2020 Wisconsin's 7th congressional district special election
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A special election was held to fill the remainder of the term in the United States House of Representatives for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district in the 116th United States Congress. Sean Duffy, the incumbent representative, announced his resignation effective September 23, 2019, as his wife was about to give birth to a child with a heart condition.[1] Governor Tony Evers chose January 27, 2020, as the date for the special election, with the primaries scheduled for December 30, 2019.[2] However, the Department of Justice said that this schedule would be in violation of federal law, since it would provide insufficient time for overseas and military voters to receive ballots. Evers then rescheduled the primaries for February 18, 2020, and the general election for May 12, 2020.[3][4]
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May 12, 2020
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Wisconsin's 7th congressional district | |||||||||||||||||
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 County results Tiffany: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Zunker: 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Tom Tiffany, state senator for Wisconsin's 12th Senate district[5][6]
Eliminated in primary
- Jason Church, U.S. Army Veteran and former staffer for U.S. Senator Ron Johnson[7]
Failed to qualify
Declined
- Luke Hilgemann, Republican strategist (endorsed Tiffany)[7]
- Brent Jacobson, mayor of Mosinee[10]
- Adam Jarchow, former state assemblyman (endorsed Tiffany)[11]
- Jerry Petrowski, state senator for Wisconsin's 29th Senate district[12]
- Romaine Quinn, state assemblyman for Wisconsin's 75th Assembly district[13] (endorsed Tiffany)[14]
- Fernando Riveron, surgeon[15]
Endorsements
Jason Church
U.S. senators
- Tom Cotton, U.S. senator from Arkansas (2015–present)[16][17]
- Joni Ernst, U.S. senator from Iowa (2015–present)[16][18]
U.S. representatives
- Dan Crenshaw, U.S. representative from Texas's 2nd congressional district (2019–present)[16][19]
- Adam Kinzinger, U.S. representative from Illinois's 16th congressional district (2011–present)[20][21]
- Brian Mast, U.S. representative from Florida's 18th congressional district (2019–2023), U.S. representative from Florida's 21st congressional district (2023–present)[16][22]
State legislators
- John Gard, former state assemblyman from the 89th district (1993–2007), 88th district (1987–1993) and former speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly[23]
Individuals
- Charlie Kirk, founder and president of Turning Point USA[20][24]
- Charlotte Rasmussen, chairman of the Clark County Republican Party, and with Women for Trump[20][25]
Organizations
Tom Tiffany
Executive branch officials
- Tommy Thompson, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services[28]
U.S. representatives
- Sean Duffy, former U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 7th congressional district (2011–2019)[29]
State officials
- Sheila Harsdorf, former Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary (2017–2019)[30]
- Scott Walker, former governor of Wisconsin (2011–2019)[31]
State legislators
- Adam Jarchow, former state assemblyman from the 28th district (2015–2019)[11]
- Gae Magnafici, state assemblywoman from the 28th district (2019–present)[30]
- Romaine Quinn, state assemblyman from the 75th district (2015–2021)[14]
- Rob Stafsholt, state assemblyman from the 29th district (2017–2021)[30]
- Patrick Testin, state senator from the 24th district (2017–present)[32]
- Leah Vukmir, state senator from the 5th district (2011–2019) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018[33][non-primary source needed]
- Shannon Zimmerman, state assemblyman from the 30th district (2017–present)[30]
Individuals
- Luke Hilgemann, Republican strategist[7]
Organizations
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Jason Church | Tom Tiffany | |||||
| 1 | Dec. 12, 2019 | No Better Friend Corp. Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce |
Michael Gableman | YouTube | P | P |
Results
Map legend
- Tiffany—70–80%
- Tiffany—60–70%
- Tiffany—50–60%
- Church—50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 43,714 | 56.6% | |
| Republican | Jason Church | 32,339 | 42.1% | |
| Republican | Michael Opela Jr. (write-in) | 18 | 1.3% | |
| Total votes | 76,100 | 100% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Tricia Zunker, president of the Wausau School Board and associate justice of the Ho-Chunk Nation Supreme Court[38][39]
Eliminated in primary
- Lawrence Dale, businessman and Green Party nominee for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district in 2014[40][38]
Failed to qualify
Declined
- Janet Bewley, state senator for Wisconsin's 25th Senate district[42][43][non-primary source needed]
- Margaret Engebretson, U.S. Navy veteran, attorney, and nominee for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district in 2018[44]
- Pat Kreitlow, former state senator for Wisconsin's 23rd Senate district[45] and nominee for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district in 2012
- Nick Milroy, state representative for Wisconsin's 73rd Assembly district[46][47]
- Christine Brewer Muggli, attorney[48]
- Tony Schultz, farmer[48]
- Kelly Westlund, former congressional staffer for U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and nominee for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district in 2014[48]
Endorsements
Tricia Zunker
Federal politicians
- Deb Haaland, U.S. representative (NM-1)[22][49][non-primary source needed]
State politicians
- Janet Bewley, state senate assistant minority leader[22]
- Beth Meyers, state representative[22]
- Nick Milroy, state representative[22]
- Patty Schachtner, state senator[22]
Individuals
- Randy Bryce, activist, ironworker and nominee for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district in 2018[22]
Party organizations and officials
Labor unions
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 388[22]
- United Steelworkers District 2[22]
- Wisconsin State AFL-CIO[50]
Organizations
- Citizen Action of Wisconsin[51]
Results
Map legend
- Zunker—≥90%
- Zunker—80–90%
- Zunker—70–80%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tricia Zunker | 35,577 | 89.7% | |
| Democratic | Lawrence Dale | 4,388 | 10.3% | |
| Total votes | 39,999 | 100% | ||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[52] | Likely R | August 26, 2020 |
| Inside Elections[53] | Safe R | April 23, 2020 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[54] | Safe R | April 23, 2020 |
| Politico[55] | Likely R | April 19, 2020 |
| Daily Kos[56] | Safe R | April 30, 2020 |
Post-primary endorsements
Tom Tiffany (R)
Executive branch officials
- Mike Pence, vice president of the United States (2017–2021)[57][non-primary source needed]
- Donald Trump, president of the United States (2017–2021)[58][non-primary source needed]
U.S. senators
- Ron Johnson, U.S. senator from Wisconsin (2011–present)[59][non-primary source needed]
U.S. representatives
- Mike Gallagher, U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 7th congressional district (2019–present)[60][non-primary source needed]
- Bryan Steil, U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 1st congressional district (2019–present)[61]
Statewide officials
- Rebecca Kleefisch, former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin (2011–2019)[62][non-primary source needed]
Individuals
Organizations
Tricia Zunker (D)
U.S. senators
- Tammy Baldwin, U.S. senator from Wisconsin[65]
- Cory Booker, U.S. senator from New Jersey[66][non-primary source needed]
- Kamala Harris, U.S. senator from California[67][non-primary source needed]
- Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator from Massachusetts[68]
U.S. Representatives
- Sharice Davids, U.S. representative from Kansas's 3rd congressional district (2019–present)[69][non-primary source needed]
- Ron Kind, U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district (1997–2023)[70][non-primary source needed]
- Gwen Moore, U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 4th congressional district (2005–present)[71][non-primary source needed]
- Dave Obey, U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 7th congressional district (1969–2011)[72][non-primary source needed]
Statewide officials
Individuals
- Jon Bauman, actor, singer, game show host and political spokesman[74]
- Piper Perabo, actress[75][non-primary source needed]
- Bradley Whitford, actor, activist[76][non-primary source needed]
- Ben Wikler, chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party (2019–present)[77][non-primary source needed]
Labor unions
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 242[78]
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Joint Council 39[79]
Organizations
- EMILY's List[80]
- League of Conservation Voters Action Fund[81]
- Planned Parenthood Action Fund[82]
- Sierra Club[83]
- Social Security Works PAC[74]
Debate
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Tom Tiffany | Tricia Zunker | |||||
| 1 | May 4, 2020 | Greater Wausau Chamber of Commerce Wisconsin Public Radio |
Shereen Siewert Robin Washington |
YouTube | P | P |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 109,594 | 57.11% | –3.00 | |
| Democratic | Tricia Zunker | 81,955 | 42.84% | +4.34 | |
| Write-in | 87 | 0.05% | |||
| Total votes | 191,720 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
By county
| County | Tom Tiffany Republican |
Tricia Zunker Democratic |
Write-in Various |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Ashland | 2,473 | 62.15% | 1,503 | 37.77% | 3 | 0.08% | -970 | -24.38% | 3,979 |
| Barron | 4,447 | 39.63% | 6,769 | 60.33% | 4 | 0.04% | 2,322 | 20.70% | 11,220 |
| Bayfield | 3,821 | 62.53% | 2,290 | 37.47% | 0 | 0.00% | -2,290 | -25.06% | 6,111 |
| Burnett | 1,665 | 39.97% | 2,501 | 60.03% | 0 | 0.00% | 836 | 20.06% | 4,166 |
| Chippewa | 2,057 | 36.21% | 3,622 | 63.77% | 1 | 0.02% | 1,565 | 27.56% | 5,680 |
| Clark | 2,089 | 34.15% | 4,029 | 65.85% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,940 | 31.70% | 6,118 |
| Douglas | 6,166 | 60.23% | 4,066 | 39.71% | 6 | 0.06% | -2,100 | -20.52% | 10,238 |
| Florence | 432 | 30.04% | 1,006 | 69.96% | 0 | 0.00% | 574 | 39.92% | 1,438 |
| Forest | 852 | 34.16% | 1,640 | 65.76% | 2 | 0.08% | 788 | 31.60% | 2,494 |
| Iron | 882 | 43.75% | 1,134 | 56.25% | 0 | 0.00% | 252 | −21.50% | 2,016 |
| Jackson | 146 | 34.76% | 274 | 65.24% | 0 | 0.00% | 128 | 30.48% | 420 |
| Juneau | 394 | 33.42% | 785 | 66.58% | 0 | 0.00% | 391 | 33.16% | 1,179 |
| Langlade | 1,972 | 34.87% | 3,683 | 65.13% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,711 | 30.26% | 5,655 |
| Lincoln | 3,510 | 41.21% | 5,005 | 58.76% | 2 | 0.03% | 1,495 | 17.55% | 8,517 |
| Marathon | 16,042 | 41.31% | 22,768 | 58.63% | 21 | 0.06% | 6,726 | 17.32% | 38,831 |
| Monroe | 249 | 33.24% | 499 | 66.62% | 1 | 0.04% | 250 | 33.38% | 749 |
| Oneida | 6,114 | 45.40% | 7,322 | 54.37% | 31 | 0.03% | 1,206 | 8.97% | 13,467 |
| Polk | 4,220 | 42.01% | 5,825 | 57.99% | 0 | 0.00% | 1,605 | 15.98% | 10,045 |
| Price | 1,903 | 42.12% | 2,615 | 57.88% | 0 | 0.00% | 712 | 15.76% | 4,518 |
| Rusk | 1,246 | 35.47% | 2,266 | 64.50% | 1 | 0.03% | 1,020 | 29.03% | 3,513 |
| Sawyer | 2,335 | 44.88% | 2,867 | 55.10% | 1 | 0.02% | 532 | 10.22% | 5,203 |
| St. Croix | 8,946 | 45.63% | 10,653 | 54.33% | 8 | 0.04% | 1,707 | 8.70% | 19,607 |
| Taylor | 1,368 | 27.34% | 3,635 | 72.64% | 1 | 0.02% | 2,267 | 45.03% | 5,004 |
| Vilas | 3,392 | 39.34% | 5,227 | 60.62% | 3 | 0.04% | 1,835 | 21.28% | 8,622 |
| Washburn | 2,089 | 42.87% | 2,783 | 57.11% | 1 | 0.02% | 694 | 14.24% | 4,873 |
| Wood | 3,325 | 41.27% | 4,731 | 58.72% | 1 | 0.01% | 1,406 | 17.45% | 8,057 |
| Totals | 82,135 | 42.84% | 109,498 | 57.11% | 87 | 0.05% | 27,363 | 14.27% | 191,720 |