Democrats have won both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature for the first time in 18 years, setting up single-party control of state government.
In the state Senate, Democrats flipped three seats in Tuesday’s election, giving them an 18-15 majority, according to preliminary results compiled by The Associated Press.
In the state Assembly, Democrats flipped eight seats and held all their own, giving them a 53-46 majority there.
Wisconsin Legislative Balance
Combined with Democrat David Crowley’s victory in the race for governor, the results will mean the first Democratic “trifecta” in state government since the Great Recession, when Jim Doyle was governor and Barack Obama was president.
The party rode to victory as part of a national Democratic wave, and was aided in part by competitive legislative district lines that were redrawn in 2024.
Democrats flip 3 Wisconsin Senate seats
In the state Senate, there were four districts widely considered to be competitive. Democrats flipped three of the seats and held their own.
Two of the seats that were up for grabs were in southeast Wisconsin, where GOP incumbents declined to seek reelection. Both seats were carried by former Vice President Kamala Harris two years ago.
In the 5th Senate District, state Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa, defeated Republican Mike Roberts. Vining will replace state Sen. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, who was elected in 2022.
In the 21st Senate District, Democrat Trevor Jung defeated Republican Jim Croft for the open seat. Jung will replace Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, who held the seat for most of the past 16 years.
In southwestern Wisconsin, Rep. Jenna Jacobson, D-Oregon, defeated Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green. Marklein, who co-chairs the Legislature’s budget committee, was first elected to the Senate in 2014.
In western Wisconsin, Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Brunswick, defeated Republican challenger Michele Magadance Skinner. Smith was first elected to the Senate in 2018.
Democrats flip 8 Wisconsin Assembly seats
Republicans went into the election with a 54-45 seat majority in the state Assembly, meaning Democrats needed to flip five seats and retain their own to capture the majority.
They won them all and more, flipping a total of eight Assembly districts.
Open GOP Assembly seats
Democrats won open seats in the 21st and 53rd Assembly Districts, where incumbent Reps. Jessie Rodriguez, R-Oak Creek, and Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, decided not to seek reelection.
Both districts had a built-in Democratic lean and were won by former Vice President Harris in the 2024 election.
In the 21st, Democrat Daniel Bukiewicz defeated Republican Dylan Pfaffenbach. And in the 53rd, Democrat Becky Nichols defeated Republican David Daniels.
Democratic-leaning Assembly districts with GOP incumbents
Republican incumbents were seeking reelection in three districts Harris captured in 2024. In all three, Democrats defeated them.
In the 51st Assembly District, Rep. Todd Novak, R-Dodgeville, lost to Democratic challenger Ben Gruber of Arena. Novak was first elected in 2014.
In the 61st Assembly District, Rep. Bob Donovan, R-Greenfield, was defeated by Democratic challenger Ben Brist of Greendale. Donovan was first elected to the Assembly in 2022 but served for years before that as a Milwaukee alder.
And in the 88th Assembly District, Rep. Benjamin Franklin, R-De Pere, was defeated by Democratic challenger Brandy Tollefson, also of De Pere. Franklin was first elected in 2024.
Republican-leaning Assembly districts with GOP incumbents
The close margins in the Assembly meant Democrats needed to win districts where Republicans had a built-in advantage if they wanted to have more than a one-seat majority. That put a focus on three districts with sitting Republican representatives that President Donald Trump carried in 2024. And Democrats won all three.
In the 30th Assembly District, state Rep. Shannon Zimmerman, R-River Falls, was defeated by Democratic challenger Kevin Knoke. Zimmerman was first elected to the Assembly in 2016.
In the 85th Assembly District, Rep. Pat Snyder, R-Weston, lost to Democratic challenger John Kroll. Snyder was first elected in 2016.
And in the 92nd Assembly District, Rep. Clint Moses, R-Menomonie, was defeated by Democratic challenger Jeremiah Fredrickson. Moses was first elected in 2020.
Assembly seats held and retained by Democrats
Democrats were able to retain a handful of districts where their own incumbents were being targeted by a Republican challenger.
That included the 94th Assembly District, where Rep. Steve Doyle, D-Onalaska, faced a challenge from Republican Keith Purnell. Doyle was the only Democratic state representative who was defending a district won by Trump in 2024.
Democrats also fended off Republican challengers in a handful of other districts where Harris won in 2024.
In the 26th Assembly District, Rep. Joe Sheehan, D-Sheboygan, defeated Republican John Belanger. In the 89th Assembly District, state Rep. Ryan Spaude, Green Bay, defeated Republican challenger Bobby Lindsey. And in the 91st Assembly District, state Rep. Jodi Emerson, D-Eau Claire, defeated Republican Bruce Stabenow.
To view results for all 17 Senate districts and all 99 Assembly districts that were up for election, click here.
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