McGuire defeated Gina Walkington and Spencer Zimmerman in the special Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 64 on April 2, 2019.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary electionSpecial Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 64Mark Stalker advanced from the special Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 64 on April 2, 2019.
Note: Candidates Pedro Rodriguez (D) and Thomas Harland (Constitution Party) also filed for election but were disqualified before the primary.[5] |
Special elections throughout the country
In 2019, 77 state legislative special elections were held in 24 states. Between 2011 and 2018, an average of 77 special elections took place each year.
Breakdown of 2019 special elections
In 2019, special elections for state legislative positions were held for the following reasons:
- 47 due to appointment, election, or the seeking of election to another position
- 21 due to a retirement
- 6 due to the death of the incumbent
- 1 due to a resignation related to criminal charges
- 2 due to an election being rerun
Impact of special elections on partisan composition
The partisan breakdown for the special elections was as follows:
- 39 Democratic seats
- 38 Republican seats
The table below details how many seats changed parties as the result of a special election in 2019. The number on the left reflects how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the number on the right shows how many vacant seats each party won in the special elections. In elections between 2011 and 2018, either the Democratic Party or Republican Party saw an average net gain of four seats across the country. Between 2017 and 2018, Democrats had a net gain of 19 seats.
Note: This table reflects information for elections that were held and not the total number of vacant seats.
Partisan Change from Special Elections (2019) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Party | As of Special Election | After Special Election | |
Democratic Party | 39 | 36 | |
Republican Party | 38 | 40 | |
Independent | 0 | 1 | |
Total | 77 | 77 |
Flipped seats
In 2019, eight seats flipped as a result of state legislative special elections.
Seats flipped from D to R
- Minnesota State Senate District 11 (February 5)
- Connecticut State Senate District 6 (February 26)
- Connecticut House of Representatives District 99 (February 26)
- Kentucky State Senate District 31 (March 5)
- New Jersey State Senate District 1 (November 5)
Seats flipped from R to D
- Pennsylvania State Senate District 37 (April 2)
- Missouri House of Representatives District 99 (November 5)
Seats flipped from R to I
State profile
- See also: Wisconsin and Wisconsin elections, 2019
Partisan data
The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019
Presidential voting pattern
- Wisconsin voted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2018 elections, one U.S. senator from Wisconsin was a Democrat and the other was a Republican.
- Five of Wisconsin's eight U.S. representatives were Republicans and three were Democrats.
State executives
- Democrats held five of Wisconsin's 11 state executive offices. The other six offices were nonpartisan.
- Wisconsin's governor was Democrat Tony Evers.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled the Wisconsin State Senate with a 19-14 majority.
- Republicans controlled the Wisconsin State Assembly with a 63-35 majority.
Wisconsin Party Control: 1992-2025
Two years of Democratic trifectas • Ten years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
Senate | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
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Demographic data for Wisconsin | ||
---|---|---|
Wisconsin | U.S. | |
Total population: | 5,767,891 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 54,158 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 86.5% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 6.3% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 2.5% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 0.9% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 6.3% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 91% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 27.8% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $53,357 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 15% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wisconsin. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
See also
- State legislative special elections, 2019
- State legislative special elections, 2018
- State legislative special elections, 2017
- State legislative special elections, 2016
- Wisconsin State Legislature
Footnotes
- ↑ Wisconsin Legislature, "Wisconsin Statutes," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 17.19 (1), Wisconsin Statutes)
- ↑ Wisconsin Legislature, "Wisconsin Statutes," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 8.50, Wisconsin Statutes)
- ↑ Wisconsin Legislature, "Wisconsin Statutes," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 8.50(4)-(d), Wisconsin Statutes)
- ↑ The Journal Times, "Gov. Evers calls special election for Barca's seat," February 14, 2019
- ↑ The Journal Times, "Democratic candidates for Barca's vacant seat debate issues," March 20, 2019
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