United States Senate election in Wisconsin, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Wisconsin

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tammy Baldwin (D)	55.4	1,472,914
		Leah Vukmir (R)	44.6	1,184,885
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	42

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,657,841
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Elections in Wisconsin, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 17 (online or mail), or Nov. 2 (in-person)
• Early voting: Varies by locality
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: Yes
• Voter ID: Photo ID required
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

---

On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State Assembly • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • State ballot measures • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • Recalls • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2022 → ← 2016
U.S. Senate, Wisconsin
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 1, 2018
Primary: August 14, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Tammy Baldwin (Democrat)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Wisconsin
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
U.S. Senate, Wisconsin U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th Wisconsin elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 Arizona U.S. Senate raceCalifornia U.S. Senate raceConnecticut U.S. Senate raceDelaware U.S. Senate raceFlorida U.S. Senate raceHawaii U.S. Senate raceIndiana U.S. Senate raceMaine U.S. Senate raceMaryland U.S. Senate raceMassachusetts U.S. Senate raceMichigan U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate race (special)Mississippi U.S. Senate raceMississippi U.S. Senate race (special)Missouri U.S. Senate raceMontana U.S. Senate raceNebraska U.S. Senate raceNevada U.S. Senate raceNew Jersey U.S. Senate raceNew Mexico U.S. Senate raceNew York U.S. Senate raceNorth Dakota U.S. Senate raceOhio U.S. Senate racePennsylvania U.S. Senate raceRhode Island U.S. Senate raceTennessee U.S. Senate raceTexas U.S. Senate raceUtah U.S. Senate raceVermont U.S. Senate raceVirginia U.S. Senate raceWashington U.S. Senate raceWest Virginia U.S. Senate raceWisconsin U.S. Senate raceWyoming U.S. Senate raceSubmit

Incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) faced state Sen. Leah Vukmir (R) in the general election for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin on November 6, 2018.

Baldwin was one of ten Democratic senators up for re-election in 2018 in a state that President Donald Trump (R) won in 2016. By a margin of one point, he became the first Republican presidential nominee to win Wisconsin since 1984. Baldwin was first elected in 2012 by a margin of 6 points.

This page covered the general election in this race. Click here to read more about the Democratic Party primary election. Click here to read more about the Republican Party primary election.

Candidates and election results

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Wisconsin

Incumbent Tammy Baldwin defeated Leah Vukmir in the general election for U.S. Senate Wisconsin on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tammy Baldwin (D)	55.4	1,472,914
		Leah Vukmir (R)	44.6	1,184,885
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	42

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,657,841
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Wisconsin

Incumbent Tammy Baldwin advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Wisconsin on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Tammy Baldwin

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Wisconsin

Leah Vukmir defeated Kevin Nicholson, George Lucia, Griffin Jones, and Charles Barman in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Wisconsin on August 14, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Leah Vukmir	48.9	217,230
		Kevin Nicholson	43.1	191,276
		George Lucia	4.2	18,786
		Griffin Jones	2.0	8,699
		Charles Barman	1.8	7,959

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 443,950
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Schiess (R)

Independent primary election

No Independent candidates ran in the primary.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Joseph Schnering (Independent)

Election updates

• August 22, 2018: Baldwin led Vukmir within the margin of error, 49 percent to 47 percent, in a Marquette Law School Poll of 601 likely voters. The margin of error was 4.5 percent.

Noteworthy events

Brett Kavanaugh confirmation vote

See also: Supreme Court vacancy, 2018: An overview

On October 6, 2018, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Fifty Senators voted to confirm Kavanaugh's nomination, 48 voted against, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted present. A simple majority was required to confirm Kavanaugh.

Baldwin voted against Kavanaugh. She announced her opposition to him on July 12, saying, "The stakes are too high for the American people, who do not want the Supreme Court to advance a political agenda to overturn the law of the land on health care for people with pre-existing conditions, women’s reproductive health, and the constitutional rights and freedoms of all Americans. The people of Wisconsin need a fair, impartial and independent Supreme Court Justice who will stand up for them, not for powerful special interests. I don’t have confidence that Judge Kavanaugh would be that justice.”

Vukmir said Baldwin's "obstruction on Judge Kavanaugh is proof that she’d rather stand with her liberal activist San Francisco donors than uphold the Constitution. Kavanaugh is an extremely well-qualified nominee who deserves our support."

Key votes

Key votes cast by Baldwin

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) cast the following key votes—votes that help citizens understand where their legislators stand on major policy issues—during the 115th Congress, which convened on January 3, 2017, and adjourned on January 3, 2019.

Click show to see key votes for Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) →

Key votes: 115th Congress, 2017-2018 For detailed information about each vote, click here. Votes on domestic policy (click to expand) Voted Yea on: First Step Act of 2018 (S 756)  Motion Agreed to (87-12) on December 18, 2018 Proposed making changes to the criminal justice system. Voted Yea on: Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (HR 2)  Conference Report Agreed to (87-13) on December 11, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance through fiscal year 2023. Voted Nay on: "Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" (PN2259)  Nomination Confirmed (50-48) on October 6, 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Voted Nay on: "Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States" (PN2259)  Cloture Motion Agreed to (51-49) on October 5, 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh, of Maryland, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Voted Yea on: Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2)  Bill Passed (86-11, 3/5 majority required) on June 28, 2018 Proposed providing funding for commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance. Voted Nay on: Immigration reform proposal from Sen. Chuck Grassley and the Trump administration (S Amdt 1959 to HR 2579)  Cloture Motion Rejected (39-60, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for 1.8 million individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children, $25 billion for border security, limits on chain migration or family-based migration, and eliminating the visa lottery system. Voted Yea on: Immigration reform proposal from the Common Sense Coalition (S Amdt 1958 to HR 2579)  Cloture Motion Rejected (54-45, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children, $25 billion for border security, and limitations on chain or family-based immigration. Voted Nay on: Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act amendment (S Amdt 1948 to S Amdt 1959)  Cloture Motion Rejected (54-45, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed withholding funding from sanctuary jurisdictions for not cooperating with federal immigration officials. Voted Yea on: Coons-McCain immigration plan (S Amdt 1955 to S Amdt 1958)  Cloture Motion Rejected (52-47, 3/5 majority required) on February 15, 2018 Proposed providing a path to citizenship for individuals brought into the U.S. without legal permission as children and conducting a study to determine what border security measures were needed. It also proposed requiring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to secure the U.S.-Mexico border by 2021. Did not vote on: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (S 2311)  Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Rejected (51-46, 3/5 majority required) on January 29, 2018 Proposed amending the federal criminal code to make it a crime for any person to perform or attempt to perform an abortion if the probable post-fertilization age of the fetus was 20 weeks or more. The bill proposed providing exceptions for an abortion: (1) that was necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (2) when the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. Voted Nay on: An amendment to repeal the requirements for individuals to enroll in health insurance and for employers to offer it—"Skinny bill" (S Amdt 667 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628 the American Health Care Act of 2017)  Amendment Rejected (49-51) on July 28, 2017 The amendment proposed repealing the requirements for individuals to enroll in health insurance and for employers to offer it. Voted Nay on: An amendment to repeal the ACA, including Paul amendment (No. 271) (S Amdt 271 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)  Amendment Rejected (45-55) on July 26, 2017 An amendment to repeal the ACA, including Paul amendment (No. 271) Voted Nay on: Motion to advance the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, including Cruz and Portman amendments (S Amdt 270 to S Amdt 267 to HR 1628)  Motion Rejected (43-57, 3/5 majority required) on July 25, 2017 A procedural vote to advance the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA), including the Cruz and Portman amendments. Voted Nay on: Motion to begin debate on the American Health Care Act of 2017 (HR 1628)  Motion to Proceed Agreed to (50-50, Vice President voted Yea) on July 25, 2017 Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to title II of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2017. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(4)—confirmation vote)  Nomination Confirmed (54-45) on April 7, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—confirmation vote. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(3))  Cloture Motion Agreed to (55-45) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—second vote to end debate and move to a vote on Gorsuch's nomination under the new precedent requiring only a simple majority to pass. Voted Yea on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55(2))  Decision of Chair Not Sustained (48-52) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—a vote to keep the Senate precedent of requiring 60 votes to close debate on Supreme Court nominations. Voted Nay on: Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (PN55)  Cloture Motion Rejected (55-45, 3/5 majority required) on April 6, 2017 Neil M. Gorsuch, of Colorado, to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States—initial vote to end debate and move to a vote on Gorsuch's nomination. Votes on economic affairs and regulations (click to expand) Voted Yea on: "Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 6157)  Conference Report Agreed to (93-7) on September 18, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Yea on: "Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 5895)  Conference Report Agreed to (92-5) on September 12, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Yea on: "Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 6157)  Bill Passed (85-7) on August 23, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and Education. Voted Yea on: "Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019" (HR 5895)  Bill Passed (86-5) on June 25, 2018 Proposed authorizing FY2019 appropriations and policies for the Department of Energy, water resources, the legislative branch, military construction, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other programs. Voted Yea on: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1625)  Motion Agreed to (65-32) on March 23, 2018 Proposed providing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes. Voted Yea on: The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (HR 1892)  Motion Agreed to (71-28) on February 9, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through March 23, 2018 Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 695)  Cloture Motion Rejected (55-44, 3/5 majority required) on February 8, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through March 23, 2018. Voted Yea on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Motion Agreed to (81-18) on January 22, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 8, 2018. Voted Yea on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Cloture Motion Agreed to (81-18, 3/5 majority required) on January 22, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through February 8, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 195)  Cloture Motion Rejected (50-49, 3/5 majority required) on January 19, 2018 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through January 19, 2018. Voted Nay on: Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 (HR 1370)  Motion Agreed to (66-32, 3/5 majority required) on December 21, 2017 Proposed providing further continuing appropriations through January 19, 2018. Voted Nay on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Motion Agreed to (51-48) on December 20, 2017 Proposed providing for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018 and proposed changes to the tax code. Voted Yea on: "A joint resolution making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes." (HJ Res 123)  Joint Resolution Passed (81-14) on December 7, 2017 Proposed funding the government until December 22, 2017. Voted Nay on: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1)  Bill Passed (51-49) on December 2, 2017 Proposed amending the Internal Revenue Code to reduce tax rates and modify policies, credits, and deductions for individuals and businesses. Voted Nay on: A concurrent resolution establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. (H Con Res 71)  Concurrent Resolution Agreed to (51-49) on October 19, 2017 Proposed establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2018 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. Voted Yea on: Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2017 (Included amendments to suspend the debt ceiling and fund the government) (HR 601)  Motion Agreed to (80-17) on September 7, 2017 Proposed suspending the debt ceiling and funding the government until December 8, 2017, and providing funding for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma relief efforts. Voted Yea on: Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 (HR 244)  Motion Agreed to (79-18) on May 4, 2017 The $1.2 trillion budget bill proposed funding the government through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2017. Votes on foreign policy and national security issues (click to expand) Voted Yea on: "A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress." (SJ Res 54)  Joint Resolution Passed (56-41) on December 13, 2018 Proposed removing United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that were not authorized by Congress. Voted Yea on: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (HR 2810)  Bill Passed (89-8) on September 18, 2017 Proposed authorizing appropriations for fiscal year 2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, and to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. On November 15, 2017, the Senate passed the defense policy bill by voice vote. This bill was the result of compromises made in the conference report. For more information on the compromise bill, click here. Voted Yea on: Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (HR 3364)  Bill Passed (98-2) on July 27, 2017 Proposed providing congressional review and proposed countering aggression by the governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea, and for other purposes. Voted Yea on: Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 (S 722)  Bill Passed (98-2) on June 15, 2017 Proposed providing congressional review and proposed countering aggression by the governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea, and for other purposes.

2016 Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties and Congressional districts intersecting with Pivot Counties

Wisconsin features six congressional districts that, based on boundaries adopted after the 2010 census, intersected with one or more Pivot Counties. These 206 Pivot Counties voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012.

The 206 Pivot Counties are located in 34 states. Iowa, with 31, had the most such counties. Heading into the 2018 elections, the partisan makeup of the 108 congressional districts intersecting with Pivot Counties was more Republican than the partisan breakdown of the U.S. House. Of the 108 congressional districts that had at least one Pivot County, 63 percent were held by a Republican incumbent, while 55.4 percent of U.S. House seats were won by a Republican in the 2016 elections.

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Tammy Baldwin	Democratic Party	$31,514,876	$31,549,383	$142,193	As of December 31, 2018
Leah Vukmir	Republican Party	$5,852,699	$5,810,340	$42,360	As of December 31, 2018
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

Campaign themes

Tammy Baldwin

Baldwin's campaign website stated the following:

“	Tammy Baldwin is doing right by Wisconsin and she is standing shoulder to shoulder with working families. Tammy will sit down with anyone, no matter their party, and she’ll take on anyone, no matter how powerful, if it means getting the job done for Wisconsinites. Strengthening Made In Wisconsin Manufacturing Protecting Our Health Care Fighting for Debt-Free Higher Education Lowering Prescription Drug Prices Standing Up for Our Veterans Taking on Special Interests Combating the Opioid Epidemic Rebuilding Our Roads and Bridges Keeping America Safe Supporting Our Farmers and Rural Economies Defending Our Great Lakes and Clean Water Holding Wall Street Accountable	”
—Tammy Baldwin’s campaign website (2018)

Leah Vukmir

Vukmir's campaign website stated the following:

“	Our Troops Leah Vukmir is a blue star mother. Her son Nicholas is currently serving our country as a Lieutenant in the United States Army. Leah knows that how we treat our bravest reflects on our character as a nation. She was appalled to learn of the widespread mismanagement and disgraceful neglect that has taken place at Veterans Affairs and angered by the way Senator Tammy Baldwin failed our veterans at Tomah. Protect Life As a nurse, whose primary mission is to save lives, Leah’s unwavering stance in protecting the sanctity of life is commonsense. Leah is pro-life. She has maintained a perfect voting record with Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right to Life and is proud to stand up for the unborn. In the Senate, she will vote to confirm pro-life judges and believes that liberal elites in Washington want to impose a value system on the rest of the country that leaves little or no room for faith. Leah will fight efforts to restrict religious liberty and will stand against efforts by Congress to limit First Amendment protections of those who worship. She attends Annuciation Greek Orthodox Church in Wauwatosa. The Second Amendment Leah is 100% pro-gun. She has an “A+” rating from the National Rifle Association for her pro-gun record. Leah opposes expanded federal regulation of gun ownership. In the Senate, she would oppose efforts to start a federal gun registry. Leah is the only U.S. Senate candidate in Wisconsin endorsed by the NRA. Homeland Security The threat from radical Islamic jihadists and ISIS is clear. They want to kill us, and they are not going to stop until we confront them. There is a war going on, and as we’ve seen here in America and across the world, ISIS is targeting innocent civilians in its attacks. Leah supports using any means necessary to wipe ISIS from the face of the earth. President Obama weakened America’s standing across the globe when he called ISIS the “JV team” and refused to enforce a red line drawn in Syria after Bashar Al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people. Leah believes our leaders must project strength and be prepared to back it up with smart military force if necessary. Our enemies need to know that if you attack the United States or its civilians, we will respond. Law and Order President Trump talked a lot about law and order during the campaign, and Leah Vukmir agrees this is a critical issue. We must make sure our police officers have the equipment and tools they need to combat violent criminals and keep our communities safe. Leah has introduced multiple pieces of legislation to toughen penalties for violent criminals because she believes we need to send a message to repeat felons that their behavior will not be tolerated. Those that keep Americans safe at home are our brave first responders – our police and firefighters. Leah stands with their efforts to keep us safe and believes the unfair attacks on police officers specifically by the fringe left need to stop. Police officers deserve our praise and thanks, not protests and attacks. Immigration We are either a nation of laws or we are not. Leah Vukmir’s father was an immigrant from Greece. Her mother’s parents were immigrants as well. Both families came the right way – legally. In the U.S. Senate, Leah Vukmir will support construction of a wall on the southern border and efforts to crack down on illegal immigration in the United States. Leah also opposes sanctuary cities in Wisconsin. The Constitution Leah believes our rights come from God, not man. The government exists to enforce our freedoms and protect our rights, not to create new entitlements not specifically enumerated in the Constitution. If elected, Leah will swear an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States, and she pledges to always refer to the intention of our founders when deciding how to vote. Taxes and Spending It’s not just that Congress spends too much – Congress is addicted to spending our money. Leah Vukmir is a conservative who believes that if hard-working Wisconsinites have to balance a checkbook, Congress should too. Leah supports a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution for this very reason. To pay for all this spending, Congress has created a complicated federal tax code. Thousands of pages long and burdensome for many Americans, Leah believes we must streamline the tax code by eliminating loopholes and deductions, while lowering tax rates for all Americans. Finally, smaller companies pay one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. Taxation of this magnitude negatively impacts our ability to remain competitive and keep our workforce in the United States. In the Senate, Leah will push for a tax code that is simplified, increases competition with other nations, and benefits all Americans. Repeal Obamacare Leah understands why people are upset with Republicans who promised to repeal Obamacare and didn’t deliver. She supports full repeal of Obamacare. Period. And she won’t stop pushing for full repeal in Congress. Leah supports replacing Obamacare with free-market solutions that will lower costs and premiums. For example, Leah would allow insurers to offer a wider variety of plans that fit the demands of patients and families, not government central planners. And she would support allowing individuals to buy insurance across state lines, increasing competition and choice. Finally, Leah knows from her experience dealing with Wisconsin’s Medicaid program that states truly are laboratories of innovation, which is what our founders intended. Leah supports more flexibility for states when it comes to Medicaid spending, and would support efforts to send Medicaid dollars to states in the form of a block grant – allowing states more flexibility to design their own plans and save taxpayers billions of dollars.	”
—Leah Vukmir’s campaign website (2018)

Satellite spending

• Americans for Prosperity–Wisconsin spent $800,000 on an ad buy against Baldwin in August 2018.

• Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) made a $1.5 million digital and television ad buy in February 2018 criticizing Baldwin for how she handled concerns with the medical care of military veterans at a facility in Tomah, Wisconsin. In March 2018, CVA spent an additional $1.6 million on advertising against Baldwin. In August 2018, CVA spent $800,000 on an ad buy.

• VoteVets responded with a $1 million ad buy praising Baldwin's response to veteran interests.

Campaign advertisements

Tammy Baldwin

Support

"Who'll Stand Up" - Baldwin campaign ad, released July 31, 2018

"Knock" - Baldwin campaign ad, released May 7, 2018

"Cheesy" - Baldwin campaign ad, released April 12, 2018

"Predator" - Baldwin campaign ad, released March 22, 2018

"Skyrocketing" - Baldwin campaign ad, released February 27, 2018

"Roddy" - Baldwin campaign ad, released February 27, 2018

Oppose

"Breathe" - Vukmir campaign ad, released October 16, 2018

"Timeline" - Vukmir campaign ad, released October 10, 2018

"Tomah" - Vukmir campaign ad, released September 26, 2018

"Empty Chair" - ad by Concerned Veterans for America, released July 10, 2018

"Veterans Suffered While Tammy Baldwin Did Nothing to Fix Tomah" - Concerned Veterans ad, released March 6, 2018

"The Tomah VA and Tammy Baldwin Let Us Down" - Concerned Veterans ad, released March 6, 2018

"Truth" - Concerned Veterans ad, released March 16, 2018

Leah Vukmir

Support

"Nicholson for Leah Vukmir" - Restoration PAC ad, released October 11, 2018

"Wisconsin Way" - Vukmir campaign ad, released September 7, 2018

Oppose

"Ashamed" - Baldwin campaign ad, released September 8, 2018

"Why?" - Baldwin campaign ad, released October 22, 2018

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

U.S. Senate election in Wisconsin, General election: Baldwin (D) vs. Vukmir (R)
Poll	Tammy Baldwin (D)	Leah Vukmir (R)	Other/Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Marquette Law School Poll August 15-19, 2018	49%	47%	3%	+/-4.5	601
NBC News/Marist Poll July 15-19, 2018	55%	38%	6%	+/-3.8	906
Public Policy Polling March 15-16, 2018	51%	39%	10%	+/-3.3	910
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

U.S. Senate election in Wisconsin, General election: Baldwin (D) vs. Nicholson (R)
Poll	Tammy Baldwin (D)	Kevin Nicholson(R)	Other/Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
NBC News/Marist Poll July 15-19, 2018	54%	39%	6%	+/-3.8	906
Public Policy Polling March 15-16, 2018	51%	38%	11%	+/-3.3	910
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

U.S. Senate election in Wisconsin, Republican primary
Poll	Poll sponsor	Nicholson	Vukmir	Scheiss	Other/Undecided	Margin of Error	Sample Size
NBC News/Marist Poll July 15-19, 2018	N/A	38%	28%	0%	34%	+/-6.1	355
Hodas & Associates July 12-16, 2018	Restoration PAC	33%	20%	0%	48%	+/-3.0	600
Marquette Law School July 11-15, 2018	N/A	32%	34%	0%	34%	+/-7	266
Marquette Law School June 13-17, 2018	N/A	37%	32%	0%	32%	+/-6.9	800
Hodas & Associates June 7-12, 2018	Restoration PAC	28%	14%	0%	58%	+/-3.0	600
WPA Intelligence December 6-7, 2017	Nicholson for Senate	30%	23%	2%	45%	+/-3.1	1,004
Note: A "0%" finding means the question was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

Other 2018 statewide elections

See also: States with both gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections in 2018

This race took place in one of twenty-two states that held elections for both governor and U.S. Senate in 2018.

A table of where these elections occurred, the names of incumbents prior to the 2018 elections, and links to our coverage of these races can be viewed by clicking "[show]" on the banner below:

States holding both Gubernatorial and Senate elections in 2018
State	Incumbent Governor	Open Seat?	Incumbent Senator	Open Seat?
Arizona	Doug Ducey	No	Jeff Flake	Yes
California	Jerry Brown	Yes	Dianne Feinstein	No
Connecticut	Dan Malloy	Yes	Chris Murphy	No
Florida	Rick Scott	Yes	Bill Nelson	No
Hawaii	David Ige	No	Mazie Hirono	No
Maine	Paul LePage	Yes	Angus King	No
Maryland	Larry Hogan	No	Ben Cardin	No
Massachusetts	Charlie Baker	No	Elizabeth Warren	No
Michigan	Rick Snyder	Yes	Debbie Stabenow	No
Minnesota	Mark Dayton	Yes	Amy Klobuchar	No
Nebraska	Pete Ricketts	No	Deb Fischer	No
Nevada	Brian Sandoval	Yes	Dean Heller	No
New Mexico	Susana Martinez	Yes	Martin Heinrich	No
New York	Andrew Cuomo	No	Kirsten Gillibrand	No
Ohio	John Kasich	Yes	Sherrod Brown	No
Pennsylvania	Tom Wolf	No	Bob Casey, Jr.	No
Rhode Island	Gina Raimondo	No	Sheldon Whitehouse	No
Tennessee	Bill Haslam	Yes	Bob Corker	Yes
Texas	Greg Abbott	No	Ted Cruz	No
Vermont	Phil Scott	No	Bernie Sanders	No
Wisconsin	Scott Walker	No	Tammy Baldwin	No
Wyoming	Matt Mead	Yes	John Barrasso	No

Wave election analysis

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to U.S. Senate elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose seven seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 U.S. Senate waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

U.S. Senate wave elections
Year	President	Party	Election type	Senate seats change	Senate majority
1932	Hoover	R	Presidential	-13	D (flipped)
1958	Eisenhower	R	Second midterm	-12	D
1946	Truman	D	First midterm	-10	R (flipped)
1980	Carter	D	Presidential	-9	R (flipped)
2014	Obama	D	Second midterm	-9	R (flipped)
1942	Roosevelt	D	Third midterm	-8	D
2008	George W. Bush	D	Presidential	-8	D
1926	Coolidge	R	First midterm	-7	R
1930	Hoover	R	First midterm	-7	R
1986	Reagan	R	Second midterm	-7	D (flipped)

Election history

2016

See also: United States Senate election in Wisconsin, 2016

The race for Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seat was one of nine competitive battleground races in 2016 that helped Republicans maintain control of the Senate. Incumbent Ron Johnson (R) defeated former Senator Russ Feingold (D) and Phil Anderson (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016.

In a rematch of the 2010 election, Johnson defeated Feingold for a second time to retain his Senate seat. Johnson trailed in the polls for most of the election. In the final weeks of the election, Johnson received funding from national Republicans. Johnson said, "I wish I would have had the cavalry show up in June, July, August when Feingold was using his little moneymaking machine to out resource me. I guess, better late than never."

Feingold reacted to his loss by saying to supporters, “I didn’t expect this outcome, to be honest with you.” Commenting on his loss and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s, Feingold said, “I would urge you to be as restrained as you can be as the next steps occur...this could be one the most challenging times in the history of our country.”

Johnson, who defeated Feingold by three percentage points, said in his victory speech, "I believe America has given us a chance, an opportunity to put this nation on the right path. It's exactly what I intend to do."

U.S. Senate, Wisconsin General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ron Johnson Incumbent	50.2%	1,479,471
	Democratic	Russ Feingold	46.8%	1,380,335
	Libertarian	Phil Anderson	3%	87,531
	N/A	Write-in	0%	8
Total Votes				2,947,345
Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission

U.S. Senate, Wisconsin Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Russ Feingold	90.2%	303,791
Scott Harbach	9.8%	33,096
Total Votes		336,887
Source: Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commission

2012

See also: United States Senate elections in Wisconsin, 2012

Tammy Baldwin won election to the U.S. Senate in 2012.

U.S. Senate, Wisconsin, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tammy Baldwin	51.5%	1,547,104
	Republican	Tommy Thompson	45.9%	1,380,126
	Libertarian	Joseph Kexel	2.1%	62,240
	Independent	Nimrod Allen III	0.5%	16,455
	N/A	Write-ins	0%	113
Total Votes				3,006,038
Source: U.S. House Clerk "2012 Election Statistics"

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Wisconsin heading into the 2018 elections.

Congressional delegation

• Following the 2016 elections, Democrats and Republicans each held one U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin.
• Republicans held five of eight U.S. House seats in Wisconsin.

State executives

• Republicans held six of 11 state executive positions, while one position was held by a Democrat and four were held by nonpartisan officials.
• The governor of Wisconsin was Republican Scott Walker.

State legislature

• Republicans controlled both chambers of the Wisconsin State Legislature. They had a 64-35 majority in the state Assembly and an 18-15 majority in the state Senate.

Trifecta status

• Wisconsin was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled the state government. Scott Walker (R) served as governor and Republicans controlled the state legislature.

2018 elections

See also: Wisconsin elections, 2018

Wisconsin held elections for the following positions in 2018:

• One seat in the U.S. Senate
• Eight U.S. House seats
• Governor and lieutenant governor
• Three lower state executive positions
• 17 out of 33 state Senate seats
• 99 state Assembly seats
• Municipal elections in Dane and Milwaukee Counties

Demographics

Demographic data for Wisconsin
	Wisconsin	U.S.
Total population:	5,767,891	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	54,158	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	86.5%	73.6%
Black/African American:	6.3%	12.6%
Asian:	2.5%	5.1%
Native American:	0.9%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.1%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	6.3%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	91%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	27.8%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$53,357	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	15%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wisconsin. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2017, Wisconsin had a population of approximately 5,800,000 people, with its three largest cities being Milwaukee (pop. est. 600,000), Madison (pop. est. 250,000), and Green Bay (pop. est. 110,000).

State election history

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Wisconsin from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Historical elections

Presidential elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Wisconsin every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Wisconsin 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Donald Trump	47.8%	Hillary Clinton	46.3%	1.5%
2012	Barack Obama	52.8%	Mitt Romney	45.9%	6.9%
2008	Barack Obama	56.2%	John McCain	42.3%	13.9%
2004	John Kerry	49.7%	George W. Bush	49.3%	0.4%
2000	Al Gore	47.8%	George W. Bush	47.6%	0.2%

U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Wisconsin from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Wisconsin 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2016	Ron Johnson	50.2%	Russ Feingold	46.8%	3.4%
2012	Tammy Baldwin	51.4%	Tommy Thompson	45.9%	5.5%
2010	Ron Johnson	51.9%	Russ Feingold	47.0%	4.9%
2006	Herb Kohl	67.3%	Robert Lorge	29.5%	37.8%
2004	Russ Feingold	55.3%	Tim Michels	44.1%	11.2%
2000	Herb Kohl	61.5%	John Gillespie	37.0%	24.5%

Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Wisconsin.

Election results (Governor), Wisconsin 2000-2016
Year	First-place candidate	First-place candidate votes (%)	Second-place candidate	Second-place candidate votes (%)	Margin of victory (%)
2014	Scott Walker	52.3%	Mary Burke	46.6%	5.7%
2010	Scott Walker	52.3%	Tom Barrett	46.5%	5.8%
2006	Jim Doyle	52.7%	Mark Green	45.3%	7.4%
2002	Jim Doyle	45.1%	Scott McCallum	41.4%	3.7%

Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Wisconsin in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Wisconsin 2000-2016
Year	Republicans	Republicans (%)	Democrats	Democrats (%)	Balance of power
2016	5	62.5%	3	37.5%	R+2
2014	5	62.5%	3	37.5%	R+2
2012	5	62.5%	3	37.5%	R+2
2010	5	62.5%	3	37.5%	R+2
2008	3	37.5%	5	62.5%	D+2
2006	3	37.5%	5	62.5%	D+2
2004	4	50%	4	50%	-
2002	4	50%	4	50%	-
2000	4	44.4%	5	55.6%	D+1

Trifectas, 1992-2017

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Wisconsin Party Control: 1992-2025
Two years of Democratic trifectas  •  Ten years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin, 2018
• United States Senate elections, 2018
• Tammy Baldwin
• United States Senate election in Wisconsin (August 14, 2018 Democratic primary)
• United States Senate election in Wisconsin (August 14, 2018 Republican primary)

Footnotes

[show]

Wisconsin's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tammy Baldwin (D)

Ronald Johnson (R)

Representatives

District 1

Bryan Steil (R)

District 2

Mark Pocan (D)

District 3

Derrick Van Orden (R)

District 4

Gwen Moore (D)

District 5

Scott Fitzgerald (R)

District 6

Glenn Grothman (R)

District 7

Tom Tiffany (R)

District 8

Tony Wied (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (3)