The 2023 Wisconsin Spring Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on April 4, 2023. The featured race at the top of the ticket was for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which became the most expensive judicial election in history. Several other nonpartisan local and judicial offices were also decided on the April 4 ballot, including mayoral elections in some of Wisconsin's larger cities—Green Bay, Madison, and Racine. In addition, a special election was held in the 8th State Senate district, concurrent with the Spring elections. The 2023 Wisconsin Spring Primary was held February 21, 2023.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin was seen as broadly victorious across the state's Spring elections. In the Supreme Court race, the Democrats' preferred candidate, Janet Protasiewicz, defeated the Republicans' preferred candidate, flipping the ideological balance of the court in favor of the liberals. Incumbent Democratic mayors in Green Bay, Madison, and Racine were all re-elected. In addition, the incumbent chief judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals was defeated by a Democratic-backed challenger.
The one significant Republican bright spot was the special election for Wisconsin's 8th State Senate district, where they narrowly defended their super-majority in the Wisconsin Senate. Wisconsin voters also ratified a pair of Republican-backed amendments to the state constitution related to guidance to judges on questions of pre-trial release and bail conditions. Because the winner of the special Senate election was an incumbent state representative, another special election was held on July 18, 2023, to fill the vacancy in the 24th Assembly district, which was also won by the Republican candidate.
State elections Legislature State Senate 8th district special election A special election was held concurrent with the Spring general election to fill the 8th State Senate seat vacated by the resignation of Alberta Darling. Republican state representative Dan Knodl narrowly defeated Democratic attorney Jodi Habush Sinykin in the special election on April 4, 2023, giving the Republicans a super-majority in the Wisconsin Senate.
The primary for this election was held concurrent with the spring primary, February 21, 2023. Knodl prevailed in the Republican primary over state representative Janel Brandtjen and Thiensville village president Van Mobley. Former state senator Randy Hopper briefly entered the race, but then withdrew and endorsed Knodl.
State Assembly 24th district special election A special election was held in Wisconsin's 24th Assembly district on July 18, 2023, to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Dan Knodl to the Wisconsin Senate in the Spring election. The Republican nominee, Ozaukee County supervisor Paul Melotik, defeated the Democratic nominee, Mequon businessman, Bob Tatterson.
A special primary was held on June 20, 2023, but neither party had a contest for the nomination. Perennial Wisconsin candidate Spencer Zimmerman also collected petitions to get on the ballot as a Republican, but did not meet the necessary threshold.
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Special Election, July 18, 2023
Judicial State Supreme Court
A regularly scheduled Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held on April 4, 2023. The incumbent judge, Patience D. Roggensack, did not run for re-election, retiring after 20 years on the court. Milwaukee County circuit judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Daniel Kelly in the April 4 general election, flipping the ideological majority on the court.
Circuit judges Jennifer Dorow of Waukesha County and Everett Mitchell of Dane County were eliminated in the February primary. Kelly and Dorow were considered conservatives, while Mitchell and Protasiewicz were considered liberals.
The 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election was described as the most important election of the year. In 2020, allies of former president Donald Trump attempted to challenge the result of the U.S. general election in Wisconsin; the Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected the attempt by a one-vote margin. A Republican victory could have led to a Supreme Court which might in similar circumstances disrupt a democratically decided election. The parties both knew what was at stake, and between them by 20 March 2023 had jointly spent US$27m on their campaigns—making it the most expensive judicial race in American history.
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Primary Election, February 21, 2023
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 4, 2023
State Court of Appeals Two seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals were up for election on April 4, 2023. In District I, William W. Brash III, chief judge of the Court of Appeals, was defeated by Milwaukee labor and employment attorney Sara Geenen. Brash had been appointed by Governor Scott Walker in 2015 and was elected to his first full term in 2017. In District IV, incumbent Michael R. Fitzpatrick did not run for re-election. Dane County circuit judge Chris Taylor was elected to succeed him, running without opposition.
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 4, 2023
State Circuit Courts Forty nine of the state's 261 circuit court seats were up for election in April 2023. That included four new seats that were created in 2023 due to a 2020 act of the Legislature. Only 11 seats were contested, only four incumbent judges were facing a challenger, two were defeated. In Clark County, attorney William Bratcher defeated attorney Jake Brunette for a newly created judicial seat. In Grant County, incumbent Grant County district attorney Lisa A. Riniker defeated former Jefferson County circuit judge Jennifer Day for the judicial seat being vacated by Judge Robert P. VanDeHey. Lancaster attorney Jeffrey W. Erickson was eliminated in the primary. In Oneida County, incumbent district attorney Michael W. Schiek defeated incumbent circuit judge Mary Roth Burns. Oneida County corporation counsel Mike Fugle was eliminated in the primary. In Sawyer County, Monica Isham Chase, the deputy attorney general for Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, defeated attorney Thomas J. Duffy for a newly created judicial seat. In Sheboygan County Branch 2, municipal judge Natasha L. Torry was elected to the seat being vacated by Judge Kent Hoffman. Former assistant district attorney James A. Haasch dropped out of the race but still appeared on the ballot. In Sheboygan County Branch 5, attorney George Limbeck defeated public defender Cassandra Van Gompel for the judicial seat being vacated by Judge Daniel Borowski. In Vernon County, district attorney Timothy J. Gaskell defeated attorney Angela Lynn Palmer-Fisher for the judicial seat being vacated by Judge Darcy Rood. In Washington County, incumbent judge Ryan J. Hetzel defeated a challenge from Hartford attorney Russell Jones. In Waukesha County, former state representative Cody Horlacher defeated incumbent circuit judge Fred Strampe. In Winnebago County, incumbent judge Scott C. Woldt defeated a challenge from former Winnebago County circuit judge LaKeisha D. Haase. In Wood County, Wisconsin Rapids attorney Timothy Gebert defeated the incumbent district attorney Craig Lambert for a newly created judicial seat.
CircuitBranchIncumbentElectedDefeated Defeated in PrimaryNameVotes%NameVotes%Name(s) Burnett Melissia R. Mogen Melissia R. Mogen 4,143 100.0% --Unopposed-- Clark 2 --New Seat-- William Bratcher 4,194 51.20% Jake Brunette 3,982 48.61% Columbia 2 W. Andrew Voigt W. Andrew Voigt 14,159 98.95% --Unopposed-- Dodge 2 Martin J. De Vries Martin J. De Vries 18,530 100.0% Door 2 David L. Weber David L. Weber 8,710 98.91% Grant 1 Robert P. Lisa A. Riniker 6,873 53.08% Jennifer Day 6,035 46.61% Jeffrey W. EricksonGreen Lake Mark Slate Mark Slate 4,746 99.37% --Unopposed-- Jefferson 4 Bennett J. Brantmeier Bennett J. Brantmeier 18,953 98.96% Kenosha 4 Anthony Milisauskas Anthony Milisauskas 29,760 98.47% 7 Jodi L. Meier Jodi L. Meier 30,137 98.58% Manitowoc 3 Robert Dewane Robert Dewane 18,762 99.24% 4 --New Seat-- Anthony A. Lambrecht 18,017 99.34% Marathon 4 Gregory J. Strasser Gregory J. Strasser 31,616 99.18% 5 Michael K. Moran Michael K. Moran 31,329 99.19% Milwaukee 4 Michael J. Hanrahan Michael J. Hanrahan 140,875 98.25% 9 Paul R. Van Grunsven Paul R. Van Grunsven 140,262 98.44% 10 Michelle A. Havas Michelle A. Havas 140,678 98.51% 13 Mary Triggiano Ana Berrios-Schroeder 141,833 98.79% 18 Pedro Colón Pedro Colón 143,733 98.71% 21 Cynthia M. Davis Cynthia M. Davis 141,995 98.79% 33 Carl Ashley Carl Ashley 141,787 98.85% 35 Frederick C. Rosa Frederick C. Rosa 140,392 98.87% 47 Kristy Yang Kristy Yang 141,930 98.90% Oconto 1 Michael T. Judge Michael T. Judge 10,332 99.40% Oneida 1 Mary Burns Michael W. Schiek 6,634 53.74% Mary Burns 5,697 46.15% Mike Fugle Outagamie 1 Mark J. McGinnis Mark J. McGinnis 38,221 100.0% --Unopposed-- Polk 1 Daniel J. Tolan Daniel J. Tolan 10,451 100.0% 2 Jeffrey L. Anderson Jeffrey L. Anderson 10,433 100.0% Portage 1 Michael Zell Michael Zell 15,990 99.24% Richland Lisa A. McDougal Lisa A. McDougal 3,659 99.27% Rock 4 Ashley Morse Ashley Morse 30,048 98.85% 6 John M. Wood John M. Wood 29,430 98.79% Sawyer 2 --New Seat-- Monica M. Isham 4,161 96.50% Sheboygan 2 Kent Hoffman Natasha L. Torry 17,516 52.47% James A. Haasch 15,808 47.35% 3 Angela Sutkiewicz Angela Sutkiewicz 25,874 96.50% --Unopposed-- 5 Daniel J. Borowski George Limbeck 16,284 51.24% Cassandra Van Gompel 15,417 48.51% Trempealeau Rian W. Radtke Rian W. Radtke 6,248 99.43% --Unopposed-- Vernon Darcy Rood Timothy J. Gaskell 4,785 50.90% Angela Palmer-Fisher 4,605 48.98% Washington 1 Ryan J. Hetzel Ryan J. Hetzel 27,512 59.34% Russ Jones 18,850 40.66% 3 Michael S. Kenitz Michael S. Kenitz 36,713 100.0% --Unopposed-- Waukesha 3 Ralph M. Ramirez Ralph M. Ramirez 103,459 98.93% 4 Lloyd V. Carter Lloyd V. Carter 100,408 98.94% 7 Fred Strampe Cody Horlacher 71,228 55.20% Fred Strampe 57,239 44.36% 11 William J. Domina William J. Domina 99,727 99.06% --Unopposed-- Waupaca 1 Troy L. Nielsen Troy L. Nielsen 11,834 98.84% Waushara 1 Guy Dutcher Guy Dutcher 6,438 100.0% Winnebago 2 Scott C. Woldt Scott C. Woldt 23,463 51.40% LaKeisha D. Haase 22,104 48.42% 6 Daniel J. Bissett Daniel J. Bissett 33,567 98.47% --Unopposed-- Wood 4 --New Seat-- Timothy Gebert 12,722 58.33% Craig Lambert 9,031 41.41%
Ballot measures There were two amendments to the Constitution of Wisconsin on the ballot for the Spring general election. The proposed amendments were structured as two questions to voters for consideration of separate changes to Section 8 of Article I of the Wisconsin Constitution, dealing with conditions for pre-trial release of those accused of crimes. Both amendments were ratified by voters. There was also a non-binding advisory question on the ballot for the Spring general election regarding welfare, which was also approved.
A lawsuit alleged that the Republican legislature had missed the deadline for these questions to appear on the April ballot, but the questions were allowed to proceed.
Question 1
For Question 1, a "yes" vote would raise the conditions necessary for release, removing the word "bodily" from the phrase "All persons, before conviction, shall be eligible for release under reasonable conditions designed to ... protect members of the community from serious bodily harm".
Question 2