Wisconsin State Senate elections, 2014
The Wisconsin State Senate was one of the chambers some Democrats believed to be the most likely to flip in 2014. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee called the chamber one of its "Emerging Majorities" - bodies in which Democrats had a good chance to cut into Republican leads or flip.[1]
The Democrats were down three seats in the chamber, with 10 races in which to make up that ground. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee listed the Wisconsin Senate as one of eight chambers of which the Democrats could take control.[2]
In a debate with Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R), Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson (D) said Gov. Scott Walker's poll numbers were a sign his party would win. Fitzgerald argued that President Barack Obama's drop in popularity would instead help the Republicans.[3]
The Wisconsin State Senate was one of 20 state legislative chambers noted by Ballotpedia staff as being a battleground chamber. The Wisconsin Senate held a difference in partisan balance between Democrats and Republicans of three seats, which amounted to 17.7 percent of the seats up for election in 2014. In 2012, when the 16 even-numbered districts were up for election, two districts were competitive or mildly competitive. District 18 had a margin of victory of 0.7 percent in the 2012 elections. District 30 had a margin of victory of 9 percent.
Elections for 17 seats in the Wisconsin State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 12, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 2, 2014.
Following the general election, there was no change to the majority control of the Wisconsin State Senate. The chamber was controlled by the Republican Party, which increased its holdings from 17 to 19 seats. The Democratic Party sustained a net loss of one seat, dropping from 15 to 14 seats. The chamber's vacant seat was filled during the general election.
Incumbents retiring
Seven incumbents did not run for re-election in 2014. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Leibham |  Republican |
Senate District 9 |
| Neal Kedzie | Republican |
Senate District 11 |
| Tim Cullen |  Democratic |
Senate District 15 |
| Dale Schultz | Republican |
Senate District 17 |
| Michael Ellis | Republican |
Senate District 19 |
| John Lehman | Democratic |
Senate District 21 |
| Robert Jauch | Democratic |
Senate District 25 |
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Wisconsin State Senate:
| Wisconsin State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 15 | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 17 | 19 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 33 | |
Competitiveness
Candidates unopposed by a major party
In three of the 17 districts up for election in 2014, there was only one major party candidate running for election. Two Democrats and one Republican were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances. Candidates from both major parties faced off in the general election in 14 of the 17 districts up for election.
Primary challenges
No incumbents faced primary competition on August 12. Seven incumbents did not seek re-election in 2014 and another 10 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition.
Retiring incumbents
Seven incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 10 (58.8%) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, three Democrats and four Republicans, can be found above.
Context
In the past 20 years, the partisan control has switched regularly between Republican and Democratic in the Wisconsin State Senate, according to Ballotpedia data. In 14 of the 17 (82.3 percent) districts up for election, there were two major party candidates, making the elections important to the partisan composition for the Senate. Democrats needed to win only 3 additional seats to gain control of the Senate.
Two Democratic incumbents -- Tim Carpenter and Jon Erpenbach -- were guaranteed their respective seats barring unforeseen circumstances. Republican Leah Vukmir defeated a Libertarian candidate in the general election, Wendy Friedrich.
Races to Watch
There were seven open seats, vacated by retiring incumbents, in the November election. Three Democratic and three Republican senators did not run for re-election. Neal Kedzie (R), the seventh senator, had announced in May 2014 that he would not be running, and he resigned from the Senate in June.
Districts with no Democratic incumbent running:
District 15: Janis Ringhand (D) defeated Brian Fitzgerald (R) in the general election.
District 21: Randy Bryce (D) was defeated by Van Wanggaard (R).
District 25: Janet Bewley (D) defeated Dane Deutsch (R) in the general election. District 25 is historically Democratic, but Deutsch lost by a small margin of 1,600 votes in his 2010 run. Their race centered around a proposed $1.5 billion iron mine.[4]
Districts with no Republican incumbent running:
District 9: Martha Laning (D) was defeated by Devin LeMahieu (R).
District 11: Dan Kilkenny (D) was defeated by Steve Nass (R).
District 17: Pat Bomhack (D) was defeated by Howard Marklein (R) in the general election. Bomhack's primary race against Ernie Wittwer ended in a seven-vote differential; a recount found Wittwer the winner at first, before the decision was reversed three days later in Bomhack's favor.[5]
District 19: Assemblywoman Penny Bernard Schaber (D) was defeated by Roger Roth (R) in the general election.
Qualifications
Section 6 of Article 4 of the Wisconsin Constitution states, "No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not have resided one year within the state, and be a qualified elector in the district which he may be chosen to represent."
List of candidates
District 1
August 12 Democratic primary:
Note: Richard Skare was removed from the candidate list before the primary.
August 12 Republican primary:
- Frank Lasee
- Incumbent Lasee was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Frank Lasee
November 4 General election candidates:
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- Dean P. Debroux: 29,555
- Frank Lasee: 47,438
District 3
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- Tim Carpenter - Incumbent Carpenter was first elected to the chamber in 2002.
- Tim Carpenter
- August 12 Republican primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Tim Carpenter: 29,291
District 5
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- August 12 Republican primary:
- Leah Vukmir - Incumbent Vukmir was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Leah Vukmir
Libertarian candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Leah Vukmir: 55,869
- Wendy Friedrich: 20,020
District 7
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- Chris Larson - Incumbent Larson was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Chris Larson
- August 12 Republican primary:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Chris J. Larson: 41,950
- Jason "Red" Arnold: 28,387
District 9
Note: Incumbent Joe Leibham (R) did not run for re-election.
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- August 12 Republican primary:
Note: Barry Nelson was removed from the candidate list before the primary.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Martha Laning: 28,770
- Devin LeMahieu: 43,186
District 11
Note: Incumbent Neal Kedzie (R) did not run for re-election.
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- August 12 Republican primary:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Dan Kilkenny: 25,377
- Steve Nass: 43,842
District 13
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- August 12 Republican primary:
- Scott Fitzgerald - Incumbent Fitzgerald was first elected to the chamber in 1994.
- Scott Fitzgerald
- Libertarian candidates:
Note: Terry Virgil was removed from the candidate list.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Michelle Zahn: 28,700
- Scott Fitzgerald: 48,255
District 15
Note: Incumbent Tim Cullen (D) did not run for re-election.
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- Janis Ringhand: 6,163
- Austin Scieszinski: 5,882
- Mike Sheridan: 3,448
- Janis Ringhand: 6,163
- August 12 Republican primary:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Janis Ringhand: 36,389
- Brian Fitzgerald: 24,760
District 17
Note: Incumbent Dale Schultz (R) did not run for re-election.
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- Pat Bomhack: 3,837
- Ernie Wittwer: 3,804
- Pat Bomhack: 3,837
The Government Accountability Board certified Pat Bomhack as having won the District 17 Democratic primary on April 29.[6] This was a switch from August 26, when they certified Ernie Wittwer as the victor with a 5-vote lead.
A recount in the election was triggered by the 7-vote differential between the two candidates in preliminary results from the August 12 primary. On August 25, 110 ballots in Green County were found to be missing; these ballots remained missing.[5]
Wittwer had five days to contest the August 29 certification of Bomhack as the Democratic victor. He said that the events "shattered my confidence in the voting process." Initial indications were that he would pursue a remedy in court. He said, "Obviously the Monroe thing can be challenged based on disenfranchising voters. And there are provisions in the statute that I think give the local canvas [sic] board the ability to use that electronic record if they choose to...I think we can look at the consistency of how absentee ballots were handled. That's another avenue. Open ballot bags might be an avenue as well, so, there are probably several things we can challenge."[7][8] Wittwer's campaign ultimately declined to challenge the results in court, saying "it would have been a futile gesture. It would have cost me a whole lot of money for no particular purpose."[9]
The editorial board of the Capital Times also argued that legal action should have be taken, writing, "By certifying an incomplete result in the Democratic primary for the open District 17 state Senate seat, the Green County canvassing board failed in its most important duty: ensuring that election results reflect the clear intention of the voters. That failure is a serious matter, and if the state Government Accountability Board does not address it then the courts should do so. Why? Because, without an intervention, there is a very real change that the Green County canvassing board’s decision — as opposed to that of the voters — could make the loser of the primary into the 'winner.' An exceptionally close finish in the Aug. 12 primary led to the recount, which is no problem. Recounts are healthy; they allow officials to clarify the precise intent of voters in even the most tightly contested races.Unfortunately, instead of providing clarification, the recount complicated everything."[10]
- August 12 Republican primary:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Pat Bomhack: 28,179
- Howard Marklein: 34,601
District 19
Note: Incumbent Michael Ellis (R) did not run for re-election.
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- August 12 Republican primary:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Penny Bernard Schaber: 31,135
- Roger Roth: 41,628
District 21
Note: Incumbent John Lehman (R) did not run for re-election.
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- August 12 Republican primary:
- Jonathan Steitz: 4,293
- Van Wanggaard: 10,563
Independent candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Randy Bryce: 28,106
- Van Wanggaard: 44,967
- Bill Thompkins: 34
District 23
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- August 12 Republican primary:
- Terry Moulton - Incumbent Moulton was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Terry Moulton
November 4 General election candidates:
- Phil Swanhorst: 25,135
- Terry Moulton: 39,577
District 25
Note: Incumbent Robert Jauch (D) did not run for re-election.
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- Janet Bewley: 7,314
- Gary Kauther: 1,053
- Thomas Ratzlaff: 1,623
- Janet Bewley: 7,314
- August 12 Republican primary:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Janet Bewley: 35,055
- Dane Deutsch: 33,445
District 27
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- Jon Erpenbach - Incumbent Erpenbach was first elected to the chamber in 1998.
- Jon Erpenbach
- August 12 Republican primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 4 General election candidates:
- Jon Erpenbach: 61,920
District 29
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- August 12 Republican primary:
- Jerry Petrowski - Incumbent Petrowski was first elected to the chamber in a recall election on June 5, 2012.
- Jerry Petrowski
November 4 General election candidates:
- Paul Demain: 23,917
- Jerry Petrowski: 45,887
District 31
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- Kathleen Vinehout - Incumbent Vinehout was first elected to the chamber in 2006.
- Kathleen Vinehout
- August 12 Republican primary:
- Bill Ingram: 1,598
- Mel Pittman: 3,573
November 4 General election candidates:
- Kathleen Vinehout: 35,508
- Mel Pittman: 32,317
District 33
- August 12 Democratic primary:
- August 12 Republican primary:
- Paul Farrow - Incumbent Farrow was first elected to the chamber in 2012.
- Paul Farrow
November 4 General election candidates:
- Sherryll Shaddock: 20,899
- Paul Farrow: 59,199
See also
External links
- Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, 2014 Fall General Election Results
- Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, 2014 Primary Candidate List
- Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, Candidates Registered by Office
Footnotes
- ↑ Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, "DLCC releases Flip Chart 2014, offers Democratic outlook for 2014 state legislative races," July 1, 2014
- ↑ MSNBC.com, "Democrats take aim at eight key states," July 2, 2014
- ↑ WXOW.com, "State Senate leaders debate who will have upper hand in November," September 11, 2014
- ↑ Price County Review, "Northern Wisconsin Senate battle centers on Penokee Hills mine," October 15, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chippewa Herald, "Pat Bomhack takes lead in 17th Senate primary after recount," August 27, 2014
- ↑ WISC-News, "GAB: Pat Bomhack wins Democratic primary in 17th Senate District", April 29, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin State Journal, "Pat Bomhack takes lead in 17th Senate primary after recount", August 28, 2014
- ↑ WKOW-TV, "UPDATE: Bomhack wins 17th Senate District Democratic primary recount by 33 votes", August 29, 2014
- ↑ madison.com, ""Ernie Wittwer decides against challenging recount in District 17 primary," September 6, 2014
- ↑ Capital Times, "An absolutely wrong decision by Green County election officials", August 28, 2014
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