The 2000 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 7, 2000. One of Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seats was up for election, as well as Wisconsin's nine seats in the United States House of Representatives, the sixteen even-numbered seats in the Wisconsin State Senate, and all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Voters also chose eleven electors to represent them in the Electoral College, which then participated in selecting the president of the United States. The 2000 Fall Partisan Primary was held on September 12, 2000.

In the Fall general election, the Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Al Gore, narrowly won Wisconsin's eleven electoral votes, defeating Texas Governor George W. Bush by a mere 5,708 votes. All nine of Wisconsin's incumbent members of Congress were reelected. Democrats gained one seat in the Wisconsin Senate; Republicans gained one seat in the Wisconsin Assembly.

The 2000 Wisconsin Spring Election was held April 4, 2000. This election featured a contested election for Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Presidential preference primary for both major political parties, as well as various nonpartisan local and judicial offices. The 2000 Wisconsin Spring Primary was held on February 15, 2000.

Wisconsin Republicans celebrated the results of the April election with the victory of their preferred candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. The Presidential preference primary was not seriously contested on either the Democratic or Republican side, as most candidates had already dropped out before Wisconsin's vote.

Federal offices

U.S. President

Incumbent Democratic President Bill Clinton was term-limited and was not a candidate for reelection. In Wisconsin, voters chose Clinton's vice president, Al Gore, over Texas Governor George W. Bush. Vice President Gore received Wisconsin's eleven electoral votes, but did not win the national electoral vote.

Results

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 7, 2000

U.S. Senate

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Herb Kohl was reelected to a third six-year term, defeating Republican John Gillespie.

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 7, 2000

U.S. House

District Incumbent Candidates Results Member Firstelected 1998 Incumbent re-elected. Tammy Baldwin 1998 Incumbent re-elected. Ron Kind 1996 Incumbent re-elected. Jerry Kleczka 1984 Incumbent re-elected. Tom Barrett 1992 Incumbent re-elected. Tom Petri 1979 Incumbent re-elected. Dave Obey 1969 Incumbent re-elected. Mark Andrew Green 1998 Incumbent re-elected. Jim Sensenbrenner 1978 Incumbent re-elected.

State offices

Legislature State Senate The 16 even-numbered seats in the Wisconsin State Senate were up for election in 2000. Each party controlled 8 seats up for election in 2000, with Democrats holding a 1-seat majority in the full Senate, 17–16. Republicans picked up one Democrat-held seat in the 2000 general election, but Democrats picked up two previously Republican-held seats, for a net result of the Democratic Party gaining 1 seat and increasing their majority to 18–15.

Summary Seats Party (majority caucus shading) Vacant Total Democratic Republican Total after last election (1998) 18 15 33 0 Total before this election 17 16 33 0 Up for election 8 8 16 This election 9 7 Total after this election 18 15 33 0 Change in total 1 1

State Assembly All 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly were up for election in 2000. Republicans gained 1 seat in the 2000 general election, increasing their majority to 56–43.

Summary Seats Party (majority caucus shading) Vacant Total Democratic Republican Total after last election (1998) 44 55 99 0 Total before this election 44 55 99 0 Total after this election 43 56 99 0 Change in total 1 1

Judiciary State Supreme Court

In the Supreme Court election (held during the spring elections), incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Diane S. Sykes defeated Milwaukee municipal court judge Louis B. Butler in the April general election. Justice Sykes had been appointed to the court in 1999 by Governor Tommy Thompson, to replace Justice Donald W. Steinmetz, who had retired. Justice Steinmetz's term was already set to expire in 2000, thus the election did not need to be scheduled any earlier than it otherwise would have been.

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 4, 2000

State Court of Appeals Three seats of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals were up for election in 2000. None of the elections was contested. In District I, Judge Ralph Adam Fine was elected to his third six-year term. In District II, Judge Richard S. Brown was elected to his fourth six-year term. In District IV, Judge Margaret J. Vergeront was elected to her second six-year term.

State Circuit Courts Forty nine of the state's 241 circuit court seats were up for election in 2000. One of those seats—in Waupaca County—was newly created by the 1999 budget act passed by the Wisconsin Legislature. Eight of the seats were contested. Only one incumbent judge was defeated seeking re-election, Michael G. Grzeca—an appointee of Governor Tommy Thompson in the Brown County Circuit.

CircuitBranchIncumbentElectedDefeated Defeated in PrimaryNameVotes%NameVotes%Name(s) Ashland Robert E. Eaton Robert E. Eaton 1,782 99.78% Barron 2 Edward R. Brunner Edward R. Brunner 5,541 99.87% Brown 2 Michael G. Grzeca Mark A. Warpinski 26,058 68.40% Michael G. Grzeca 12,002 31.51% Clark Jon M. Counsell Jon M. Counsell 4,903 66.24% Charles S. Senn 2,492 33.67% Dane 3 John C. Albert John C. Albert 48,077 99.57% 8 Patrick J. Fiedler Patrick J. Fiedler 48,853 99.56% 9 Gerald C. Nichol Gerald C. Nichol 49,139 99.66% 12 David T. Flanagan David T. Flanagan 47,869 99.65% 17 Paul B. Higginbotham Paul B. Higginbotham 49,239 99.66% Door 1 John D. Koehn D. Todd Ehlers 4,334 51.43% Philip L. Johnson 4,087 48.50% 2 Peter C. Diltz Peter C. Diltz 7,110 99.45% Eau Claire 1 Thomas H. Barland Lisa K. Stark 9,217 59.69% Michael D. O'Brien 6,197 40.13% 3 William M. Gabler William M. Gabler 11,833 99.54% 4 Benjamin D. Proctor Benjamin D. Proctor 12,208 99.57% 5 Paul J. Lenz Paul J. Lenz 11,925 99.61% Kenosha 7 S. Michael Wilk S. Michael Wilk 12,488 99.70% Milwaukee 4 Mel Flanagan Mel Flanagan 115,045 99.21% 6 Kitty Brennan Kitty Brennan 116,005 99.25% 8 William Sosnay William Sosnay 112,081 99.26% 13 Victor Manian Victor Manian 116,145 99.34% 20 Dennis P. Moroney Dennis P. Moroney 112,357 99.34% 23 Elsa C. Lamelas Elsa C. Lamelas 111,652 99.29% 28 Thomas R. Cooper Thomas R. Cooper 111,772 99.38% 35 Lee Wells Lee Wells 112,271 99.41% 38 Jeffrey A. Wagner Jeffrey A. Wagner 115,872 99.34% 39 Michael Malmstadt Michael Malmstadt 113,139 99.36% 43 Marshall B. Murray Marshall B. Murray 110,440 99.38% 46 Bonnie L. Gordon Bonnie L. Gordon 110,560 99.34% Oneida 2 Mark A. Mangerson Mark A. Mangerson 5,895 99.63% Outagamie 4 Harold V. Froehlich Harold V. Froehlich 17,832 99.84% 5 Dee R. Dyer Dee R. Dyer 17,916 99.88% 7 John A. Des Jardins John A. Des Jardins 18,032 99.81% Portage 3 Thomas T. Flugaur Thomas T. Flugaur 7,170 99.82% Racine 8 Dennis J. Flynn Dennis J. Flynn 20,913 99.52% 10 Richard J. Kreul Richard J. Kreul 19,694 99.59% Rock 7 James E. Welker James E. Welker 14,334 99.07% St. Croix 3 Scott R. Needham Scott R. Needham 5,414 99.96% Sauk 1 Patrick J. Taggart Patrick J. Taggart 6,690 99.58% 3 Virginia A. Wolfe Guy D. Reynolds 5,443 62.75% Patricia Barrett 3,222 37.15% Sheboygan 5 James J. Bolgert James J. Bolgert 16,290 99.82% Walworth 1 Robert J. Kennedy Robert J. Kennedy 7,698 50.31% Henry A. Sibbing 7,601 49.68% Washington 3 David Resheske David Resheske 13,058 99.59% 4 Leo F. Schlaefer Andrew T. Gonring 12,964 99.46% Waukesha 11 Robert G. Mawdsley Robert G. Mawdsley 41,745 99.55% 12 Kathryn W. Foster Kathryn W. Foster 42,017 99.51% Waupaca 3 New seat Raymond S. Huber 6,042 56.24% John P. Snider 4,701 43.75% Winnebago 1 William E. Crane Thomas J. Gritton 11,900 56.78% Frank Slattery 9,033 43.10% 2 Robert A. Haase Robert A. Haase 17,309 99.51% 4 17,228 99.43%

Local

Douglas County

Mayor Incumbent mayor of Superior, Wisconsin, Margaret Ciccone, was successfully recalled, being replaced by her opponent from 1999, Richard Van Rossem.

Milwaukee County

Mayor Incumbent Mayor John Norquist was reelected to a fourth four-year term, defeating businessman George Watts.

Monroe County Ed Thompson, brother of incumbent Governor Tommy Thompson, was elected Mayor of Tomah, Wisconsin, defeating incumbent Bud Johnson.

References