The 2026 Wisconsin Senate election will be held on November 3, 2026. Seventeen of the 33 seats in the Wisconsin Senate are up for election—those in the odd-numbered districts. Republicans currently hold 12 of these 17 seats and have an 18–15 majority in the Senate overall.
This election will be significantly influenced 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. 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.
As only half of the state Senate seats are up for election every cycle, this will be the first time the other half of the new map is used. Under the new lines, control of the Senate could go to either party due to Democratic gains in the 2024 election.
Background Partisan background In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Republican nominee Donald Trump won 9 districts, while Democratic nominee Kamala Harris won 8 districts. Republicans currently hold three districts where Harris won in 2024: District 5 (Harris +5.81%), represented by Rob Hutton; District 17 (Harris +1.03%), represented by Howard Marklein; and District 21 (Harris +1.23%), represented by Van Wanggaard.
Redistricting This election will be 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. 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.
2024 elections In 2024, Democrats gained four seats in the Senate under the new maps, with the expectation they would not be able to win a majority then because only even-numbered seats were up for election that year. During the 2024 campaign, both parties spent heavily on the competitive races in that cycle. The Democrats' gains put them on a path towards winning a majority in 2026, where three senate districts could determine control of the chamber.
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.
Campaign
Primary elections As part of their effort to gain control of the Senate, the Senate Democratic caucus has endorsed several candidates in competitive districts in an attempt to clear the field for their preferred candidates. In the 5th district the State Senate Democratic Campaign Committee supported representative Robyn Vining over businesswoman Sarah Harrison, who withdrew from the race in early January citing a lack of funding. In the 17th district, one candidate, business owner Matt Roboin, declined to run, citing the Committee's endorsement of representative Jenna Jacobson for the nomination. In the 21st district, city official Trevor Jung is running unopposed for the nomination after being endorsed by the Committee. This strategy received criticism from candidates running in the various districts, who argued that it was undemocratic for the party campaign arm to intervene in primary elections and give support to certain candidates over others.
Predictions Senators are running for the first time under new districts implemented as a result of Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission giving Democrats an opportunity to win control of the chamber for the first time in over a decade. Some Wisconsin Democrats consider the Senate to be "the most flippable chamber in the country" due to the new districts as well as key Republican retirements from competitive seats. Statewide SourceRankingAs ofMarquette University LawJuly 20, 2026 Sabato's Crystal Ball January 22, 2026State NavigateSeptember 22, 2026
Competitive districts DistrictIncumbentLast resultMarquetteJuly 20, 2026State NavigateSept. 22, 20265thRob Hutton53.24% R 17thHoward Marklein60.15% D 21stVan H. Wanggaard94.14% R 25thRomaine Quinn56.99% R 31stJeff Smith50.42% D Summary Party(majority caucus shading)TotalDemocraticRepublicanLast election (2024)10616Total after last election (2024)151833Total before this election151833Up for election51217of which:Incumbent retiring066Vacated000Open077Unopposed202
Outgoing incumbents
Retiring
Rob Hutton (R–Brookfield), representing district 5 since 2023, is retiring. André Jacque (R–New Franken), representing district 1 since 2019, is retiring. Jesse James (R–Thorp), representing district 23 since 2023, is retiring. Stephen Nass (R–Whitewater), representing district 11 since 2015, is retiring. Van Wanggaard (R–Racine), representing district 21 since 2015, is retiring. Devin LeMahieu (R–Oostburg), representing district 9 since 2015, is retiring.
Incumbents and candidates Dist. IncumbentThis election Member Party First electedStatus Declared candidate(s)01 Rep.2018Incumbent retiring03 Dem.2002Incumbent running05 Rep.2022Incumbent retiring07 Dem.2010Incumbent running09 Rep.2014Incumbent retiring11 Rep.2014Incumbent retiring13 Rep.2021 Incumbent running15 Dem.2022Incumbent running17 Rep.2014 Incumbent running 19 Rep.2022Incumbent running21 Rep.2010<br/ >2014Incumbent retiring23 None No incumbent25 Rep.2022Running for 23rd district27 Dem.2022Incumbent running29 Rep.2022Incumbent running 31 rowspan="2" Dem.2018Incumbent runningRep.2022Incumbent retiring33 Rep.2015 Incumbent running
Detailed results District 1 Incumbent Republican André Jacque has declined to seek re-election. Four Republicans filed to succeed him, Jacque's district director Nic Cravillion, political director Katie Baney, chair of the Republican Party of Calumet County Barbara Bittner, and farmer Jacob VandenPlas. Throughout the campaign the four campaigns ran on similar conservative issues, differentiating each other on certain themes and backgrounds. Cravillion's campaign had a focus on lowering taxes and lowering spending, and has received the support of several elected officials in the district, including former senator Alan Lasee, state representative Garey Bies, and outgoing senator Jacque. Baney's campaign has expressed her support for the Make America Healthy Again movement, school choice, and the 2nd amendment while garnering support from various conservative activist organizations in the state, including the NRA Political Victory Fund, Wisconsin Family Action PAC, and Turning Point Action. Bittner, notably, made one focus of her campaign support for the lapsed Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, considered a Democratic issue in the legislature. VandenPlas has made veterans issues a central theme of his campaign. Cravillion won the nomination, defeating Bittner by a 16-point margin.
Cravillion will face Independent, Luxemburg small business owner Mark Becker is running in the general election. Previously, Democrat Sean Grorich ran for the district, but withdrew and endorsed Becker.
District 3 Incumbent Democrat Tim Carpenter is running for re-election unopposed.
District 5 Incumbent Republican Rob Hutton has declined to seek re-election. State representative Robyn Vining (D–Wauwatosa) and Republican—Pewaukee small business owner Mike Roberts—have announced to run for the seat.
Under Wisconsin's 2024 maps, the 5th Senate district comprises parts of western Milwaukee County, and eastern Waukesha County. It includes the cities of Brookfield and Pewaukee, and the villages of Elm Grove and Pewaukee, as well as most of the cities of Wauwatosa and West Allis, and parts of the cities of Milwaukee and Waukesha. These western Milwaukee suburbs and Waukesha-area exurbs were a Republican stronghold as recently as 2014, but have moved steadily away from the Republicans since the election of Donald Trump. The 5th Senate district is a top pickup target for Wisconsin Democrats in 2026.
District 7 Incumbent Democrat Chris Larson is running for re-election. He will face Republican Mike Moeller.
District 9 Incumbent Republican and majority leader Devin LeMahieu has declined to seek re-election. Republican former state representative Amy Binsfeld has announced she will run to succeed LeMahieu. She will face Independent Christian Ellis in the general election.
District 11 Incumbent Republican Stephen Nass has announced he will not seek re-election. Three Republican candidates have announced a campaign to succeed Nass—former state representative Ellen Schutt, Army veteran Nick Polce, and former Kenosha County Republican chair Sandy Weidmeyer; Two Democratic candidates, Steven Doelder and Adam Duda, have announced campaigns for this seat.
District 13 Incumbent Republican John Jagler is running for re-election. He will face Democrat Sasha Ripley. Initially, one independent candidate, Beaver Dam city council member Jeff Bierman, announced a campaign but did not submit paperwork to get on the ballot.
District 15 Incumbent Democrat Mark Spreitzer is running for re-election. He will face Republican Scott Fleming and independent Christopher Dean.
District 17
Incumbent Republican Howard Marklein is running for re-election. Three Democratic candidates announced to run for the seat: state representative Jenna Jacobson (D–Oregon), New Glarus child care advocate Corrine Hendrickson, and Potosi small business owner Lisa White. Jacobson won the primary by a 31-point margin and will face Marklein in the general election.
District 19 Incumbent Republican Rachael Cabral-Guevara is running for re-election. She will face Democrat and rural organizer Emily Tseffos.
District 21 Incumbent Republican Van H. Wanggaard has announced he will not seek reelection. One Democratic candidate—Racine transit director Trevor Jung—and one Republican candidate—Franklin businessman Jim Croft—have announced to run for this seat.
District 23 Incumbent Republican Jesse James has declined to seek re-election after being drawn out of this district due to redistricting. Twenty-fifth district incumbent, Republican Romaine Quinn, was drawn into this district and is running for re-election. Two Democratic candidates, former social worker Jeff Foster and Richard Pulcher, have announced to run for the seat.
District 25
Incumbent Republican Romaine Quinn was drawn out of this district due to redistricting and is running for re-election in the 23rd district instead. Two Republican candidates—former state representatives Angie Sapik (R–Lake Nebagamon) and Erik Severson (R–Alden) ran for the nomination. During the campaign, the two candidates ran on similar conservative platforms, vowing to end the 400-year property tax increases that arose from governor Tony Evers’ 2023 partial budget veto, supporting returning the state surplus to taxpayers, as well as supporting local communities cooperating with ICE. The two candidates also supported legislation to hold AI companies liable for harm they cause and increasing funding for rural defense lawyers. Both candidates also rejected a moratorium on new AI data centers in favor of further regulations, while Sapik criticized Severson, who she claimed was financially backed by data center interests from former state representative Adam Jarchow. One area the two candidates differed was on the status of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship fund, with Sapik supporting its renewal while Severson opposed it. Severson also received support from several established Republican figures, including Senate president Mary Felzkowski and former representative Michelle Litjens, the wife of Speaker Robin Vos. Severson defeated Sapik by a seven-point margin.