2004 Wisconsin Senate election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2004 Wisconsin Senate election was held on Tuesday November 2, 2004, at the Fall general election in Wisconsin, alongside the election to the State Assembly and other statewide and local offices. The Sixteen even-numbered seats in Wisconsin Senate were up for election. Prior to the election 18 seats were held by Republicans and 15 were held by Democrats. The primary election was held on September 14, 2004.
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
November 2, 2004
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 of 33 seats in the Wisconsin Senate 17 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Republican hold Republican gain Democratic hold No election  50–60% 80–90% >90% 50–60% 60–70% 80–90% >90% No election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
This was the first state Senate elections held in these seats under the 2002 redistricting plan.
After the election, Republicans entered the 97th Wisconsin Legislature with 19 of 33 seats.
Summary
| Seats | Party (majority caucus shading) |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Democratic | |||
| Last election (2002) | 11 | 6 | 17 | |
| Total after last election (2002) | 18 | 15 | 33 | |
| Total before this election | 18 | 15 | 33 | |
| Up for election | 7 | 9 | 16 | |
| of which: | Incumbent retiring | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Vacated | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Unopposed | 3 | 2 | 5 | |
| This election | 8 | 8 | 16 | |
| Change from last election |  1 |
 1 |
 | |
| Total after this election | 19 | 14 | 33 | |
| Change in total | 1 |
1 |
| |
| Party | Candidates | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | |||
| Republican | 13 | 673,072 | 53.06% | |
| Democratic | 11 | 566,889 | 44.69% | |
| Green | 1 | 16,807 | 1.33% | |
| Libertarian | 1 | 7,288 | 0.57% | |
| Write-in | – | 4,373 | 0.35% | |
| Total | 1,268,429 | 100.0% | ||
Close races
Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:
- State Senate district 22, 4.27%
- State Senate district 32, 5.07% (gain)
- State Senate district 12, 6.98%
- State Senate district 30, 9.20%
Outgoing incumbent
Retiring
- Chuck Chvala (D–Monona), representing district 16 since 1985, retired.
- Mark Meyer (D–La Crosse), representing district 32 since 2000, retired.
Seeking other office
- Gwen Moore (D–Milwaukee), representing district 4 since 1992, ran successfully for U.S. House in the 4th district.
- Robert Welch (R–Marion), representing district 14 since 1995, ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate.
Lost renomination
- Mary Panzer (R–West Bend), representing district 20 since 1993, lost renomination to Glenn Grothman (R–West Bend).
Results summary
| Dist. | Incumbent | This race[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First
elected |
Status | Candidates | |
| 02 | Robert Cowles | Republican | 1987 (special) | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 04 | Gwen Moore | Democratic | 1992 | Incumbent ran for U.S. House New member elected. Democratic hold. |
|
| 06 | Spencer Coggs | Democratic | 2003 (recall) | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 08 | Alberta Darling | Republican | 1992 | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 10 | Sheila Harsdorf | Republican | 2000 | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 12 | Roger Breske | Democratic | 1992 | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 14 | Robert Welch | Republican | 1995 (special) | Incumbent ran for U.S. Senate New member elected. Republican hold. |
|
| 16 | Chuck Chvala | Democratic | 1984 | Incumbent retired New member elected. Democratic hold. |
|
| 18 | Carol Roessler | Republican | 1987 (special) | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 20 | Mary Panzer | Republican | 1993 (special) | Incumbent lost renomination New member elected. Republican hold. |
|
| 22 | Robert Wirch | Democratic | 1996 | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 24 | Julie Lassa | Democratic | 2003 (special) | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 26 | Fred Risser | Democratic | 1962 (special) | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 28 | Mary Lazich | Republican | 1998 (special) | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 30 | Dave Hansen | Democratic | 2000 | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| 32 | Mark Meyer | Democratic | 2000 | Incumbent retired New member elected. Republican gain. |
|
Detailed results
District 2
Incumbent Republican Robert Cowles ran for re-election. He defeated Libertarian Roy Leyendecker by a wide margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Cowles (incumbent) | 60,546 | 89.13 | |
| Libertarian | Roy Leyendecker | 7,288 | 10.73 | |
| Write-in | 95 | 0.14 | ||
| Total votes | 67,929 | 100.0 | ||
District 4
Incumbent Democrat Gwen Moore declined to seek re-election, instead running successfully for congress. State legislator Lena Taylor defeated fellow legislator Johnnie E. Morris-Tatum with a plurality 10-point margin. Taylor was elected unopposed in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lena Taylor | 10,042 | 46.80 | |
| Democratic | Johnnie E. Morris-Tatum | 7,735 | 36.05 | |
| Democratic | James White | 3,633 | 16.93 | |
| Write-in | 25 | 0.07 | ||
| Total votes | 33,063 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lena Taylor | 62,689 | 99.16 | |
| Write-in | 534 | 0.84 | ||
| Total votes | 63,223 | 100.0 | ||
District 6
Incumbent Democrat Spencer Coggs ran for re-election unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Spencer Coggs (incumbent) | 59,463 | 99.15 | |
| Write-in | 509 | 0.85 | ||
| Total votes | 24,939 | 100.0 | ||
District 8
Incumbent Republican Alberta Darling ran for re-election. She defeated Democrat Jennifer Morales by a 14-point margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alberta Darling (incumbent) | 55,731 | 56.94 | |
| Democratic | Jennifer Morales | 42,048 | 42.96 | |
| Write-in | 100 | 0.10 | ||
| Total votes | 97,879 | 100.0 | ||
District 10
Incumbent Republican Sheila Harsdorf ran for re-election. She defeated Democrat Gary L. Bakke by a 19-point margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Gary L. Bakke | 3,577 | 43.89 | |
| Democratic | Alice Clausing | 3,438 | 42.19 | |
| Democratic | Elise O'Meara Nooney | 718 | 8.81 | |
| Democratic | Dennis Paulaha | 411 | 5.04 | |
| Write-in | 5 | 0.06 | ||
| Total votes | 8,149 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sheila Harsdorf (incumbent) | 56,704 | 59.21 | |
| Democratic | Gary L. Bakke | 39,001 | 40.73 | |
| Write-in | 55 | 0.06 | ||
| Total votes | 95,760 | 100.0 | ||
District 12
Incumbent Democrat Roger Breske ran for re-election. He defeated Republican Tom Tiffany by a seven-point margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 8,909 | 60.44 | |
| Republican | Gary Baier | 2,998 | 20.34 | |
| Republican | William E. Raduege | 2,828 | 19.19 | |
| Write-in | 5 | 0.03 | ||
| Total votes | 14,740 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Roger Breske (incumbent) | 47,287 | 53.47 | |
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 41,119 | 46.49 | |
| Write-in | 38 | 0.04 | ||
| Total votes | 88,444 | 100.0 | ||
District 14
Incumbent Republican Robert Welch declined to seek re-election. Republican Luther Olsen ran unopposed in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Luther Olsen | 10,224 | 57.24 | |
| Republican | Roger D. Cross | 5,703 | 31.93 | |
| Republican | John C. Spillner Sr. | 1,613 | 9.03 | |
| Write-in | 323 | 1.81 | ||
| Total votes | 14,740 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Luther Olsen | 57,548 | 99.35 | |
| Write-in | 378 | 0.65 | ||
| Total votes | 57,926 | 100.0 | ||
District 16
Incumbent Democrat and former Senate majority leader Chuck Chvala declined to seek re-election in the wake of the 2002 caucus scandal. Chvala, who had previously served as Democratic caucus leader until October 2002, was implicated in the wider caucus scandal that year, which saw legislative leaders in both parties charged with misusing state funds for campaign work.[3][4][5] After facing calls to retire or resign during the last two years of his term, Chvala announced his retirement in March 2004, with Democratic representative Mark F. Miller announcing a campaign several days afterwards.[6] He faced fellow Democratic legislator Tom Hebl, defeating him by a 17-point margin. Miller went on to face Republican Eric Peterson, who centered his campaign around Chvala's involvement in the caucus scandal, making numerous attempts to tie Miller to Chvala's misconduct in office.[7] Miller went on to defeat Petersonn by a 20-point margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark F. Miller | 8,582 | 58.16 | |
| Democratic | Tom Hebl | 6,170 | 41.81 | |
| Write-in | 4 | 0.03 | ||
| Total votes | 14,756 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark F. Miller | 58,147 | 60.04 | |
| Republican | Eric P. Peterson | 38,643 | 39.90 | |
| Write-in | 51 | 0.05 | ||
| Total votes | 96,841 | 100.0 | ||
District 18
Incumbent Republican Carol Roessler ran for re-election unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Carol Roessler (incumbent) | 57,548 | 99.35 | |
| Write-in | 378 | 0.65 | ||
| Total votes | 64,608 | 100.0 | ||
District 20
Incumbent Republican Mary Panzer ran for re-election. She lost renomination to state representative Glenn Grothman by a 57-point margin. Grothman ran for election unopposed in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Grothman | 27,732 | 78.84 | |
| Republican | Mary Panzer (incumbent) | 7,430 | 21.12 | |
| Write-in | 13 | 0.04 | ||
| Total votes | 35,175 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Glenn Grothman | 75,424 | 99.15 | |
| Write-in | 649 | 0.85 | ||
| Total votes | 76,073 | 100.0 | ||
District 22
Incumbent Democrat Robert Wirch ran for re-election. He defeated Republican Reince Priebus by a five-point margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Wirch (incumbent) | 42,097 | 52.11 | |
| Republican | Reince Priebus | 38,644 | 47.84 | |
| Write-in | 38 | 0.05 | ||
| Total votes | 80,779 | 100.0 | ||
District 24
Incumbent Democrat Julie Lassa ran for re-election. She defeated Republican Greg Swank by a wide margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Julie Lassa (incumbent) | 58,259 | 67.57 | |
| Republican | Greg Swank | 27,926 | 32.39 | |
| Write-in | 35 | 0.04 | ||
| Total votes | 86,220 | 100.0 | ||
District 26
Incumbent Democrat Fred Risser ran for re-election. He defeated Green party candidate Tony Schultz by as wide margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Fred Risser (incumbent) | 71,745 | 80.81 | |
| Green | Tony Schultz | 16,807 | 18.93 | |
| Write-in | 225 | 0.25 | ||
| Total votes | 88,777 | 100.0 | ||
District 28
Incumbent Republican Mary Lazich ran for re-election unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mary Lazich (incumbent) | 73,899 | 99.27 | |
| Write-in | 544 | 0.73 | ||
| Total votes | 74,443 | 100.0 | ||
District 30
Incumbent Democrat Dave Hansen ran for re-election. In the Republican primary, former State senator Gary Drzewiecki defeated businessman David Steffen in a mild upset.[8] Hansen defeated Drzewiecki in a rematch of the 2000 election by nine points.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Gary Drzewiecki | 6,404 | 52.69 | |
| Republican | David Steffen | 5,738 | 47.21 | |
| Write-in | 11 | 0.09 | ||
| Total votes | 12,153 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Dave Hansen (incumbent) | 44,225 | 52.11 | |
| Republican | Gary Drzewiecki | 36,766 | 45.35 | |
| Write-in | 81 | 0.10 | ||
| Total votes | 81,072 | 100.0 | ||
District 32
Incumbent Democrat Mark Meyer declined to seek re-election. business owner Dan Kapanke defeated Democrat Brad Pfaff by a five-point margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brad Pfaff | 8,637 | 79.13 | |
| Democratic | Monte L. Jacobson | 2,258 | 20.69 | |
| Write-in | 20 | 0.18 | ||
| Total votes | 10,915 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Kapanke | 46,416 | 52.46 | |
| Democratic | Brad Pfaff | 41,928 | 47.39 | |
| Write-in | 139 | 0.16 | ||
| Total votes | 88,483 | 100.0 | ||