Wisconsin State Senate District 22
| Wisconsin State Senate District 22 | ||
 | ||
| Current incumbent | Robert Wirch  | |
Wisconsin's twenty-second state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Robert Wirch.
Wisconsin state senators represent an average of 172,333 residents.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 162,536 residents.[2]
About the office
Members of the Wisconsin State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Half of the senate is up for election every two years. Wisconsin legislators assume office the first Monday in January following the election, unless the first Monday of January falls on January 1 or 2. In those cases, legislators assume office on January 3.[3]
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."[4]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[5] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $60,924/year | $140/day for senators. Dane County senators are allowed half that amount. $171/day for representatives (with overnight) or $85.50/day (no overnight). Dane County representatives receive only $85.50/day. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Wisconsin State Legislature, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat.[6] 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.[7] Also, all vacancies must be filled quickly as long the vacancy happened before the second Tuesday in May during an election year.[8]
See sources: Wisconsin Cons. Art. IV, § 14
2016 pivot county
This district was one of 710 state legislative districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.
The 206 Pivot Counties were located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. At that time, the partisan makeup of state legislative districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was slightly more Republican than the overall partisan makeup of state legislatures throughout the country.[9]
Elections
2016
- See also: Wisconsin State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Wisconsin State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 9, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.
Incumbent Robert Wirch ran unopposed in the Wisconsin State Senate District 22 general election.[10][11]
| Wisconsin State Senate, District 22 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Robert Wirch Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 50,841 | |
| Total Votes | 50,841 | |||
| Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission | ||||
Incumbent Robert Wirch ran unopposed in the Wisconsin State Senate District 22 Democratic primary.[12][13]
| Wisconsin State Senate, District 22 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Robert Wirch Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2012
- See also: Wisconsin State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of Wisconsin State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 14, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. Democratic incumbent Robert Wirch defeated Republican Pam Stevens in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the primary elections.[14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Wirch Incumbent |
69.6% | 51,177 | |
| Republican | Pam Stevens | 30.3% | 22,278 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 104 | |
| Total Votes | 73,559 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Wisconsin State Senate District 22 raised a total of $1,255,024. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $104,585 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.
| Campaign contributions, Wisconsin State Senate District 22 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average | |
| 2016 | $40,640 | 1 | $40,640 | |
| 2012 | $181,024 | 2 | $90,512 | |
| 2010 | $20,773 | 1 | $20,773 | |
| 2008 | $218,151 | 2 | $109,076 | |
| 2006 | $33,839 | 1 | $33,839 | |
| 2004 | $529,898 | 2 | $264,949 | |
| 2002 | $13,232 | 1 | $13,232 | |
| 2000 | $217,467 | 2 | $108,734 | |
| Total | $1,255,024 | 12 | $104,585 | |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "2010 Census Interactive Population Search," accessed February 14, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population," April 2, 2001
- ↑ Wisconsin Statutes, "Chapter 13: Legislative Branch: 13.02 Regular sessions," accessed October 5, 2021
- ↑ Wisconsin State Legislature, "Annotated Wisconsin Constitution- Article IV, Section 6," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ 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 raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates on Ballot by Election - 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Elections Commission, "2016 Fall General Election Results," accessed December 2, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidate Tracking by Office," accessed June 20, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commissions, "2016 Partisan Primary," accessed September 16, 2016
- ↑ Wisconsin Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Candidates by Office," accessed November 23, 2013
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, Official 2012 primary results, accessed November 23, 2013
