2014 Wisconsin elections


The 2014 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 4, 2014. Wisconsin's Governor, Governor of Wisconsin|Lieutenant Governor], Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer were all up for election, as well as Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives. The November general election in 2014 also featured a statewide referendum on an amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin. The 2014 Wisconsin Fall Primary Election was held on August 12, 2014.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin held onto all statewide offices up for election in 2014, except for secretary of state, where Democrat Doug La Follette won his tenth term. Republicans also retained control of the Wisconsin State Senate and Wisconsin State Assembly. The partisan breakdown of Wisconsin's delegation to the United States House of Representatives was unchanged, remaining five Republicans and three Democrats.
For local offices and judicial seats, the 2014 Wisconsin Spring General Election was held April 1, 2014. No Wisconsin Supreme Court seats were up in 2014, but three seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and 41 Wisconsin Circuit Court seats were up. The 2014 Wisconsin Spring Primary Election was held on February 18.

Federal

House of Representatives

All 8 of Wisconsin's congressional districts were up for election at the Fall general election. Seven of eight incumbent representatives ran for reelection, with Tom Petri retiring from District 6. Party composition remained unchanged after the general election.

State

Executive

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, first elected in 2010, sought re-election to a second term after surviving a recall election in 2012.
The Democratic Party nominated business executive Mary Burke and state senator John Lehman for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. Burke was a member of the Madison school board and former Secretary of Wisconsin's Department of Commerce. Lehman was a state senator and former teacher from Racine, who had just won back his senate seat in a recall election.
Walker and Kleefisch won the November election with 52% of the vote.

Attorney General

Republican incumbent attorney general J. B. Van Hollen, first elected in 2006, did not seek re-election to a third term. Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel defeated Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ in the November general election.
Happ defeated state representative Jon Richards and Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne in the Democratic primary.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Democratic secretary of state Doug La Follette, first elected in 1974 and regaining his seat in 1982, narrowly won his 10th four-year term, defeating the Republican candidate, telecommunications manager Julian Bradley.
La Follette was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
In the Republican primary, Bradley defeated State Representative Garey Bies.

Treasurer

Incumbent Republican Treasurer Kurt W. Schuller, first elected in 210 declined to run for re-election. In the election, Republican nominee Matt Adamczyk defeated Democratic nominee Dave Sartori, a former Greenfield alderman to succeed Schuller.
Adamczyk defeated attorney Randall Melchert in the Republican primary.
Sartori defeated Dave Leeper, a former Green County District Attorney, in the Democratic primary.

Legislature

State Senate

17 of the Wisconsin State Senate's 33 seats were up for election in the November general election. Republicans added one seat to their majority, retaking the 21st senate district which had been lost in the 2012 recall elections.

State Assembly

All 99 seats of the Wisconsin State Assembly were up for election in November. 21 Assembly incumbents did not seek re-election.

Judiciary

State Court of Appeals

Three seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals were up for election in 2014. None of the three elections was contested.
Forty one of the state's 249 circuit court seats were up for election in 2014. Four of those elections were contested.

Constitutional Amendments

Transportation Fund

In the November election, Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin to establish a dedicated transportation fund administered by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The amendment also specified that none of the money which flowed into the fund, collected by transportation fees or taxes, could be appropriated to any other program. Critics argued that purpose of the amendment was to create budget inflexibility that would force legislators to raid education funds to balance the budget.

Personhood Amendment

There was an attempt to amend the Constitution of Wisconsin to establish a right to life. This amendment did not ultimately make it onto the ballot in 2014, as it did not obtain a necessary vote in the 101st Wisconsin Legislature.

Local offices

Kenosha County

Kenosha County executive

A regularly scheduled county executive election was held in Kenosha County, at the Spring general election, April 1, 2014. The incumbent James Kreuser, first elected in a 2008 special election, was elected to a second four-year term without opposition.

Portage County

Portage County executive

A regularly scheduled county executive election was held in Portage County, at the Spring general election, April 1, 2014. The incumbent Patty Dreier, first elected in 2010, was elected to a second four-year term without opposition.

Winnebago County

Neenah mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Neenah, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 1, 2014. State representative Dean Kaufert defeated incumbent mayor George Scherck.

Wood County

Wisconsin Rapids mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 1, 2014. First-term incumbent mayor Zach Vruwink was re-elected to a second two-year term, defeating former mayor Mary Jo Carson.