The 2006 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jim Doyle ran for re-election to a second term in office. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary, and faced U.S. Representative Mark Green, who was unopposed in the Republican primary, in the general election. The campaign between Doyle and Green was competitive and hotly contested, but Doyle, whose approval ratings hovered around 50%, had the upper hand. In the end, Doyle defeated Green by a fairly comfortable margin, improving on his 2002 victory in the process.

Democratic primary Governor Candidates Jim Doyle, incumbent Governor of Wisconsin

Results

Lieutenant governor Candidates Barbara Lawton, incumbent lieutenant governor

Results

Republican primary Governor

Candidates

Nominee Mark Green, U.S. Representative from the 8th district

Withdrew Scott Walker, Milwaukee County Executive and former State Representative

Declined

Tommy Thompson, former governor (1987–2001) and former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (2001–2005)

Results

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Nominee Jean Hundertmark, member of Wisconsin State Assembly for the 40th district

Eliminated in primary Nick Voegeli

Results

Green primary Governor Candidates

Nominee Nelson Eisman

Results

Lieutenant governor Candidates

Nominee Leon Todd

Results

General election Predictions Source Ranking As of The Cook Political Report November 6, 2006 Sabato's Crystal Ball November 6, 2006 Rothenberg Political Report November 2, 2006 Real Clear Politics November 6, 2006

Polling Source Date JimDoyle (D) MarkGreen (R)WISC-TVWISC-TV November 2, 2006 50% 44%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision October 31, 2006 47% 45%Zogby/WSJZogby/WSJ October 31, 2006 46.7% 47.2%Badger PollBadger Poll October 30, 2006 50% 36%RasmussenRasmussen October 29, 2006 48% 44%Wisconsin Public RadioWisconsin Public Radio October 18, 2006 51% 38%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision October 11, 2006 46% 43%RasmussenRasmussen September 25, 2006 47% 44%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision September 20, 2006 46% 42% Zogby/WSJ September 11, 2006 49.4% 45.7% Zogby/WSJ August 28, 2006 49.7% 43.1%RasmussenRasmussen August 20, 2006 49% 41%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision August 18, 2006 45% 44%Research 2000Research 2000 August 17, 2006 48% 38% Zogby/WSJ July 24, 2006 49.2% 44.7%RasmussenRasmussen July 20, 2006 47% 41%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision July 20, 2006 43% 42%University of WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin July 2, 2006 49% 36%WPRIWPRI June 23, 2006 49% 37% Zogby/WSJ June 21, 2006 46.9% 45.1%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision June 8, 2006 45% 46%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision May 3, 2006 45% 43%RasmussenRasmussen April 28, 2006 47% 43%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision April 13, 2006 43% 43%WPR/St. Norbert College SurveyWPR/St. Norbert College Survey March 29 – April 7, 2006 43% 35%RasmussenRasmussen March 29, 2006 45% 40%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision March 8, 2006 44% 44%RasmussenRasmussen February 7, 2006 48% 41%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision February 1, 2006 44% 43%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision December 22, 2005 45% 43%RasmussenRasmussen December 12, 2005 45% 39%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision November 16, 2005 47% 44%Strategic VisionStrategic Vision October 21, 2005 47% 43%

Debates + 2006 Wisconsin gubernatorial election debates Date Host Moderator Link Democratic RepublicanKey: Participant  Absent  Not invited  Invited Withdrawn Jim Doyle Mark Green1 Sep. 15, 2006 We The People/Wisconsin Frederica FreybergMike Jacobs C-SPAN 2 Oct. 6, 2006 Wisconsin Broadcasters AssociationWMVS-TV C-SPAN 3 Oct. 20, 2006 We The People/WisconsinWISC-TV C-SPAN

Results

Results by county Doyle became only the third Democrat to carry Door County; the only two previous gubernatorial elections in which it had voted Democratic were 1859 and 1904. Door County would not vote Democratic again until 2022. Doyle was also the first Democrat since Albert G. Schmedeman in 1932 to win Monroe County.

As of 2024, this is the last gubernatorial election in which the Democratic candidate carried the counties of Adams, Barron, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Forest, Iron, Jackson, Lafayette, Lincoln, Marathon, Monroe, Oneida, Outagamie, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, St. Croix, Washburn, Winnebago, and Wood. County Jim DoyleDemocratic Mark GreenRepublican Nelson EismanGreen ScatteringWrite-in Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # %Adams4,41655.91%3,32442.08%1501.90%90.11%1,09213.82%7,899Ashland4,11865.80%1,90230.39%2323.71%60.10%2,21635.41%6,258Barron8,13649.81%7,92048.49%2711.66%60.04%2161.32%16,333Bayfield4,65364.15%2,46834.03%1291.78%30.04%2,18530.13%7,253Brown45,04648.11%46,98950.18%1,5171.62%830.09%-1,943-2.08%93,635Buffalo3,07857.40%2,19640.95%831.55%50.09%88216.45%5,362Burnett3,22552.15%2,90046.90%590.95%00.00%3255.26%6,184Calumet9,05946.74%9,99551.57%3201.65%80.04%-936-4.83%19,382Chippewa11,46752.56%9,83945.10%5022.30%100.05%1,6287.46%21,818Clark5,75851.23%5,15245.84%3262.90%40.04%6065.39%11,240Columbia11,66252.62%9,93644.83%5212.35%450.20%1,7267.79%22,164Crawford3,75159.25%2,43938.52%1282.02%130.21%1,31220.72%6,331Dane149,66169.95%58,30227.25%5,6452.64%3320.16%91,35942.70%213,940Dodge13,13742.31%17,30255.72%5811.87%290.09%-4,165-13.41%31,049Door7,59252.75%6,47945.01%3192.22%30.02%1,1137.73%14,393Douglas10,67065.52%5,23332.14%3762.31%50.03%5,43733.39%16,284Dunn8,07055.24%6,20842.50%3182.18%120.08%1,86212.75%14,608Eau Claire22,24057.16%15,73340.43%8892.28%490.13%6,50716.72%38,911Florence86544.07%1,07954.97%190.97%00.00%-214-10.90%1,963Fond du Lac16,07342.05%21,51556.28%6151.61%230.06%-5,442-14.24%38,226Forest1,85351.27%1,71247.37%481.33%10.03%1413.90%3,614Grant9,24254.52%7,42743.81%2831.67%00.00%1,81510.71%16,952Green7,76958.67%5,14938.89%3042.30%190.14%2,62019.79%13,241Green Lake3,12239.09%4,71459.03%1441.80%60.08%-1,592-19.93%7,986Iowa5,63062.23%3,26736.11%1451.60%50.06%2,36326.12%9,047Iron1,56056.07%1,18942.74%301.08%30.11%37113.34%2,782Jackson3,85855.61%2,93142.25%1462.10%30.04%92713.36%6,938Jefferson14,24746.01%16,03851.79%6402.07%400.13%-1,791-5.78%30,965Juneau3,96947.88%4,10149.48%1812.18%380.46%-132-1.59%8,289Kenosha28,33855.49%21,73742.56%9381.84%580.11%6,60112.93%51,071Kewaunee4,35448.14%4,47949.52%2112.33%10.01%-125-1.38%9,045La Crosse24,66357.34%17,23540.07%1,0022.33%1100.26%7,42817.27%43,010Lafayette3,34457.20%2,40541.14%911.56%60.10%93916.06%5,846Langlade4,18448.70%4,27649.77%1261.47%50.06%-92-1.07%8,591Lincoln6,01954.31%4,71342.52%3393.06%120.11%1,30611.78%11,083Manitowoc15,73648.47%16,15449.76%5351.65%380.12%-418-1.29%32,463Marathon25,83652.56%22,18645.14%1,1212.28%90.02%3,6507.43%49,152Marinette8,40849.35%8,45549.63%1660.97%80.05%-47-0.28%17,037Marquette2,87947.13%3,09550.67%1232.01%110.18%-216-3.54%6,108Menominee88682.57%18016.78%70.65%00.00%70665.80%1,073Milwaukee199,53661.57%118,94936.70%5,0191.55%5640.17%80,58724.87%324,068Monroe6,55648.76%6,51748.47%3232.40%500.37%390.29%13,446Oconto6,63946.17%7,49752.14%2381.66%40.03%-858-5.97%14,378Oneida8,37251.67%7,42545.82%3892.40%170.10%9475.84%16,203Outagamie34,90150.05%33,51148.05%1,2841.84%410.06%1,3901.99%69,737Ozaukee15,22936.90%25,46061.69%5421.31%430.10%-10,231-24.79%41,274Pepin1,62755.70%1,25643.00%381.30%00.00%37112.70%2,921Pierce7,82955.30%6,03442.62%2842.01%100.07%1,79512.68%14,157Polk8,12852.34%7,10345.74%2911.87%70.05%1,0256.60%15,529Portage17,75461.55%10,20635.38%8582.97%270.09%7,54826.17%28,845Price3,58155.85%2,73742.69%911.42%30.05%84413.16%6,412Racine34,96849.00%35,28649.44%1,0551.48%590.08%-318-0.45%71,368Richland3,48954.41%2,81443.88%1001.56%100.16%67510.53%6,413Rock33,77461.26%20,15636.56%1,1152.02%840.15%13,61824.70%55,129Rusk2,96851.68%2,62245.66%1442.51%90.16%3466.02%5,743Sauk12,23255.76%9,14841.70%5172.36%410.19%3,08414.06%21,938Sawyer3,21851.22%2,96547.19%1001.59%00.00%2534.03%6,283Shawano7,23646.16%8,22752.48%2081.33%60.04%-991-6.32%15,677Sheboygan21,38845.13%25,25753.29%7141.51%380.08%-3,869-8.16%47,397St. Croix13,39249.79%13,11748.77%3781.41%90.03%2751.02%26,896Taylor3,50648.31%3,55148.93%1992.74%20.03%-45-0.62%7,258Trempealeau5,55758.57%3,72539.26%1982.09%80.08%1,83219.31%9,488Vernon6,03457.34%4,24040.29%2342.22%150.14%1,79417.05%10,523Vilas4,79945.15%5,62352.90%2021.90%60.06%-824-7.75%10,630Walworth14,15441.98%18,78155.71%7292.16%500.15%-4,627-13.72%33,714Washburn3,32350.73%3,13547.86%871.33%60.09%1882.87%6,551Washington17,21932.29%35,26266.13%8031.51%410.08%-18,043-33.84%53,325Waukesha61,40234.86%112,24363.73%2,3201.32%1490.08%-50,841-28.87%176,114Waupaca8,76745.24%10,29653.13%3071.58%100.05%-1,529-7.89%19,380Waushara4,15546.55%4,59051.42%1701.90%110.12%-435-4.87%8,926Winnebago32,76550.49%30,62947.20%1,4132.18%850.13%2,1363.29%64,892Wood16,04354.27%12,71143.00%7792.64%260.09%3,33211.27%29,559Total1,139,11552.70%979,42745.31%40,7091.88%2,4490.11%159,6887.39%2,161,700

Counties that flipped Republican to Democratic Burnett (largest village: Grantsburg) Clark (largest city: Neillsville) Chippewa (largest city: Chippewa Falls) Door (largest city: Sturgeon Bay) Outagamie (largest city: Appleton) Sawyer (largest city: Hayward) St. Croix (Largest city: Hudson) Winnebago (largest city: Oshkosh)

Counties that flipped from Libertarian to Democratic Monroe (largest city: Sparta)

Counties that flipped from Libertarian to Republican Juneau (largest city: Mauston)

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Langlade (largest city: Antigo) Manitowoc (largest city: Manitowoc) Marquette (largest city: Montello) Racine (largest city: Racine) Taylor (Largest city: Medford)

See also U.S. gubernatorial elections, 2006

References

External links Mark Green for Governor (R) Jim Doyle Re-Election Site (D) Eisman for Wisconsin (G)