The 2022 Wisconsin Senate elections were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. 17 of the 33 seats in the Wisconsin State Senate were up for election—the odd-numbered districts. This was the first election to take place after redistricting following the 2020 United States census. This was the only election to take place under the redistricting plan set out in 2022. Before the election, 21 Senate seats were held by Republicans, and 12 seats were held by Democrats. 11 Republican seats and six Democratic seats were up in this election. The primary election took place on August 9, 2022.[1]
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17 of 33 seats in the Wisconsin State Senate 17 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Results of the elections: Republican hold Republican gain Democratic hold No election | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Republicans flipped one Democratic-held Senate seat and achieved a two-thirds supermajority, entering the 106th Wisconsin Legislature with 22 of 33 State Senate seats.
Results summary
editSeats | Party (majority caucus shading)
|
Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Republican | |||
Last election (2020) | 6 | 10 | 16 | |
Total after last election (2020) | 12 | 21 | 33 | |
Total before this election | 12 | 21 | 33 | |
Up for election | 6 | 11 | 17 | |
of which: | Incumbent retiring | 3 | 4 | 7 |
Vacated | ||||
Unopposed | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
This election | 5 | 12 | 17 | |
Change from last election | 1 | 1 | ||
Total after this election | 11 | 22 | 33 | |
Change in total | 1 | 1 |
Source: https://elections.wi.gov/elections/election-results#accordion-5601
Close races
editSeats where the margin of victory was under 10%:
- State Senate district 31, 0.9%
- State Senate district 5, 6.52%
- State Senate district 19, 8.12%
Outgoing incumbents
editRetiring
edit- Kathy Bernier (R–Chippewa Falls), representing District 23 since 2018, announced in January 2022 that she would not seek reelection. Bernier had made news in 2021 by opposing her party's attempts to undermine the validity of the 2020 United States presidential election. Prominent Republicans loyal to Donald Trump had called for her to resign or be defeated.[2]
- Janet Bewley (D–Mason), representing District 25 since 2014, announced on February 6, 2022, that she would not seek reelection.
- Jon Erpenbach (D–West Point), representing District 27 since 1998, announced on December 9, 2021, that he would not seek reelection.
- Dale Kooyenga (R–Brookfield), representing District 5 since 2019, announced in April 2022 that he would not run for a second term.
- Jerry Petrowski (R–Marathon), representing District 29 since 2012, announced on March 10, 2022, that he would not seek reelection.
- Janis Ringhand (D–Evansville), representing District 15 since 2014, announced on March 9, 2022, that she would not seek reelection.
Seeking other office
edit- Roger Roth (R–Appleton), who represented District 19 since 2014, ran instead for lieutenant governor of Wisconsin.
Candidates and results
editDist. | Incumbent | This race[3] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Member | Party | First elected | Status | Primary | General | Result | |
01 | André Jacque | Republican | 2018 | Running |
|
|
Incumbent re-elected |
03 | Tim Carpenter | Democratic | 2002 | Running |
|
|
Incumbent re-elected |
05 | Dale Kooyenga | Republican | 2018 | Not running[4] |
|
|
New member elected. Republican hold. |
07 | Chris Larson | Democratic | 2010 | Running |
|
|
Incumbent re-elected |
09 | Devin LeMahieu | Republican | 2014 | Running |
|
|
Incumbent re-elected |
11 | Stephen Nass | Republican | 2014 | Running |
|
|
Incumbent re-elected |
13 | John Jagler | Republican | 2021 (special) | Running |
|
|
Incumbent re-elected |
15 | Janis Ringhand | Democratic | 2014 | Not running[5] |
|
|
New member elected. Democratic hold. |
17 | Howard Marklein | Republican | 2014 | Running |
|
|
Incumbent re-elected |
19 | Roger Roth | Republican | 2014 | Running for lieutenant governor[7] |
|
|
New member elected. Republican hold. |
21 | Van H. Wanggaard | Republican | 2014 | Running |
|
|
Incumbent re-elected |
23 | Kathy Bernier | Republican | 2018 | Not running[8] |
|
|
New member elected. Republican hold. |
25 | Janet Bewley | Democratic | 2014 | Not running[11] |
|
|
New member elected. Republican gain. |
27 | Jon Erpenbach | Democratic | 1998 | Not running[13] |
|
|
New member elected. Democratic hold. |
29 | Jerry Petrowski | Republican | 2021 (recall) | Not running[15] |
|
|
New member elected. Republican hold. |
31 | Jeff Smith | Democratic | 2018 | Running |
|
|
Incumbent re-elected |
33 | Chris Kapenga | Republican | 2015 | Running |
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Incumbent re-elected |
Predictions
editSource | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
Sabato's Crystal Ball[16] | Safe R | May 19, 2022 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Wisconsin Elections Commission Calendar of Election Events: November 2021 – December 2023 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. October 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ "Republican critic of election probe, State Sen. Kathy Bernier, retiring from Senate". WTMJ-TV. January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ Candidate Tracking by Office 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ "Statement on Decision to Not Seek Re-Election" (PDF). Office of State Senator Dale Kooyenga (Press release). April 26, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022 – via Wispolitics.com.
- ^ "Janis Ringhand won't seek reelection to state Senate". FOX6 News Milwaukee. March 10, 2022.
- ^ "Spreitzer campaign: Announces campaign for state Senate". WisPolitics.com. March 10, 2022.
- ^ Zimmerman, Jason (February 17, 2022). "Wisconsin Senator Roger Roth running for lieutenant governor". www.wsaw.com. WSAW-TV. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Bosk, Felicity (January 7, 2022). "State Sen. Kathy Bernier announces she will not seek reelection". www.wqow.com. WQOW. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Bosk, Felicity (January 21, 2022). "Altoona's Jesse James announces bid for State Senate". www.wqow.com. WQOW. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Lopez, Julia (January 8, 2022). "Brian Westrate announces candidacy for state senate". www.wqow.com. WQOW. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Kowles, Naomi (February 6, 2022). "For the Record: Sen. Janet Bewley on stepping down, future for Democrats in legislature". www.channel3000.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Former Rep. Romaine Quinn to run for state senate, District 25". www.apg-wi.com. October 12, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Longtime Democratic Wisconsin Sen. Erpenbach to retire". www.wxpr.org. WXPR. December 9, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Hesselbein announces state Senate campaign". www.hngnews.com. December 16, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ "Sixth Wisconsin state senator won't seek reelection". Associated Press. March 10, 2022.
- ^ Jacobson, Louis (May 19, 2022). "The Battle for State Legislatures". Retrieved May 19, 2022.
External links
edit- Wisconsin Elections Commission
- Wisconsin at Ballotpedia
- Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Wisconsin", Voting & Elections Toolkits
- "Wisconsin: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
- "League of Women Voters of Wisconsin". September 7, 2017. (state affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- Wisconsin 2021 & 2022 Elections, OpenSecrets