Statewide Analysis

Presidential Race:
Even with home state congressman Paul Ryan (R) running as Vice President, Republicans came up short of winning Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes to President Obama.  Once Ryan was selected as Romney’s running mate, Wisconsin become a competitive state and presented Republicans with the chance of winning a state that last voted for a Republican in 1984.

Senate:
Former four-term governor Tommy Thompson (R) lost an open seat election to seven-term congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D) in one of the most competitive and contentious Senate races in 2012.  Baldwin will become the first openly gay U.S. Senator. 

House:

  • Freshman Reps. Sean Duffy (R, WI-07) and Reid Ribble (R, WI-08) both held on in their first re-election efforts to secure a second term.  Both faced competitive contests, particularly Duffy who defeated former state senator Pat Kreitlow (D, WI-07).
  • State Assemblyman Mark Pocan (D, WI-02) easily wins re-election to replace Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D, WI-02), who ran for the U.S. Senate, in a safe Democratic district.
  • Wisconsin’s House delegation remains unchanged at 5-3 Republican.

Governor:
No contest in the 2012 General Election.  Gov. Scott Walker (R) won a June 5, 2012 Recall Election by defeating Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) by a 53% to 46% margin.  Walker is up for re-election in 2014.

Other Notable Election Results:
Content

 

Race by Race Details

Wisconsin Senate
Percent Reporting: 97    Last Update: 11/8/2012 10:40:51 AM

Candidate Name (click names for more information)Percent Vote ReceivedWinner
Tammy Baldwin (Democrat)  51% Winner
Tommy Thompson (Republican)  46%
Former four-term governor Tommy Thompson (R) lost an open seat election to seven-term congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D) in one of the most competitive and contentious Senate races in 2012. Baldwin will become the first openly gay U.S. Senator.

Wisconsin Congressional District 01
Percent Reporting: 100    Last Update: 11/8/2012 10:41:16 AM

Candidate Name (click names for more information)Percent Vote ReceivedWinner
Rob Zerban (Democrat)  43%
Paul Ryan (Republican)  55% Winner

Wisconsin Congressional District 02
Percent Reporting: 100    Last Update: 11/8/2012 10:41:39 AM

Candidate Name (click names for more information)Percent Vote ReceivedWinner
Mark Pocan (Democrat)  68% Winner
Chad Lee (Republican)  32%
State Assemblyman Mark Pocan (D) easily wins election to replace Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D), who ran for the U.S. Senate, in safe Democratic district.

Wisconsin Congressional District 03
Percent Reporting: 100    Last Update: 11/8/2012 10:41:52 AM

Candidate Name (click names for more information)Percent Vote ReceivedWinner
Ron Kind (Democrat)  64% Winner
Ray Boland (Republican)  36%

Wisconsin Congressional District 04
Percent Reporting: 100    Last Update: 11/8/2012 10:42:15 AM

Candidate Name (click names for more information)Percent Vote ReceivedWinner
Gwen Moore (Democrat)  72% Winner
Dan Sebring (Republican)  25%

Wisconsin Congressional District 05
Percent Reporting: 100    Last Update: 11/8/2012 10:42:30 AM

Candidate Name (click names for more information)Percent Vote ReceivedWinner
Dave Heaster (Democrat)  32%
James Sensenbrenner Jr. (Republican)  68% Winner

Wisconsin Congressional District 06
Percent Reporting: 100    Last Update: 11/8/2012 10:42:45 AM

Candidate Name (click names for more information)Percent Vote ReceivedWinner
Joe Kallas (Democrat)  38%
Tom Petri (Republican)  62% Winner

Wisconsin Congressional District 07
Percent Reporting: 100    Last Update: 11/8/2012 10:43:01 AM

Candidate Name (click names for more information)Percent Vote ReceivedWinner
Pat Kreitlow (Democrat)  44%
Sean Duffy (Republican)  56% Winner
Freshman Rep. Sean Duffy (R) held on in his first re-election effort to secure a second term. Duffy faced a competitive contest by defeating former state senator Pat Kreitlow (D). Duffy’s likable personality once again helped him to win.

Wisconsin Congressional District 08
Percent Reporting: 100    Last Update: 11/8/2012 10:43:21 AM

Candidate Name (click names for more information)Percent Vote ReceivedWinner
Jamie Wall (Democrat)  44%
Reid J. Ribble (Republican)  56% Winner
Freshman Rep. Reid Ribble (R) ran another strong campaign and defeated Jamie Wall (D) in his first re-election effort.

*The analysis on this page is provided by the Business Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC). BIPAC is an independent, bipartisan organization, that is supported by several hundred of the nation's leading businesses and trade associations. The views expressed in this analysis do not necessarily represent the views of our organization.