2010 Wisconsin Senate election

2010 Wisconsin State Senate election
November 2, 2010
17 of 33 seats in the Wisconsin State Senate
17 seats needed for a majority
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Scott L. Fitzgerald Russ Decker
(defeated)
Party Republican Democratic
Leader since January 1, 2007 October 24, 2007
Leader's seat 13th–Juneau 29th–Weston
Last election 8 seats, 45.53% 8 seats, 54.09%
Seats before 15 18
Seats won 10 6
Seats after 19 14
Seat change Increase 4 Decrease 4
Popular vote 627,160 430,068
Percentage 59.1% 40.53%
Swing Increase13.6 pp Decrease13.5 pp

     Republican hold      Republican gain
     Democratic hold
     No election

     50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      >90%
     50–60%      60–70%
     No election
President before election

Fred Risser
Democratic

 Elected President

Michael Ellis
Republican

The 2010 Wisconsin Senate elections were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Seventeen of the 33 seats in the Wisconsin State Senate were up for election—the odd-numbered districts.[1] Before the election, 18 Senate seats were held by Democrats and 15 seats were held by Republicans. 10 Democratic seats and 7 Republican seats were up in this election. The primary election took place on September 14, 2010.

Republicans flipped four Democratic-held Senate seats and achieved a majority for the first time since 2004, entering the 100th Wisconsin Legislature with 19 of 33 State Senate seats.[2]

Summary

Seats Party
(majority caucus shading)
 Total
Democratic Republican
Last election (2008) 8 8 16
Total after last election (2008) 18 15 33
Total before this election 18 15 33
Up for election 10 7 17
of which: Incumbent retiring 2 2 4
Vacated
Unopposed 2 2
This election 6 11 17
Change from last election
Total after this election 14 19 33
Change in total Decrease 4 Increase 4

Close races

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

  1. State Senate district 31, 0.66%
  2. State Senate district 25, 2.58%
  3. State Senate district 5, 4.46% (gain)
  4. State Senate district 29, 4.64% (gain)
  5. State Senate district 21, 5.09% (gain)
  6. State Senate district 23, 8.47% (gain)

Outgoing incumbents

Retired

Lost renomination

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Governing[6] Lean R (flip) November 1, 2010

Candidates and results

Dist. Incumbent This race[1]
Member Party First elected Status General Result
01 Alan Lasee Republican 1977
(special)		 Not running
New member elected.
Republican hold.
03 Tim Carpenter Democratic 2002 Running
  • Green tickY Tim Carpenter (Dem.) 61.09%
  • Annette Miller Krznarich (Rep.) 38.63%
 Incumbent re-elected
05 Jim Sullivan Democratic 2006 Running
New member elected.
Republican gain.
07 Jeffrey Plale Democratic 2003
(special)		 Running
New member elected.
Democratic hold.
09 Joe Leibham Republican 2002 Running
  • Green tickY Joe Leibham (Rep.) 73.11%
  • Jason B. Borden (Dem.) 26.86%
 Incumbent re-elected
11 Neal Kedzie Republican 2002 Running
  • Green tickY Neal Kedzie (Rep.) 75.37%
  • L.D. Rockwell (Dem.) 24.55%
 Incumbent re-elected
13 Scott L. Fitzgerald Republican 1994 Running
Incumbent re-elected
15 Judy Robson Democratic 1998 Not running
New member elected.
Democratic hold.
17 Dale Schultz Republican 1990 Running
Incumbent re-elected
19 Michael Ellis Republican 1982 Running
Incumbent re-elected
21 John Lehman Democratic 2006 Running
New member elected.
Republican gain.
23 Pat Kreitlow Democratic 2006 Running
New member elected.
Republican gain.
25 Bob Jauch Democratic 1986 Running
Incumbent re-elected
27 Jon Erpenbach Democratic 1998 Running
Incumbent re-elected
29 Russ Decker Democratic 1990 Running
New member elected.
Republican gain.
31 Kathleen Vinehout Democratic 2006 Running
Incumbent re-elected
33 Theodore Kanavas Republican 2001
(special)		 Not running
New member elected.
Republican hold.

Detailed results

District 1

County results:
  Lasee—60–70%
  Hutchison—40–50%
  Hutchison—50–60%

Incumbent Republican Alan Lasee declined to seek re-election.

District 9 Republican primary[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Frank Lasee 12,523 56.77
Republican David E. Hutchison 7,726 35.02
Republican Jon Soyring 1,800 8.16
Write-in 11 0.05
Total votes 22,060 100.0
District 1 general election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Frank Lasee 43,415 60.04
Democratic Monk Elmer 28,800 39.83
Write-in 98 0.14
Total votes 72,313 100.0

District 3

Incumbent Democrat Tim Carpenter ran for re-election.

District 5

Incumbent Democrat Jim Sullivan ran for re-election. He faced Republican state representative Leah Vukmir in what was described as the most vulnerable seat for Democrats that cycle. Going into the election, the 5th district was rated as a tossup, with Vukmir outraising Sullivan in the first six months of the campaign and outside campaign spending flooding into the district.[9] Due to outside spending, the 5th district proved to be the most expensive race in the chamber.[10] During the campaign, Sullivan made attempts to distance himself from incumbent governor Jim Doyle, who saw his poll numbers collapsing going into the election year.[11] While Democratic strategists viewed any competitive margin from Sullivan as a sign of a well fought campaign, arguing that Vukmir was too extreme for the moderately conservative suburban district.[12] Vukmir defeated Sullivan by a five-point margin.

District 5 general election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Leah Vukmir 36,852 52.15
Democratic Jim Sullivan (incumbent) 33,702 47.69
Write-in 109 0.15
Total votes 70,663 100.0

District 7

Incumbent Democrat Jeffrey Plale ran for re-election. He faced Democratic county supervisor Chris Larson in the primary election. In previous cycles, Plale had faced challengers from the left in 2003 and 2006, both of whom he had defeated soundly.[13] Going into the 2010 cycle, however, Plale faced a stronger challenger in Milwaukee County board member Chris Larson. During the campaign, Plale faced criticism for his stances as a conservative Democrat, as well as blocking a key environmental bill he had previously supported.[14] Due to his part in killing the climate bill, Plale lost the support of governor Jim Doyle, who had supported the legislation.[15] Despite this loss of support, Plale still had the support of majority leader Russ Decker, himself locked in a close re-election, and endorsements from state representatives Christine Sinicki and Jon Richards as well as WEAC.[16] The campaign also took on a regional tone, as Plale's base was in Cudahy, St. Francis, and South Milwaukee, while Larson's base centered around the south and east sides of Milwaukee.[14] Seeking to defeat Plale, progressives had hoped the competitive Republican gubernatorial primary would sap away conservative Democrats who would have otherwise voted for Plale.[14] Larson defeated Plale in an upset, winning by a 21-point margin.[17] Larson went on to defeat Republican Jess Ripp by a 15-point margin.

District 7 Democratic primary[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chris Larson 7,962 60.61
Democratic Jeffrey Plale (incumbent) 5,148 39.19
Write-in 27 0.21
Total votes 13,137 100.0
District 7 general election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Chris Larson 37,165 57.11
Republican Jess Ripp 27,772 42.68
Write-in 140 0.22
Total votes 65,077 100.0

District 9

Incumbent Republican Joe Leibham ran for re-election.

District 11

Incumbent Republican Neal Kedzie ran for re-election.

District 13

Incumbent Republican Scott Fitzgerald ran for re-election.

District 15

Incumbent Democrat Judy Robson declined to seek re-election.

District 17

Incumbent Republican Dale Schultz ran for re-election

District 19

Incumbent Republican Michael Ellis ran for re-election unopposed.

District 19 general election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Michael Ellis (incumbent) 49,179 99.04
Write-in 476 0.96
Total votes 49,655 100.0

District 21

Incumbent Democrat John Lehman ran for re-election. Two Republicans announced campaigns to face the Racine Democrat, being county board member Van H. Wanggaard and Bob Gulan, in what was projected to be a tight race for Lehman. Lehman had been initially elected in 2006 amid a national backlash to the administration of George W. Bush. Lehman was predicted to face a tough re-election, due to the faltering economy in Racine, as well as an unenergized base and energized opposition. Due to these circumstances, the district was seen as a tossup, with some political commentators viewing the seat as most likely to flip into the Republican column.[18] Wanggaard defeated Lehman by a five-point margin.

District 21 Republican primary[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Van H. Wanggaard 13,864 79.89
Republican Bob Gulan 3,475 20.03
Write-in 14 0.08
Total votes 17,353 100.0
District 21 general election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Van H. Wanggaard 32,036 52.52
Democratic John Lehman (incumbent) 28,930 47.43
Write-in 29 0.05
Total votes 60,995 100.0

District 23

Incumbent Democrat Pat Kreitlow ran for re-election. He was defeated by former Republican state representative Terry Moulton by an eight-point margin.

District 25

Incumbent Democrat Robert Jauch ran for re-election. He defeated Republican business owner Dane Deutsch by a three-point margin. During the campaign, Deutsch sparked controversy due to social media posts he made where he compared Adolf Hitler and Abraham Lincoln, calling both strong leaders.[19]

District 27

Incumbent Democrat Jon Erpenbach ran for re-election. Three Republicans filed for the nomination, Kurt Schlicht, home-builder Tom Lamberson, and Tony Wickersham. Schlicht won the primary by a wide margin and faced Erpenbach in the general election. He was defeated by a wide margin.

District 29

County results:
  Galloway—50–60%
  Galloway—60–70%
  Galloway—70–80%
  Galloway—80–90%
  Edming—50–60%
  Edming—70–80%

Incumbent Democrat Russ Decker ran for re-election. In what was initially viewed as a longshot bid, two Republicans business owner Pam Galloway and 2006 nominee Jimmy Boy Edming ran for the nomination. Galloway won the nomination by a wide margin and went on to face Decker. Initially deemed a safe seat for Decker, he was eventually locked in a tight race with Galloway, which attracted high amounts of outside spending.[20] Decker was defeated by Galloway by a five-point margin.

District 29 Republican primary[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Pam Galloway 10,351 70.45
Republican Jimmy Boy Edming 4,332 29.49
Write-in 9 0.06
Total votes 14,692 100.0
County results:
  Galloway—50–60%
  Decker—50–60%
District 29 general election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Pam Galloway 32,640 52.26
Democratic Russ Decker (incumbent) 29,742 47.62
Write-in 70 0.11
Total votes 60,298 100.0

District 31

Incumbent Democrat Kathleen Vinehout ran for re-election. She faced former Tomah mayor and 2002 Libertarian nominee for governor Ed Thompson. In September, Thompson was diagnosed with cancer, which hindered his ability to campaign.[21] Throughout the campaign, some Republican strategists feared that Thompson's Libertarian views could frustrate the Republican goal of a senate majority, and that if he were elected, he could serve as a de facto majority leader in the state senate.[22] The district was, however, seen as a long-shot for Republicans, and was rated by WisPolitics as "lean Democratic", with his eccentric political beliefs and familial ties to former governor Tommy Thompson providing a mixed image of his electability in the district.[12]

District 31 general election[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kathleen Vinehout (incumbent) 30,314 50.27
Republican Ed Thompson 29,911 49.61
Write-in 73 0.12
Total votes 60,298 100.0

District 33

Incumbent Republican Theodore Kanavas declined to seek re-election. Republican Rich Zipperer defeated candidate Tim Dietrich by a wide margin. In the general election, Zipperer was elected unopposed.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "2010 Fall General Election" (PDF). State of Wisconsin. December 1, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ Stein, Jason; Johnson, Annysa (November 3, 2010). "Republicans Take Over State Senate, Assembly". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  3. ↑ Foley, Ryan J. (January 12, 2010). "'Citizen Senator' to retire". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 5. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Sen. Robson: Grateful to have served". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  5. ↑ State Sen. Kanavas will not seek re-election
  6. ↑ Jacobson, Louis (November 1, 2010). "Update: 2010 State Legislatures: A Challenging Environment for Democrats". Governing. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Canvass Results for 2010 Partisan Primary - 9/14/2010". Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Canvass Results for 2010 General Election - 11/2/2010". Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. December 8, 2010. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ Stein, Jason (August 2, 2010). "Political battle for the future". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Press Release - Legislative Races Top $19 Million in 2010". Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. March 7, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  11. ↑ Stein, Jason (October 18, 2010). "As Doyle's polls plunge, state Democrats try to stand clear". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Craver, Jack (October 29, 2010). "The Sconz - Close battle for control of Wisconsin Senate". Isthmus. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  13. ↑ Hissom, Doug (August 20, 2010). "Opinion - Progressives get politics as usual in Senate race". OnMilwaukee.com. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 "Is State Sen. Jeff Plale in Trouble?". Milwaukee Magazine. July 20, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  15. ↑ Craver, Jack (July 2, 2010). "The Sconz - Will Doyle oppose Dem Sen. Jeff Plale?". Isthmus. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  16. ↑ Craver, Jack (July 7, 2010). "The Sconz - Liberals, unions to target Sen. Jeff Plale". Isthmus. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  17. ↑ Sandler, Larry (September 14, 2010). "Larson ousts Plale in state Senate upset". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  18. ↑ Craver, Jack (September 23, 2010). "The Sconz - Lehman becomes top GOP target in Wisconsin Senate". Isthmus. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Wisconsin Democrats blast Republican for Twitter post about Hitler". Pioneer Press. October 24, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2026.
  20. ↑ Craver, Jack (November 3, 2010). "The Sconz - Wisconsin Democrats massacred". Isthmus. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  21. ↑ Binversie, Kevin (October 25, 2011). "Ed Thompson and the greatest 'what if' of Wisconsin politics". Sun Prairie Star. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  22. ↑ Craver, Jack (August 18, 2010). "The Sconz - Ed Thompson: The problem child of the Wisconsin GOP". Isthmus. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
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