Wisconsin held its general election on November 8, 2022, deciding 116 legislative seats and 5 statewide offices led by the governorship. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Divided government survived. Republicans won a veto-proof two-thirds majority in the Senate but fell two seats short of one in the Assembly, so Gov. Tony Evers (D), who had vetoed a record 126 GOP bills over the previous two years, keeps the veto pen.
- Evers defeated construction executive Tim Michels (R) by about 3 points, beating back a Republican effort to retake every branch of state government; his campaign hammered Michels's support for banning abortion without exceptions for rape or incest. Sara Rodriguez (D) won the lieutenant governor's race on his ticket over Roger Roth (R).
- Below the governor, Wisconsin split its ticket:
- Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) held off Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney (R) by about a point in a race fought over the state's 1849 abortion ban, which Kaul pledged not to enforce and Toney said he would.
- Secretary of State Douglas La Follette (D) edged Rep. Amy Loudenbeck (R) by about 7,400 votes for a 12th term. Loudenbeck, who wanted to move oversight of elections to the secretary of state's office, conceded without a recount.
- John Leiber (R) won the open treasurer's office over former Fitchburg Mayor Aaron Richardson (D), the only statewide office to change parties.
- All 4 legislative seats that changed party went to Republicans. In the Senate, Romaine Quinn (R) won the seat vacated by Minority Leader Janet Bewley in the 25th District. In the Assembly, Republicans picked up the 13th, the Brookfield seat Rodriguez gave up to join Evers after it was redrawn to favor Republicans; the 73rd, by under 500 votes; and the 74th. Rep. Don Vruwink (D) also lost, by about 250 votes, to Scott Johnson (R) in the 33rd, a seat Republicans already held. Democrats held on narrowly elsewhere: Sen. Jeff Smith (D) kept the 31st by about 700 votes.
Legislature
- Assembly (99 seats): 38 D, 61 R before the election, 35 D, 64 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (33 seats): 12 D, 21 R before the election, 11 D, 22 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
| Race | Winner | Others | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Tony Evers (D) 51.15% | Tim Michels (R) 47.75%, Joan Ellis (I) 1.02% | |
| Attorney General | Josh Kaul (D) 50.6% | Eric Toney (R) 49.3% | |
| Lt. Governor | Sara Rodriguez (D) 51.2% | Roger Roth (R) 47.8%, Joan Ellis Beglinger (I) 1% | |
| Secretary of State | Douglas La Follette (D) 48.3% | Amy Loudenbeck (R) 48%, Neil Harmon (L) 2.1% | |
| Treasurer | John Leiber (R) 49.6% | Aaron Richardson (D) 48.1%, Andrew Zuelke (Constitution Party) 2.2% | Flipped D to R |