| Elections in Wisconsin |
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Wisconsin gubernatorial elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November every four years on even, non-presidential election years since 1970. Between 1884 and 1970, gubernatorial elections were held on every even-numbered year. Prior to 1882, gubernatorial elections were held on every odd-numbered year.
The Wisconsin gubernatorial election selects the Governor of Wisconsin and Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin who will take office for a four-year term beginning the first Monday of the first January following the election. The election operates under first-past-the-post rules with no runoff. Prior to 2014, the lieutenant gubernatorial election was a separate election on the same ballot.
The first Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held May 8, 1848, concurrent with a referendum to ratify the Wisconsin Constitution. Since then, there have been 74 regular Wisconsin gubernatorial elections and one special recall election.
Fifty-five elections have been won by Republican candidates. Seventeen elections were won by Democratic candidates. Three were won by Wisconsin Progressives. One was won by a Whig.
Incumbents have been re-elected 35 times and have been defeated 14 times.
List of election results
Percentages are approximate:
| Year | Elected | Defeated | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1848 | Nelson Dewey | Democratic | 19,875 | 56% | John Hubbard Tweedy | 14,621 | 41% | |
| Charles Durkee | 1,134 | 3% | ||||||
| 1849 | Nelson Dewey (inc) | Democratic | 16,649 | 52% | Alexander L. Collins | 14,621 | 36% | |
| Warren Chase | 3,761 | 12% | ||||||
| 1851 | Leonard J. Farwell | Whig | 22,319 | 51% | Don A. J. Upham | 21,812 | 49% | |
| 1853 | William A. Barstow | Democratic | 30,405 | 55% | Edward D. Holton | 21,886 | 39% | |
| Henry S. Baird | 3,304 | 6% | ||||||
| 1855 | Coles Bashford | Republican | 36,198 | 50% | William A. Barstow (inc) | 36,355 | 50% | |
| 1857 | Alexander Randall | Republican | 44,693 | 50% | James B. Cross | 44,239 | 49% | |
| 1859 | Alexander Randall (inc) | Republican | 59,999 | 53% | Harrison Carroll Hobart | 52,539 | 47% | |
| 1861 | Louis P. Harvey | Republican | 53,777 | 54% | Benjamin Ferguson | 45,456 | 46% | |
| 1863 | James Taylor Lewis | Republican | 72,717 | 60% | Henry L. Palmer | 49,053 | 40% | |
| 1865 | Lucius Fairchild | Republican | 58,332 | 55% | Harrison Carroll Hobart | 48,330 | 45% | |
| 1867 | Lucius Fairchild (inc) | Republican | 73,637 | 52% | John J. Tallmadge | 68,873 | 48% | |
| 1869 | Lucius Fairchild (inc) | Republican | 69,502 | 53% | Charles D. Robinson | 61,239 | 47% | |
| 1871 | Cadwallader C. Washburn | Republican | 78,301 | 53% | James Rood Doolittle | 68,910 | 47% | |
| 1873 | William Robert Taylor | Democratic | 81,599 | 55% | Cadwallader C. Washburn (inc) | 66,224 | 45% | |
| 1875 | Harrison Ludington | Republican | 85,155 | 50% | William Robert Taylor (inc) | 84,314 | 50% | |
| 1877 | William E. Smith | Republican | 78,759 | 44% | James A. Mallory | 70,486 | 40% | |
| Edward P. Allis | 26,216 | 15% | ||||||
| Collin M. Campbell | 2,176 | 1% | ||||||
| 1879 | William E. Smith (inc) | Republican | 100,535 | 53% | James Graham Jenkins | 75,030 | 40% | |
| Reuben May | 12,996 | 7% | ||||||
| 1881 | Jeremiah McLain Rusk | Republican | 81,754 | 48% | Nicholas D. Fratt | 69,797 | 41% | |
| Theodore D. Kanouse | 13,225 | 8% | ||||||
| Edward P. Allis | 7,002 | 4% | ||||||
| 1884 | Jeremiah McLain Rusk (inc) | Republican | 163,214 | 51% | Nicholas D. Fratt | 143,945 | 45% | |
| Samuel D. Hastings | 8,545 | 3% | ||||||
| William L. Utley | 4,274 | 1% | ||||||
| 1886 | Jeremiah McLain Rusk (inc) | Republican | 133,247 | 47% | Gilbert M. Woodward | 114,529 | 40% | |
| John Cochrane | 21,467 | 7% | ||||||
| John Myers Olin | 17,089 | 6% | ||||||
| 1888 | William D. Hoard | Republican | 175,696 | 49% | James Morgan | 155,423 | 44% | |
| E. G. Durant | 14,373 | 4% | ||||||
| D. Frank Powell | 9,196 | 3% | ||||||
| 1890 | George Wilbur Peck | Democratic | 160,388 | 52% | William D. Hoard (inc) | 132,068 | 43% | |
| Charles Alexander | 11,246 | 4% | ||||||
| Reuben May | 5,447 | 2% | ||||||
| 1892 | George Wilbur Peck (inc) | Democratic | 178,095 | 48% | John Coit Spooner | 170,497 | 46% | |
| Thomas C. Richmond | 13,185 | 4% | ||||||
| Cyrus M. Butt | 9,638 | 3% | ||||||
| 1894 | William H. Upham | Republican | 196,150 | 52% | George Wilbur Peck (inc) | 142,250 | 38% | |
| D. Frank Powell | 25,604 | 7% | ||||||
| John F. Cleghorn | 11,240 | 3% | ||||||
| 1896 | Edward Scofield | Republican | 264,981 | 60% | Willis C. Silverthorn | 169,257 | 38% | |
| Joshua H. Berkey | 8,140 | 2% | ||||||
| Christ Tuttrop | 1,306 | 0% | ||||||
| Robert Henderson | 407 | 0% | ||||||
| 1898 | Edward Scofield (inc) | Republican | 173,137 | 53% | Hiram Wilson Sawyer | 135,353 | 41% | |
| Albinus A. Worsley | 8,518 | 3% | ||||||
| Eugene W. Chafin | 8,078 | 2% | ||||||
| Howard Tuttle | 2,544 | 1% | ||||||
| Henry Riese | 1,473 | 0% | ||||||
| Robert M. La Follette | 112 | 0% | ||||||
| 1900 | Robert M. La Follette | Republican | 264,419 | 60% | Louis G. Bomrich | 160,674 | 36% | |
| J. Burritt Smith | 9,707 | 2% | ||||||
| Howard Tuttle | 6,590 | 1% | ||||||
| Frank R. Wilke | 509 | 0% | ||||||
| 1902 | Robert M. La Follette (inc) | Republican | 193,417 | 53% | David Stuart Rose | 145,818 | 40% | |
| Emil Seidel | 15,970 | 4% | ||||||
| Edwin W. Drake | 9,647 | 3% | ||||||
| Henry E. D. Puck | 791 | 0% | ||||||
| 1904 | Robert M. La Follette (inc) | Republican | 227,253 | 51% | George Wilbur Peck | 173,301 | 39% | |
| William A. Arnold | 24,857 | 6% | ||||||
| Edward Scofield | 12,136 | 3% | ||||||
| William H. Clark | 8,764 | 2% | ||||||
| Charles M. Minkley | 249 | 0% | ||||||
| 1906 | James O. Davidson (inc) | Republican | 183,558 | 57% | John A. Aylward | 103,311 | 32% | |
| Winfield R. Gaylord | 24,437 | 8% | ||||||
| Ephraim L. Eaton | 8,211 | 3% | ||||||
| Ole T. Rosaas | 455 | 0% | ||||||
| 1908 | James O. Davidson (inc) | Republican | 242,935 | 54% | John A. Aylward | 165,977 | 37% | |
| Harvey D. Brown | 28,583 | 6% | ||||||
| Winfred D. Cox | 11,760 | 3% | ||||||
| Herman Bottema | 393 | 0% | ||||||
| 1910 | Francis E. McGovern | Republican | 161,619 | 51% | Adolph H. Schmitz | 110,442 | 35% | |
| William A. Jacobs | 39,547 | 12% | ||||||
| Byron E. Van Keuren | 7,450 | 2% | ||||||
| Fred G. Kremer | 430 | 0% | ||||||
| 1912 | Francis E. McGovern (inc) | Republican | 179,360 | 46% | John C. Karel | 167,316 | 42% | |
| Carl D. Thompson | 34,468 | 9% | ||||||
| Charles L. Hill | 9,433 | 2% | ||||||
| William H. Curtis | 3,253 | 1% | ||||||
| 1914 | Emanuel L. Philipp | Republican | 140,787 | 43% | John C. Karel | 119,509 | 37% | |
| John J. Blaine | 32,560 | 10% | ||||||
| Oscar Ameringer | 25,917 | 8% | ||||||
| David W. Emerson | 6,279 | 2% | ||||||
| John Vierthaler | 352 | 0% | ||||||
| 1916 | Emanuel L. Philipp (inc) | Republican | 229,889 | 53% | Burt Williams | 164,555 | 38% | |
| Rae Weaver | 30,649 | 7% | ||||||
| George McKerrow | 9,193 | 2% | ||||||
| 1918 | Emanuel L. Philipp (inc) | Republican | 155,799 | 47% | Henry A. Moehlenpah | 112,576 | 34% | |
| Emil Seidel | 57,523 | 17% | ||||||
| William C. Dean | 5,296 | 2% | ||||||
| 1920 | John J. Blaine | Republican | 366,247 | 53% | Robert Bruce McCoy | 247,746 | 36% | |
| William Coleman | 71,126 | 10% | ||||||
| Henry H. Tubbs | 6,047 | 1% | ||||||
| 1922 | John J. Blaine (inc) | Republican | 367,929 | 76% | Arthur A. Bentley | 51,061 | 11% | |
| Louis A. Arnold | 39,570 | 8% | ||||||
| M. L. Welles | 21,438 | 4% | ||||||
| Arthur A. Dietrich | 1,444 | 0% | ||||||
| 1924 | John J. Blaine (inc) | Republican | 412,255 | 52% | Martin L. Lueck | 317,550 | 40% | |
| William F. Quick | 45,268 | 6% | ||||||
| Adolph R. Bucknam | 11,516 | 1% | ||||||
| Severi Alanne | 4,107 | 0% | ||||||
| Farrand K. Shuttleworth | 4,079 | 0% | ||||||
| Jose Snover | 1,452 | 0% | ||||||
| 1926 | Fred R. Zimmerman | Republican | 350,927 | 63% | Charles B. Perry | 76,507 | 14% | |
| Virgil H. Cady | 72,627 | 13% | ||||||
| Herman O. Kent | 40,293 | 7% | ||||||
| David W. Emerson | 7,333 | 1% | ||||||
| Alex Gorden | 4,593 | 1% | ||||||
| 1928 | Walter J. Kohler, Sr. | Republican | 547,738 | 55% | Albert G. Schmedeman | 394,368 | 40% | |
| Otto R. Hauser | 36,924 | 4% | ||||||
| Adolph R. Bucknam | 6,477 | 1% | ||||||
| Joseph Ehrhardt | 1,938 | 0% | ||||||
| Alvar J. Hayes | 1,420 | 0% | ||||||
| 1930 | Philip La Follette | Republican | 392,958 | 65% | Charles E. Hammersley | 170,020 | 28% | |
| Frank Metcalfe | 25,607 | 4% | ||||||
| Alfred B. Taynton | 14,818 | 2% | ||||||
| Fred Basset Blair | 2,998 | 0% | ||||||
| 1932 | Albert G. Schmedeman | Democratic | 590,114 | 52% | Walter J. Kohler, Sr. | 470,805 | 42% | |
| Frank Metcalfe | 56,965 | 5% | ||||||
| William C. Dean | 3,148 | 0% | ||||||
| Fred Basset Blair | 2,926 | 0% | ||||||
| Joseph Ehrhardt | 398 | 0% | ||||||
| 1934 | Philip La Follette | Progressive | 373,093 | 39% | Albert G. Schmedeman (inc) | 359,467 | 38% | |
| Howard Greene | 172,980 | 18% | ||||||
| George A. Nelson | 44,589 | 5% | ||||||
| Morris Childs | 2,454 | 0% | ||||||
| Thomas W. North | 857 | 0% | ||||||
| Joseph Ehrhardt | 332 | 0% | ||||||
| 1936 | Philip La Follette (inc) | Progressive | 573,724 | 46% | Alexander Wiley | 363,973 | 29% | |
| Arthur W. Lueck | 268,530 | 22% | ||||||
| Joseph F. Walsh | 27,934 | 2% | ||||||
| Joseph Ehrhardt | 1,738 | 0% | ||||||
| August F. Fehlandt | 1,008 | 0% | ||||||
| 1938 | Julius P. Heil | Republican | 543,675 | 55% | Philip La Follette (inc) | 353,381 | 36% | |
| Harry W. Bolens | 78,446 | 8% | ||||||
| Frank W. Smith | 4,564 | 0% | ||||||
| John Schleier, Jr. | 1,459 | 0% | ||||||
| 1940 | Julius P. Heil (inc) | Republican | 558,678 | 41% | Orland Steen Loomis | 546,436 | 40% | |
| Francis E. McGovern | 264,985 | 19% | ||||||
| Fred Basset Blair | 2,340 | 0% | ||||||
| Louis Fisher | 1,158 | 0% | ||||||
| 1942 | Orland Steen Loomis | Progressive | 397,664 | 50% | Julius P. Heil (inc) | 291,945 | 36% | |
| William C. Sullivan | 98,153 | 12% | ||||||
| Frank Zeidler | 11,295 | 1% | ||||||
| Fred Basset Blair | 1,092 | 0% | ||||||
| Georgia Cozzini | 480 | 0% | ||||||
| 1944 | Walter Samuel Goodland (inc) | Republican | 697,740 | 53% | Daniel Hoan | 536,357 | 41% | |
| Alexander O. Benz | 76,028 | 6% | ||||||
| George A. Nelson | 9,183 | 1% | ||||||
| Georgia Cozzini | 1,122 | 0% | ||||||
| 1946 | Walter Samuel Goodland (inc) | Republican | 621,970 | 60% | Daniel Hoan | 406,499 | 39% | |
| Walter H. Uphoff | 8,996 | 1% | ||||||
| Sigmund G. Eisenscher | 1,857 | 0% | ||||||
| Jerry R. Kenyon | 959 | 0% | ||||||
| 1948 | Oscar Rennebohm (inc) | Republican | 684,839 | 54% | Carl W. Thompson | 558,497 | 44% | |
| Henry J. Berquist | 12,928 | 1% | ||||||
| Walter H. Uphoff | 9,149 | 1% | ||||||
| James E. Boulton | 356 | 0% | ||||||
| Georgia Cozzini | 328 | 0% | ||||||
| 1950 | Walter J. Kohler, Jr. | Republican | 605,649 | 53% | Carl W. Thompson | 525,319 | 46% | |
| M. Michael Essin | 3,735 | 0% | ||||||
| William O. Hart | 3,384 | 0% | ||||||
| 1952 | Walter J. Kohler, Jr. (inc) | Republican | 1,009,171 | 62% | William Proxmire | 601,844 | 37% | |
| M. Michael Essin | 3,706 | 0% | ||||||
| 1954 | Walter J. Kohler, Jr. (inc) | Republican | 596,158 | 51% | William Proxmire | 560,747 | 48% | |
| Arthur Wepfer | 1,722 | 0% | ||||||
| 1956 | Vernon Wallace Thomson | Republican | 808,273 | 52% | William Proxmire | 749,421 | 48% | |
| 1958 | Gaylord Nelson | Democratic | 644,296 | 54% | Vernon Wallace Thomson (inc) | 556,391 | 46% | |
| Wayne Leverenz | 1,485 | 0% | ||||||
| 1960 | Gaylord Nelson (inc) | Democratic | 890,868 | 52% | Phillip G. Kuehn | 837,123 | 48% | |
| 1962 | John W. Reynolds, Jr. | Democratic | 637,491 | 50% | Phillip G. Kuehn | 625,536 | 49% | |
| Adolf Wiggert | 2,477 | 0% | ||||||
| 1964 | Warren P. Knowles | Republican | 856,779 | 51% | John W. Reynolds, Jr. (inc) | 837,901 | 49% | |
| 1966 | Warren P. Knowles (inc) | Republican | 626,041 | 54% | Patrick Lucey | 539,258 | 46% | |
| Adolf Wiggert | 4,745 | 0% | ||||||
| 1968 | Warren P. Knowles (inc) | Republican | 893,463 | 53% | Bronson La Follette | 791,100 | 47% | |
| Adolf Wiggert | 3,225 | 0% | ||||||
| Robert Wilkinson | 1,813 | 0% | ||||||
| 1970 | Patrick Lucey | Democratic | 728,403 | 54% | Jack B. Olson | 602,617 | 45% | |
| Leo James McDonald | 9,035 | 1% | ||||||
| Georgia Cozzini | 1,287 | 0% | ||||||
| Samuel K. Hunt | 888 | 0% | ||||||
| Myrtle Kastner | 628 | 0% | ||||||
| 1974 | Patrick Lucey (inc) | Democratic | 628,639 | 53% | William Dyke | 497,189 | 42% | |
| William H. Upham | 33,528 | 3% | ||||||
| Crazy Jim | 12,107 | 1% | ||||||
| William Hart | 5,113 | 0% | ||||||
| Fred Basset Blair | 3,617 | 0% | ||||||
| Georgia Cozzini | 1,492 | 0% | ||||||
| 1978 | Lee S. Dreyfus | Republican | 816,056 | 54% | Martin J. Schreiber (inc) | 673,813 | 45% | |
| Eugene R. Zimmerman | 6,355 | 0% | ||||||
| John C. Doherty | 2,183 | 0% | ||||||
| Adrienne Kaplan | 1,548 | 0% | ||||||
| Henry A. Ochsner | 849 | 0% | ||||||
| 1982 | Tony Earl | Democratic | 896,872 | 57% | Terry Kohler | 662,738 | 42% | |
| Larry Smiley | 9,734 | 1% | ||||||
| James Wickstrom | 7,721 | 0% | ||||||
| Peter Seidman | 3,025 | 0% | ||||||
| 1986 | Tommy Thompson | Republican | 805,090 | 53% | Tony Earl (inc) | 705,578 | 46% | |
| Kathryn A. Christensen | 10,323 | 1% | ||||||
| Darold E. Wall | 3,913 | 0% | ||||||
| Sanford Knapp | 1,668 | 0% | ||||||
| 1990 | Tommy Thompson (inc) | Republican | 802,321 | 58% | Thomas A. Loftus | 576,280 | 42% | |
| 1994 | Tommy Thompson (inc) | Republican | 1,051,326 | 67% | Charles Chvala | 482,850 | 31% | |
| David S. Harmon | 11,639 | 1% | ||||||
| Edward J. Frami | 9,188 | 1% | ||||||
| Michael J. Mangan | 8,150 | 1% | ||||||
| 1998 | Tommy Thompson (inc) | Republican | 1,047,716 | 60% | Ed Garvey | 679,553 | 39% | |
| Jim Mueller | 11,071 | 1% | ||||||
| Edward J. Frami | 10,269 | 1% | ||||||
| Michael J. Mangan | 4,985 | 0% | ||||||
| A-Ja-mu Muhammad | 1,604 | 0% | ||||||
| Jeffrey L. Smith | 14 | 0% | ||||||
| 2002 | Jim Doyle | Democratic | 800,515 | 45% | Scott McCallum (inc) | 734,779 | 41% | |
| Ed Thompson | 185,455 | 10% | ||||||
| Jim Young | 44,111 | 2% | ||||||
| Alan D. Eisenberg | 2,847 | 0% | ||||||
| Ty A. Bollerud | 2,637 | 0% | ||||||
| Michael J. Mangan | 1,710 | 0% | ||||||
| Aneb Jah Rasta Sensa-Utcha Nefer-I | 929 | 0% | ||||||
| 2006 | Jim Doyle (inc) | Democratic | 1,139,115 | 53% | Mark Andrew Green | 979,427 | 45% | |
| Nelson Eisman | 40,709 | 2% | ||||||
| 2010 | Scott Walker | Republican | 1,128,941 | 52% | Tom Barrett | 1,004,303 | 46% | |
| Jim Langer | 10,608 | 0% | ||||||
| James James | 8,273 | 0% | ||||||
| 2012^ | Scott Walker (inc) | Republican | 1,335,585 | 53% | Tom Barrett | 1,164,480 | 46% | |
| Hari Trivedi | 14,463 | 1% | ||||||
| 2014 | Scott Walker (inc) | Republican | 1,259,706 | 52% | Mary Burke | 1,122,913 | 47% | |
| Robert Burke | 18,720 | 1% | ||||||
| Dennis Fehr | 7,530 | 1% | ||||||
| 2018 | Tony Evers | Democratic | 1,324,307 | 50% | Scott Walker (inc) | 1,295,080 | 48% | |
| Phil Anderson | 20,255 | 1% | ||||||
| Maggie Turnbull | 18,884 | 1% | ||||||
| Michael White | 11,087 | 0% | ||||||
| Arnie Enz | 2,745 | 0% | ||||||
| 2022 | Tony Evers (inc) | Democratic | 1,358,774 | 51% | Tim Michels | 1,268,535 | 47% | |
| Joan Ellis Beglinger | 27,198 | 1% | ||||||
^ Recall election
References
- http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/WI/ofc/gov1950s.html
- 2005-2006 Wisconsin Bluebook