Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2026
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| 2026 Wisconsin Assembly Election |
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| Election info |
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General elections for the Wisconsin State Assembly will take place on November 3, 2026.
According to reporting from the Wisconsin Examiner, President Donald Trump's (R) low approval rating and voter dissatisfaction with Republican leadership in Washington could benefit Democrats in Wisconsin.[1] In an interview with The New York Times, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) said Republicans have recruited "pragmatic center-right candidates."[2] Marquette Law School research fellow John Johnson says, "There are demonstrably enough voters in those [key] districts who will vote for a Democrat, so that’s the optimistic case for Assembly Democrats. The optimistic case for Assembly Republicans is that Assembly Republican candidates tend to be more popular than other kinds of Republicans, and so that’s what they’re going to be counting on."[3]
Heading into the election, Republicans have a 54-45 majority. All districts are up for election this year. Democrats need to win at least five Republican districts, while maintaining their own, to gain a majority in the Assembly. Republicans can lose no more than four districts to maintain their majority. Republicans have held a majority since 2011.
Wisconsin has a divided government, with Republicans holding majorities in both legislative chambers and Tony Evers (D) serving as governor. If Democrats win a majority in the Assembly and the Senate, and maintain the governorship, they will gain a Democratic trifecta. If Republicans maintain majorities in both legislative chambers and win the governorship, they will gain a Republican trifecta. If neither party wins control of the legislature and governorship, Wisconsin will remain divided.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) has targeted 12 districts, including four that Democrats already hold.[4] The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) includes Wisconsin in its Top Defensive Battleground Chambers list and has targeted 10 districts, including eight that Republicans already hold.[5][6]
Ballotpedia considers 13 districts to be battlegrounds. These include districts that had a margin of victory within five percentage points in 2024, DLCC and RSLC targets, and districts with an election forecast rating of Toss-up, Lean D/R, or Tilt D/R. Democrats represent four battlegrounds and Republicans represent nine. Three districts are open, while the other 10 districts have an incumbent running. To read more about these districts, click here.
The Wisconsin State Assembly is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. The primary was on August 11, 2026.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Wisconsin
Battleground elections
Ballotpedia identified the battleground elections below based on media coverage, past election results, and race ratings. Click on the tabs to view the candidates running, a brief description of the race, district partisan history, and Candidate Connection survey responses.
Of the 13 battleground districts, Democrats represent four and Republicans represent nine. Incumbents are running in 10 of these districts, while the other three districts are open, meaning no incumbents are running.
The map below highlights each battleground district based on the party affiliation of the incumbent.
Battleground districts
Click the tabs below to read more about each battleground district.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 21
Candidate | ||
 | Dan Bukiewicz (D) | |
 | Dylan Pfaffenbach (R) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Race information
Dan Bukiewicz (D) is the mayor of Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Dylan Pfaffenbach (R) is a student at Carroll University.[7]
District information
Candidates
General election
Democratic
RepublicanPrimary
Party control
| As of October 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 45 | |
| Republican | 54 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 99 | |
General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
The table below displays race ratings for each race in this chamber from State Navigate.
Campaign finance by district
The section and tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. Districts and elections are grouped in sections of 10. To view data for a district, click on the appropriate bar below to expand it. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.
Incumbents who did not advance to the general election
Incumbents defeated in primaries
One incumbent lost in a primary. Since 2010, the average number of incumbents defeated in a primary each year was 1.1.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Sylvia Ortiz-Velez |  Democratic |
Assembly District 8 |
Retiring incumbents
Twelve incumbents did not file for re-election in 2026.[15] That was the fewest since 10 did not file in 2016. Those incumbents are:
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Wisconsin. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Wisconsin in 2026. Information below was calculated on June 24, 2026, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Wisconsin had 24 contested state legislative primaries in 2026, 10% of all possible primaries and the second-smallest percentage since 2010. Fifteen of the primaries were for Democrats, and nine were for Republicans.
In 2026, 6% of the state legislative incumbents who ran for election in Wisconsin faced primary contests, down from a record high of 32% in 2024.
In total, six incumbents faced contested primaries across the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate. The average number of incumbents contested each year from 2010 to 2024 was 11. Four of the contested incumbents were Democrats, and two were Republicans.
In total, 254 major party candidates—127 Democrats and 127 Republicans—filed to run. Eighteen of those seats were open, meaning no incumbents filed. The average number of open seats each election from 2010 to 2024 was 23.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Wisconsin Assembly from 2010 to 2026.[16] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in Wisconsin State Assembly elections: 2010 - 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2026 | 99 | 12 (12%) | 87 (88%) |
| 2024 | 99 | 27 (27%) | 72 (73%) |
| 2022 | 99 | 23 (23%) | 76 (77%) |
| 2020 | 99 | 13 (13%) | 86 (87%) |
| 2018 | 99 | 13 (13%) | 86 (87%) |
| 2016 | 99 | 10 (10%) | 89 (90%) |
| 2014 | 99 | 21 (21%) | 78 (79%) |
| 2012 | 99 | 18 (18%) | 81 (82%) |
| 2010 | 99 | 20 (20%) | 79 (80%) |
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations, Chapter 8
The filing process for both ballot-qualified party candidates and other candidates (e.g., independents, non-recognized party candidates, etc.) is the same. The filing procedure, however, does vary somewhat according to the type of office being sought. Please note that only ballot-qualified party candidates can participate in primaries.[17] Independents and non-qualified party candidates can qualify to use a political party designation on the general election ballot via petition signatures.[18]
For federal and state candidates
A candidate for federal office must file a declaration of candidacy with the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The declaration of candidacy must state the following:[17][19]
- that the individual is a candidate for the office named on the form
- that the individual meets the qualifications for office, or will meet the qualifications by the time he or she assumes office if elected
- that the individual will otherwise qualify for office if nominated and elected
The declaration of candidacy must be sworn before an individual authorized to administer oaths. The declaration of candidacy must be filed by 5:00 p.m. on June 1 preceding the election (if June 1 falls on non-business day, the form will be due on the next preceding business day).[17][19][20][21]
In addition to the declaration of candidacy, the candidate must submit nomination papers to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The number of signatures required varies according to the office being sought. Requirements are summarized in the table below.[17][20][21]
| Nomination paper signature requirements for federal candidates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Office | Minimum signatures | Maximum signatures |
| U.S. Senator | 2,000 | 4,000 |
| U.S. Representative | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| State senator | 400 | 800 |
| State representative | 200 | 400 |
| State supreme court justice | 2,000 | 4,000 |
Nomination papers must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on June 1 preceding the election (if June 1 falls on non-business day, the form will be due on the next preceding business day).[17][20][21]
Write-in candidates
On April 2, 2014, Governor Scott Walker signed into law AB 419, which requires that write-in candidates file campaign finance statements in order to have their votes tallied. Otherwise, there are no specific filing requirements for write-in candidates.[22]
Qualifications
Section 6 of Article 4 of the Wisconsin Constitution states, "No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not have resided one year within the state, and be a qualified elector in the district which he may be chosen to represent."
When sworn in
Wisconsin legislators assume office the first Monday in January following the election, unless the first Monday of January falls on January 1 or 2. In those cases, legislators assume office on January 3.[23]
Wisconsin political history
Historic House control
Republicans won control of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2010. In 2024, they won a 54-45 majority.
The table below shows the partisan history of the Wisconsin State Assembly following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Wisconsin State Assembly election results: 1992-2024
| Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 | '24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 52 | 48 | 47 | 44 | 43 | 41 | 39 | 47 | 52 | 38 | 39 | 36 | 35 | 36 | 38 | 35 | 45 |
| Republicans | 47 | 51 | 52 | 55 | 56 | 58 | 60 | 52 | 46 | 60 | 60 | 63 | 64 | 63 | 61 | 64 | 54 |
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Wisconsin Party Control: 1992-2026
Two years of Democratic trifectas • Ten years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Presidential politics in Wisconsin
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
Presidential election in Wisconsin, 2024
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
 
| Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R) |
49.6
|
1,697,626 | 10 |
 
| Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D) |
48.7
|
1,668,229 | 0 | |
 
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr./Nicole Shanahan (Independent) |
0.5
|
17,740 | 0 | |
 
| Jill Stein/Butch Ware (G) |
0.4
|
12,275 | 0 | |
 
| Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L) |
0.3
|
10,511 | 0 | |
 
| Randall Terry/Stephen E. Broden (Constitution Party) |
0.1
|
4,044 | 0 | |
 
| Cornel West/Melina Abdullah (Independent) |
0.1
|
2,753 | 0 | |
 
| Claudia De La Cruz/Karina Garcia (Independent) |
0.1
|
2,035 | 0 | |
 
| Peter Sonski/Lauren Onak (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
561 | 0 | |
| Doug Jenkins/Kimberly A. Lalonde (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
12 | 0 | |
| Future Madam Potus/Jessica Kennedy (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
1 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.2
|
7,131 | 0 | ||
 |
Total votes: 3,422,918 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in Wisconsin, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
49.5
|
1,630,673 | 10 |
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
48.8
|
1,610,065 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.2
|
38,491 | 0 | |
 
| Brian T. Carroll/Amar Patel (American Solidarity Party) |
0.2
|
5,258 | 0 | |
 
| Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party) |
0.2
|
5,144 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.2
|
7,721 | 0 | ||
|
Total votes: 3,297,352 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Wisconsin, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 46.5% | 1,382,536 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
47.2% | 1,405,284 | 10 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 3.6% | 106,674 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 1% | 31,072 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.4% | 12,162 | 0 | |
| Workers Party | Monica Moorehead/Lamont Lilly | 0.1% | 1,770 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.1% | 1,502 | 0 | |
| - | Write-in votes | 1.2% | 35,150 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 2,976,150 | 10 | |||
| Election results via: Wisconsin Elections Commission | |||||
Note: The vote totals above are from the recount.
Wisconsin presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 15 Democratic wins
- 16 Republican wins
- 1 other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | P[24] | R | D | D | D | R | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | D | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | D | R |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On February 19, 2024, Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed Senate Bill 488 into law, adopting new Wisconsin legislative maps.[25] The maps were approved by majority votes in both chambers of Wisconsin's state legislature on February 13. The state Senate voted 18-14 in favor of adopting the new legislative maps, while the state Assembly vote total was 63-33.
In the 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, Janet Protasiewicz had defeated Daniel Kelly, changing the balance of the court from a conservative to a liberal majority for the first time in 15 years.[26][27] Later that year on December 22, 2023, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 vote that the state's legislative maps were unconstitutional and ordered new maps to be drawn before the 2024 election.[28] The court rejected the least change approach the conservative majority had adopted for the 2022 maps and ruled that the new maps must satisfy the state constitution's contiguity requirements.[29]
2026 battleground elections
- See also: Battlegrounds
This is a battleground election. Other 2026 battleground elections include:
- Arizona's 6th Congressional District election, 2026
- New Jersey's 12th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 2 Democratic primary)
- South Dakota gubernatorial election, 2026 (July 28 Republican primary runoff)
See also
| Wisconsin | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Wisconsin Examiner, "Assembly GOP candidates in competitive seats try to distance themselves from their party," September 29, 2026
- ↑ The New York Times, "With a Gerrymander Vanquished, Wisconsin Democrats Aim for Control," September 7, 2026
- ↑ Wisconsin Examiner, "Wisconsin’s 2026 state legislative races take shape," February 3, 2026
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 DLCC, "Battleground State Wisconsin," accessed October 7, 2026
- ↑ RSLC, "RSLC Announces State Legislative Targets for 2026," April 16, 2026
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 RSLC, "RSLC Launches '2026 Wisconsin Candidate Spotlight' Series, Announces First Round Spotlights," August 25, 2026
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 Wisconsin Examiner, "Assembly GOP candidates in competitive seats try to distance themselves from their party," September 29, 2026
- ↑ Kevin Knoke 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 8, 2026
- ↑ Nathan Tataje 2026 campaign website, "About Nathan," accessed October 8, 2026
- ↑ David Daniels 2026 campaign website, "Home," accessed October 8, 2026
- ↑ Rachael Dowling, "Home," accessed October 8, 2026
- ↑ Enrique Camacho 2026 campaign website, "About," accessed October 8, 2026
- ↑ Bryson Reyes 2026 campaign website, "About," accessed October 8, 2026
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Government Accountability Board, "Ballot Access Manual (2023)," accessed April 25, 2025
- ↑ Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations, "Chapter 5, Section 62(2)," accessed September 24, 2026
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations, "Chapter 8, Section 21," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations, "Chapter 8, Section 20," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations, "Chapter 8, Section 15," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "Wisconsin Will No Longer Count Write-in Votes Unless Write-in Candidate Files Paperwork," May 17, 2014
- ↑ Wisconsin Statutes, "Chapter 13: Legislative Branch: 13.02 Regular sessions," accessed October 5, 2021
- ↑ Progressive Party
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "Gov. Evers Signs Fair Maps for Wisconsin," February 19, 2024
- ↑ NBC, "In heated Wisconsin Supreme Court debate, candidates tangle over 'fake elector' scheme," March 21, 2023
- ↑ NBC News, "Wisconsin governor signs new state legislative maps into law, ending a GOP gerrymander," February 19, 2024
- ↑ The New York Times, "Justices in Wisconsin Order New Legislative Maps," December 22, 2023
- ↑ Wisconsin Examiner, "Wisconsin Supreme Court rules state voting maps unconstitutional," December 22, 2023
