2024 Wisconsin Senate election

2024 Wisconsin Senate election

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16 of 33 seats in the Wisconsin Senate 17 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Devin LeMahieu Dianne Hesselbein Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat 9th–Oostburg 27th–Middleton Last election 12 seats, 61.1% 5 seats, 37.68% Seats before 22 11 Seats won 6 10 Seats after 18 15 Seat change 4 4 Popular vote 650,328 861,272 Percentage 42.74% 56.60%
Results by seat gains Results by vote share Results:      Republican hold      Democratic hold      Democratic gain      No election Republican:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Democratic:      50–60%      >90%
President before election Chris Kapenga Republican Elected President Mary Felzkowski Republican

Elections in Wisconsin
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Ballot measures 2006 Referendum 1
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v t e

The 2024 Wisconsin Senate election was held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at the Fall general election in Wisconsin, alongside the election for the State Assembly. Sixteen of the 33 seats in the Wisconsin Senate were up for election—the even-numbered districts. Before the election, 22 Senate seats were held by Republicans, 11 seats were held by Democrats. The primary election was held on August 13, 2024, and the filing deadline to appear on the ballot was June 3, 2024.^[1]

This was the first election for Wisconsin Senate after the 2024 redistricting. Democrats won all five of the most competitive Senate races, flipping four Republican-held seats. Even though Republicans still maintained their majority, Democrats broke their two-thirds supermajority.

After the elections, Republicans are set to enter the 107th Wisconsin Legislature with 18 of 33 seats.^[2]

This election was significantly affected by the legislative maps drawn as a result of the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision in Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, which declared the previous legislative district map to be unconstitutional on December 22, 2023.^[3] The court was in the process of selecting a remedial plan, when the legislature chose to embrace the remedial map proposal from Governor Tony Evers. Evers signed the plan into law on February 19, 2024.^[4]

Under the new maps, Democrats were expected to gain seats in the Senate, but they were not expected to be able to win a majority because only even-numbered seats were up for election in 2024.^[5][6] Five of the sixteen seats up for election had no incumbents due to the shifting legislative boundaries.^[7] Both parties spent heavily on the competitive races in this cycle.^[8]

Democrats last won a majority of seats in the state senate in the 2012 recall elections, but they last seated a majority of seats in a session after the 2008 elections.

To combat the threat of PFAS contamination, the Wisconsin legislature included $125 million in the state budget. Despite this, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) have refused to release the funds to be used by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). On April 9, Evers vetoed a piece of legislation which would have created grants to fight pollution due to PFAS chemicals, in explaining his veto, Evers cited the restrictions the legislation would have placed on the DNR to prosecute polluters. In vetoing the legislation, Evers also continued calling for the release of the $125 million which was set aside in the budget for combatting PFAS contamination.^[9] In response to Evers' veto, JFC members said they would hold the funds hostage.

On April 16, Evers called the JFC to session, but its Republican members refused to attend, denying the committee a quorum to do business.^[10] In response to this inaction, Wisconsin Democrats launched a six-figures campaign called "No More Games" which served the purpose to pressure and target members of the Committee from competitive districts. Among their targets were Senate Republicans Joan Ballweg, Howard Marklein, Duey Stroebel, and Eric Wimberger, from the 14th, 17th, 20th and 30th districts respectively.^[11]

		Party (majority caucus shading)		Total
		Democratic	Republican
Last election (2022)		5	12	17
Total after last election (2022)		11	22	33
Total before this election		11	22	33
Up for election		6	10	16
of which:	Incumbent retiring	1	2	3
	Vacated	1	0	1
	Open	1	3	4
	Unopposed	5	0	5
This election		10	6	16
Change from last election		4	4
Total after this election		15	18	33
Change in total		4	4

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

1. State Senate district 8, 1.2% (gain)
2. State Senate district 14, 2.2% (gain)
3. State Senate district 32, 4.8%
4. State Senate district 30, 5% (gain)
5. State Senate district 18, 6.6% (gain)

• Robert Cowles (R–Green Bay), the longest currently-serving Wisconsin legislator, representing district 2 since 1987, is retiring.^[12]

• Melissa Agard (D–Madison), representing district 16 since 2020, is retiring to run for Dane County executive.
• Dan Knodl (R–Germantown), representing district 8 since 2023, announced in February 2024 that he would not seek reelection to the district after the 2024 redistricting put him in an incumbent-vs-incumbent matchup. Instead, Knodl ran for Wisconsin State Assembly in Wisconsin's 24th Assembly district.^[13]

• Lena Taylor (D–Milwaukee), representing district 4 since 2004, resigned on January 26, 2024, after her appointment as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County and will be replaced by Dora Drake following a special election on July 30, 2024.

• Joan Ballweg (R–Markesan), representing district 14 since 2020, lost reelection to Sarah Keyeski (D–Lodi)
• Duey Stroebel (R–Saukville), representing the 20th district since 2016, lost reelection to Jodi Habush Sinykin (D–Whitefish Bay) in the 8th district

There was one special election scheduled in 2024 for the Wisconsin state Senate.

Incumbent Republican Robert Cowles declined to seek re-election. Fellow Republican Eric Wimberger decided to move to this district and faced Democrat Kelly Peterson in the general election.

Incumbent Democrat Dora Drake ran for re-election unopposed. In the primary she defeated state representative LaKeshia Myers in a rematch from the special election primary earlier in 2024.

Incumbent Democrat La Tonya Johnson ran for re-election unopposed.

Incumbent Republican Dan Knodl declined to seek re-election after redistricting put fellow Republican Duey Stroebel into his district. Stroebel faced Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin, who was a candidate for this district in a 2023 special election, and was defeated by her in the general election.

Incmbent Republican Rob Stafsholt ran for re-election. He faced and defeated Democrat Paul Hambleton in the general election.

Incumbent Republican Mary Felzkowski ran for re-election. She faced and defeated Democrat Andi Rich in the general election.

Incumbent Republican Joan Ballweg sought re-election after being drawn out of this district due to redistricting. In the general election she faced and was defeated by Democrat Sarah Keyeski.

Incumbent Democrat Melissa Agard declined to seek re-election, leaving the seat open. In the primary, three Democrats faced off, being state representatives Jimmy Anderson, Samba Baldeh, and Melissa Ratcliff, from the 47th, 48th, and 46th districts respectively. Ratcliff defeated both Anderson and Baldeh by a wide margin and was unopposed in the general election.

Incumbent Republican Dan Feyen was moved into the 20th district due to redistricting, leaving the district open. Two Republicans filed to succeed Feyen, being Anthony Phillips and Blong Yang. Phillips defeated Yang by a wide margin and faced Democrat Kristin Alfheim in the general election, whom he was defeated by.

Incumbent Republican Duey Stroebel was drawn into the 8th district as a result of redistricting, while Dan Feyen was drawn into this district from the 18th due to redistricting. In the primary, Feyen faced former Republican representative and election denier Timothy Ramthun. Feyen advanced to the general election, where he faced and defeated Democrat Michael Rapp.

Incumbent Democrat Robert Wirch ran for re-election unopposed.

Incumbent Republican Patrick Testin sought re-election. In the general election he faced and defeated Democrat Collin McNamara.

Incumbent Democrat Kelda Roys ran for re-election unopposed.

Incumbent Republican Julian Bradley sought re-election after being drawn out of this district due to redistricting. In the general election he faced and defeated Democrat Megan Lach.

Incumbent Republican Eric Wimberger declined to seek re-election in this district, instead opting to run for the neighboring 2nd district, leaving this district open. In the general election, Democrat Jamie Wall defeated Republican Jim Rafter.

Incumbent Democrat Brad Pfaff ran for re-election. In the general election he faced and defeated Republican and former candidate for U.S. Senate Stacey Klein.

• Redistricting in Wisconsin
  • Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission
• 2024 Wisconsin elections
  • 2024 Wisconsin State Assembly election
• 2024 United States elections
• Elections in Wisconsin
• Wisconsin Senate

• Wisconsin Elections Commission
• Wisconsin at Ballotpedia