2010 Wisconsin Senate election

The 2010 Wisconsin Senate elections were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Seventeen of the 33 seats in the Wisconsin State Senate were up for election—the odd-numbered districts. Before the election, 18 Senate seats were held by Democrats and 15 seats were held by Republicans. 10 Democratic seats and 7 Republican seats were up in this election. The primary election took place on September 14, 2010.

Republicans flipped four Democratic-held Senate seats and achieved a majority for the first time since 2004, entering the 100th Wisconsin Legislature with 19 of 33 State Senate seats.

Summary SeatsParty(majority caucus shading)TotalDemocraticRepublicanLast election (2008) 8 816Total after last election (2008)181533Total before this election181533Up for election10717of which:Incumbent retiring224VacatedUnopposed22This election61117Change from last electionTotal after this election141933Change in total 4 4

Close races Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

(gain) (gain) (gain) (gain)

Outgoing incumbents

Retired Alan Lasee, (R–De Pere), representing District 1 since 1977, announced he would not seek re-election. Judy Robson (D–Beloit), representing District 15 since 1999, announced she would not seek re-election. Theodore Kanavas (R–Brookfield), representing District 33 since 2001, announced he would not seek re-election.State Sen. Kanavas will not seek re-election

Lost renomination

Jeffrey Plale (D–South Milwaukee), representing district 7 since 2003, lost renomination to Chris Larson (D–Milwaukee)

Campaign

Predictions SourceRankingAs of Governing | November 1, 2010

Candidates and results Dist.IncumbentThis raceMemberPartyFirst electedStatusGeneralResult01Republican1977Not runningNew member elected.Republican hold.03Democratic2002RunningIncumbent re-elected05Democratic2006RunningNew member elected.Republican gain.07Democratic2003RunningNew member elected.Democratic hold.09Republican2002RunningIncumbent re-elected11Republican2002RunningIncumbent re-elected13Republican1994 RunningIncumbent re-elected15Democratic1998Not runningNew member elected.Democratic hold.17Republican1990RunningIncumbent re-elected19Republican1982RunningIncumbent re-elected21Democratic2006RunningNew member elected.Republican gain.23Democratic2006RunningNew member elected.Republican gain.25Democratic1986RunningIncumbent re-elected27Democratic1998RunningIncumbent re-elected29Democratic1990RunningNew member elected.Republican gain.31Democratic2006RunningIncumbent re-elected33Republican2001Not runningNew member elected.Republican hold.

Detailed results

District 1

Incumbent Republican Alan Lasee declined to seek re-election.

District 3 Incumbent Democrat Tim Carpenter ran for re-election.

District 5 Incumbent Democrat Jim Sullivan ran for re-election. He faced Republican state representative Leah Vukmir in what was described as the most vulnerable seat for Democrats that cycle. Going into the election, the 5th district was rated as a tossup, with Vukmir outraising Sullivan in the first six months of the campaign and outside campaign spending flooding into the district. Due to outside spending, the 5th district proved to be the most expensive race in the chamber. During the campaign, Sullivan made attempts to distance himself from incumbent governor Jim Doyle, who saw his poll numbers collapsing going into the election year. While Democratic strategists viewed any competitive margin from Sullivan as a sign of a well fought campaign, arguing that Vukmir was too extreme for the moderately conservative suburban district. Vukmir defeated Sullivan by a five-point margin.

District 7 Incumbent Democrat Jeffrey Plale ran for re-election. He faced Democratic county supervisor Chris Larson in the primary election. In previous cycles, Plale had faced challengers from the left in 2003 and 2006, both of whom he had defeated soundly. Going into the 2010 cycle, however, Plale faced a stronger challenger in Milwaukee County board member Chris Larson. During the campaign, Plale faced criticism for his stances as a conservative Democrat, as well as blocking a key environmental bill he had previously supported. Due to his part in killing the climate bill, Plale lost the support of governor Jim Doyle, who had supported the legislation. Despite this loss of support, Plale still had the support of majority leader Russ Decker, himself locked in a close re-election, and endorsements from state representatives Christine Sinicki and Jon Richards as well as WEAC. The campaign also took on a regional tone, as Plale's base was in Cudahy, St. Francis, and South Milwaukee, while Larson's base centered around the south and east sides of Milwaukee. Seeking to defeat Plale, progressives had hoped the competitive Republican gubernatorial primary would sap away conservative Democrats who would have otherwise voted for Plale. Larson defeated Plale in an upset, winning by a 21-point margin. Larson went on to defeat Republican Jess Ripp by a 15-point margin.

District 9 Incumbent Republican Joe Leibham ran for re-election.

District 11 Incumbent Republican Neal Kedzie ran for re-election.

District 13 Incumbent Republican Scott Fitzgerald ran for re-election.

District 15 Incumbent Democrat Judy Robson declined to seek re-election.

District 17 Incumbent Republican Dale Schultz ran for re-election

District 19 Incumbent Republican Michael Ellis ran for re-election unopposed.

District 21 Incumbent Democrat John Lehman ran for re-election. Two Republicans announced campaigns to face the Racine Democrat, being county board member Van H. Wanggaard and Bob Gulan, in what was projected to be a tight race for Lehman. Lehman had been initially elected in 2006 amid a national backlash to the administration of George W. Bush. Lehman was predicted to face a tough re-election, due to the faltering economy in Racine, as well as an unenergized base and energized opposition. Due to these circumstances, the district was seen as a tossup, with some political commentators viewing the seat as most likely to flip into the Republican column. Wanggaard defeated Lehman by a five-point margin.

District 23 Incumbent Democrat Pat Kreitlow ran for re-election. He was defeated by former Republican state representative Terry Moulton by an eight-point margin.

District 25 Incumbent Democrat Robert Jauch ran for re-election. He defeated Republican business owner Dane Deutsch by a three-point margin. During the campaign, Deutsch sparked controversy due to social media posts he made where he compared Adolf Hitler and Abraham Lincoln, calling both strong leaders.

District 27 Incumbent Democrat Jon Erpenbach ran for re-election. Three Republicans filed for the nomination, Kurt Schlicht, home-builder Tom Lamberson, and Tony Wickersham. Schlicht won the primary by a wide margin and faced Erpenbach in the general election. He was defeated by a wide margin.

District 29

Incumbent Democrat Russ Decker ran for re-election. In what was initially viewed as a longshot bid, two Republicans business owner Pam Galloway and 2006 nominee Jimmy Boy Edming ran for the nomination. Galloway won the nomination by a wide margin and went on to face Decker. Initially deemed a safe seat for Decker, he was eventually locked in a tight race with Galloway, which attracted high amounts of outside spending. Decker was defeated by Galloway by a five-point margin.

District 31 Incumbent Democrat Kathleen Vinehout ran for re-election. She faced former Tomah mayor and 2002 Libertarian nominee for governor Ed Thompson. In September, Thompson was diagnosed with cancer, which hindered his ability to campaign. Throughout the campaign, some Republican strategists feared that Thompson's Libertarian views could frustrate the Republican goal of a senate majority, and that if he were elected, he could serve as a de facto majority leader in the state senate. The district was, however, seen as a long-shot for Republicans, and was rated by WisPolitics as "lean Democratic", with his eccentric political beliefs and familial ties to former governor Tommy Thompson providing a mixed image of his electability in the district.

District 33 Incumbent Republican Theodore Kanavas declined to seek re-election. Republican Rich Zipperer defeated candidate Tim Dietrich by a wide margin in the primary. In the general election, Zipperer was elected unopposed.

2010 Wisconsin Senate election

Bron en licentie