The 2022 Wisconsin Secretary of State election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the Secretary of State of Wisconsin. Incumbent Democrat Doug La Follette won re-election to an unprecedented 12th term in the office, narrowly defeating Republican state legislator Amy Loudenbeck. With a margin of 0.29%, this was the closest secretary of state race of the 2022 election cycle.
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     La Follette: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Loudenbeck: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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Background
editThe secretary of state is one of Wisconsin's six constitutional officers. Once one of the most powerful offices in the state, its role has slowly been diminished as duties were reassigned or eliminated over time. In 1974 election oversight was stripped from the duties of the office and in 2013 the office lost the ability to delay the publicization of laws passed by the legislature, a move which helped unions prepare for Act 10's implementation.[1][2][3]
As part of broader attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, Republicans, having historically weakened the office, began a push to put election oversight back under the purview of the secretary of state, as opposed to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which Republicans had created to replace the previous nonpartisan Government Accountability Board, which oversaw elections and ethics.[3][4]
Democratic primary
editCandidates
editNominee
edit- Doug La Follette, incumbent secretary of state[4]
Eliminated in primary
edit- Alexia Sabor, chair of the Dane County Democratic Party[5]
Endorsements
editAlexia Sabor
- Statewide officials
- Barbara Lawton, former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin (2003–2011)[6]
Polling
edit| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Doug La Follette |
Alexia Sabor |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change Research (D)[A] | July 1–7, 2022 | 560 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 42% | 9% | 43% |
Results
edit
La Follette
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Doug La Follette (incumbent) | 300,773 | 63.63% | |
| Democratic | Alexia Sabor | 171,954 | 36.37% | |
| Total votes | 472,727 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
editCandidates
editNominee
editEliminated in primary
editWithdrew before primary
editEndorsements
editAmy Loudenbeck
- U.S. Representatives
- Bryan Steil, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin's 1st congressional district[11]
- Tom Tiffany, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin's 7th congressional district[12]
- Statewide officials
- Ben Brancel, former Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (2011–2017)[11]
- Scott McCallum, former Governor of Wisconsin (2001–2003)[11]
- Tommy Thompson, former Governor of Wisconsin (1987–2001)[12]
- Cathy "Cate" Zeuske, former State Treasurer of Wisconsin 1991–1995)[12]
- State legislators
- Individuals
- Dmitry Becker, former opponent in primary[10]
- Diane Hendricks, co-founder and chair of ABC Supply[12]
- Organizations
- Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police[14]
- Wisconsin Grocers Association[15]
- Wisconsin Young Republicans[16]
Jay Schroeder
- State legislators
- Jim Marchant, former Nevada assemblyman (2016–2018), Republican nominee for Nevada secretary of state in 2022[17]
Declined to endorse
- Organizations
Results
edit
Loudenbeck
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
Schroeder
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Amy Loudenbeck | 264,940 | 46.32% | |
| Republican | Jay Schroeder | 228,191 | 39.90% | |
| Republican | Justin Daniel Schmidtka | 78,846 | 13.78% | |
| Total votes | 571,977 | 100.0% | ||
Libertarian primary
editCandidates
editNominee
edit- Neil Harmon[8]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | Neil Harmon | 769 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 769 | 100.0% | ||
General election
editPredictions
edit| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[19] | Tossup | November 3, 2022 |
| Elections Daily[20] | Lean R (flip) | November 7, 2022 |
Polling
edit| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Doug La Follette (D) |
Amy Loudenbeck (R) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNN/SSRS | October 13–17, 2022 | 905 (RV) | ± 4.2% | 47% | 46% | 6%[b] | 1% |
| 714 (LV) | ± 4.5% | 49% | 48% | 2%[c] | 1% |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Doug La Follette (incumbent) | 1,268,748 | 48.30% | −4.44% | |
| Republican | Amy Loudenbeck | 1,261,306 | 48.01% | +0.83% | |
| Libertarian | Neil Harmon | 54,413 | 2.07% | N/A | |
| Green | Sharyl R. McFarland | 41,532 | 1.58% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 944 | 0.04% | -0.04% | ||
| Plurality | 7,442 | 0.28% | -5.16% | ||
| Total votes | 2,626,943 | 100.0% | -1.87% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By congressional district
editDespite losing the state, Loudenbeck won 6 of 8 congressional districts.[21]
| District | La Follette | Loudenbeck | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 46% | 50% | Bryan Steil |
| 2nd | 71% | 26% | Mark Pocan |
| 3rd | 46% | 50% | Ron Kind (117th Congress) |
| Derrick Van Orden (118th Congress) | |||
| 4th | 75% | 21% | Gwen Moore |
| 5th | 36% | 61% | Scott L. Fitzgerald |
| 6th | 40% | 56% | Glenn Grothman |
| 7th | 38% | 58% | Tom Tiffany |
| 8th | 40% | 56% | Mike Gallagher |
Notes
edit- Partisan clients
- ^ This poll was sponsored by 314 Action Fund
References
edit- ^ "1973 Wisconsin Act 334" (PDF). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- ^ "2013 Wisconsin Act 5". Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Hardee, Howard (August 3, 2022). "The race for Wisconsin secretary of state takes on higher stakes in 2022". PBS. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ a b Johnson, Shawn (March 17, 2022). "Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette to seek reelection in 2022". www.wpr.org. Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Democrat Alexia Sabor to challenge Secretary of State Doug La Follette". www.jsonline.com. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ "Sabor Campaign: Barbara Lawton endorses Alexia Sabor for Wisconsin Secretary of State". www.wispolitics.com. Wispolitics.com. June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "2022 State and Federal Official Results". Wisconsin Elections Commission. May 18, 2022.
- ^ a b c d White, Laurel (December 1, 2021). "GOP lawmaker Amy Loudenbeck launches secretary of state campaign, calls for office to take control of elections". www.wpr.org. Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Jay Schroeder Announcement of Candidacy" (PDF). www.wispolitics.com. Wispolitics.com. November 16, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ a b Becker, Dmitry. "Dmitry Becker for Secretary of State". Dmitry Becker for Secretary of State. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Loudenbeck campaign: Support grows stronger as primary nears, McCallum, Steil and Bancel endorse". Wispolitics.com. July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Loudenbeck campaign: Support for Loudenbeck for Secretary of State continues to grow". www.wispolitics.com. Wispolitics.com. May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ "Loudenbeck Campaign: Announces legislative endorsements". www.wispolitics.com. Wispolitics.com. January 20, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Loudenbeck campaign: Statement on Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police endorsement". Wispolitics.com. August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "Loudenbeck Campaign: Receives endorsement of Grocers for Secretary of State". www.wispolitics.com. Wispolitics.com. March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "Wisconsin Young Republicans: Announce election endorsements". May 11, 2022.
- ^ "Schroeder campaign: Receives huge endorsement from fellow patriot for SOS". www.wispolitics.com. Wispolitics.com. June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ Leischner, Mike (May 22, 2022). "No Endorsement From State Republicans in Governor's Race". www.wtaq.com. WTAQ. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ "Secretary of State and Attorney General: What to Watch for Next Week in Key Statewide Contests". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Solomon, Zack (November 7, 2022). "Elections Daily Secretary of State Ratings". Elections Daily. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Ward by Ward Report by Congressional District - Secretary of State". Wisconsin Elections Commission. 2022.
Spreadsheet download
External links
edit- Official campaign websites