2022 Wisconsin Attorney General election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2022 Wisconsin Attorney General election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the Attorney General of Wisconsin. Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul won re-election to a second term. Party nominees were selected in a partisan primary on August 9, 2022.
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November 8, 2022
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   Kaul: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Toney: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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Kaul won re-election by a margin of 1.33%.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
Endorsements
Josh Kaul
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Josh Kaul (incumbent) | 461,024 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 461,024 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Eric Toney, Fond du Lac County prosecutor[11]
Eliminated in primary
- Adam Jarchow, former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (2015–2019)[12]
- Karen Mueller, attorney and candidate for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district in 2014[13]
Withdrew
- Ryan Owens, University of Wisconsin–Madison law professor[14][15] (endorsed Jarchow)[16]
Declined
- Jake Curtis, attorney and Wisconsin Air National Guard first lieutenant (endorsed Jarchow)[17]
Endorsements
Adam Jarchow
U.S. Representatives
- Tom Tiffany, U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district[18][19]
State legislators
- Dave Craig, former state senator[20]
- Joe Handrick, former state assemblyman[20]
- Treig Pronschinske, state assemblyman[20]
- John Spiros, state assemblyman[20]
- Tom Weatherston, former state assemblyman[20]
- 29 other state legislators[18][21][20][19]
Sheriffs
Police chiefs
Local officials
- Kirk Anderson, mayor of St. Croix Falls[20]
- Joanne Laufenberg, Walworth County supervisor[20]
- Jeff Vollenweider, mayor of Kewaunee[20]
- Taylor Wishau, Racine County supervisor[20]
Organizations
- Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin[23]
- NRA Political Victory Fund[24][25]
- Wisconsin Right to Life[26] (co-endorsed with Toney)
- Wisconsin Young Republicans[27]
Individuals
- Ted Nugent, singer[28]
Ryan Owens (withdrawn)
Federal officials
- Paul Clement, former Solicitor General of the United States (2004–2008)[29]
State Supreme Court Justices
- Michael Gableman, former justice (2008–2018)[29]
- Dan Kelly, former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice (2016–2020)[29]
David Prosser, former justice (1998–2016)[29] (switched endorsement to Toney after Owens withdrew)- Jon Wilcox, former justice (1992–2007)[29]
State executive officials
- Margaret Farrow, former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin (2001–2003)[29]
Speakers of the Wisconsin Assembly
Ben Brancel, former speaker of the assembly (1997–1999)[29] (switched endorsement to Toney after Owens withdrew)John Gard, former speaker of the assembly (2003–2007)[29] (switched endorsement to Toney after Owens withdrew)Michael Huebsch, former speaker of the assembly (2007–2009)[29] (switched endorsement to Toney after Owens withdrew)
State legislators
Sheriffs
- Eric Severson, Waukesha County sheriff[32]
Eric Toney
U.S. Representatives
- Glenn Grothman, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin's 6th congressional district[33]
State Supreme Court Justices
- David Prosser, former justice (1998–2016) (previously endorsed Owens)[29]
State legislators
District attorneys
Local officials
- Steve Abel, Fond du Lac County board chairman[34]
- Allen Buechel, Fond du Lac County county executive[29]
- Jonathan Delgrave, Racine County county executive[35]
- John Doemel, Winnebago County county executive[34]
- Sam Kaufman, Fond du Lac County county executive[34]
Sheriffs
Police chiefs
Individuals
- Brad Courtney, former chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin[43]
Organizations
- Milwaukee Police Association[44]
- Racine Police Association[44]
- Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police[44]
- Wisconsin Right to Life[26] (co-endorsed with Jarchow)
Declined to endorse
Organizations
Debate and virtual town hall
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
|||||||
| Eric Toney | Adam Jarchow | Karen Mueller | |||||
| 1 | Jul. 20, 2022 | WISN (AM) | Dan O'Donnell | [46] | P | P | P |
| 2 | Aug. 3, 2022 | Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce | Scott Manley | YouTube | P | P | A |
Results
Toney
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 60–70%
Jarchow
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 60–70%
Mueller
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Eric Toney | 222,902 | 37.43% | |
| Republican | Adam Jarchow | 220,045 | 36.95% | |
| Republican | Karen Mueller | 152,581 | 25.62% | |
| Total votes | 595,528 | 100.0% | ||
General election
Debates
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Democratic | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Josh Kaul | Eric Toney | |||||
| 1[47] | Oct. 27, 2022 | State Bar of Wisconsin Wispolitics.com WISC-TV |
Eric Franke | YouTube | P | P |
| 2 | Oct. 27, 2022 | WISN-TV | Matt Smith | YouTube (Part 1) YouTube (Part 2) YouTube (Part 3) YouTube (Part 4) YouTube |
P | P |
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[48] | Tossup | November 3, 2022 |
| Elections Daily[49] | Leans R (flip) | November 7, 2022 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Josh Kaul (D) |
Eric Toney (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Trafalgar Group (R)[50] | November 2–4, 2022 | 1,095 (LV) | ± 2.9% | 47% | 50% | 3% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Josh Kaul (incumbent) | 1,333,369 | 50.64% | +1.23% | |
| Republican | Eric Toney | 1,298,369 | 49.31% | +0.55% | |
| Write-in | 1,539 | 0.06% | +0.01% | ||
| Total votes | 2,633,277 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county
| County[52] | Josh Kaul Democratic |
Eric Toney Republican |
Write-in Various |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 3,820 | 38.85% | 6,004 | 61.07% | 8 | 0.08% | −2,184 | −22.21% | 9,832 |
| Ashland | 3,934 | 57.01% | 2,961 | 42.91% | 5 | 0.07% | 973 | 14.10% | 6,900 |
| Barron | 7,490 | 37.31% | 12,578 | 62.65% | 9 | 0.04% | −5,088 | −25.34% | 20,077 |
| Bayfield | 5,238 | 56.84% | 3,974 | 43.12% | 4 | 0.04% | 1,264 | 13.72% | 9,216 |
| Brown | 53,165 | 46.96% | 59,968 | 52.97% | 80 | 0.07% | −6,803 | −6.01% | 113,213 |
| Buffalo | 2,432 | 39.96% | 3,653 | 60.02% | 1 | 0.02% | −1,221 | −20.06% | 6,086 |
| Burnett | 2,877 | 35.22% | 5,291 | 64.78% | 0 | 0.00% | −2,414 | −29.55% | 8,168 |
| Calumet | 9,953 | 40.14% | 14,834 | 59.82% | 9 | 0.04% | −4,881 | −19.68% | 24,796 |
| Chippewa | 12,252 | 42.29% | 16,709 | 57.67% | 12 | 0.04% | −4,457 | −15.38% | 28,973 |
| Clark | 3,927 | 33.91% | 7,649 | 66.05% | 5 | 0.04% | −3,722 | −32.14% | 11,581 |
| Columbia | 13,381 | 49.46% | 13,655 | 50.47% | 19 | 0.07% | −274 | −1.01% | 27,055 |
| Crawford | 3,461 | 49.71% | 3,500 | 50.27% | 1 | 0.01% | −39 | −0.56% | 6,962 |
| Dane | 229,828 | 76.94% | 68,665 | 22.99% | 228 | 0.08% | 161,163 | 53.95% | 298,721 |
| Dodge | 13,214 | 34.16% | 25,464 | 65.84% | 0 | 0.00% | −12,250 | −31.67% | 38,678 |
| Door | 8,920 | 51.82% | 8,286 | 48.14% | 7 | 0.04% | 634 | 3.68% | 17,213 |
| Douglas | 10,324 | 55.88% | 8,138 | 44.05% | 12 | 0.06% | 2,186 | 11.83% | 18,474 |
| Dunn | 8,245 | 44.93% | 10,107 | 55.07% | 0 | 0.00% | −1,862 | −10.15% | 18,352 |
| Eau Claire | 27,853 | 57.93% | 20,196 | 42.00% | 32 | 0.07% | 7,657 | 15.93% | 48,081 |
| Florence | 643 | 25.64% | 1,865 | 74.36% | 0 | 0.00% | −1,222 | −48.72% | 2,508 |
| Fond du Lac | 16,159 | 35.01% | 29,998 | 64.99% | 4 | 0.01% | −13,839 | −29.98% | 46,161 |
| Forest | 1,539 | 37.11% | 2,608 | 62.89% | 0 | 0.00% | −1,069 | −25.78% | 4,147 |
| Grant | 8,675 | 43.61% | 11,202 | 56.31% | 15 | 0.08% | −2,527 | −12.70% | 19,892 |
| Green | 9,000 | 51.85% | 8,354 | 48.12% | 5 | 0.03% | 646 | 3.72% | 17,359 |
| Green Lake | 2,796 | 32.32% | 5,850 | 67.62% | 5 | 0.06% | −3,054 | −35.30% | 8,651 |
| Iowa | 6,621 | 57.28% | 4,935 | 42.69% | 4 | 0.03% | 1,686 | 14.58% | 11,560 |
| Iron | 1,252 | 38.63% | 1,989 | 61.37% | 0 | 0.00% | −737 | −22.74% | 3,241 |
| Jackson | 3,589 | 45.05% | 4,377 | 54.95% | 0 | 0.00% | −788 | −9.89% | 7,966 |
| Jefferson | 16,306 | 42.53% | 22,015 | 57.42% | 19 | 0.05% | −5,709 | −14.89% | 38,340 |
| Juneau | 3,867 | 36.13% | 6,829 | 63.80% | 7 | 0.07% | −2,962 | −27.67% | 10,703 |
| Kenosha | 31,808 | 48.63% | 33,553 | 51.30% | 45 | 0.07% | −1,745 | −2.67% | 65,406 |
| Kewaunee | 3,602 | 36.52% | 6,259 | 63.47% | 1 | 0.01% | −2,657 | −26.94% | 9,862 |
| La Crosse | 31,849 | 58.26% | 22,789 | 41.68% | 32 | 0.06% | 9,060 | 16.57% | 54,670 |
| Lafayette | 2,818 | 43.17% | 3,710 | 56.83% | 0 | 0.00% | −892 | −13.66% | 6,528 |
| Langlade | 3,055 | 34.04% | 5,920 | 65.96% | 0 | 0.00% | −2,865 | −31.92% | 8,975 |
| Lincoln | 5,360 | 40.15% | 7,986 | 59.82% | 4 | 0.03% | −2,626 | −19.67% | 13,350 |
| Manitowoc | 14,294 | 40.15% | 21,282 | 59.78% | 26 | 0.07% | −6,988 | −19.63% | 35,602 |
| Marathon | 25,339 | 41.33% | 35,958 | 58.64% | 18 | 0.03% | −10,619 | −17.32% | 61,315 |
| Marinette | 6,219 | 33.73% | 12,206 | 66.19% | 15 | 0.08% | −5,987 | −32.47% | 18,440 |
| Marquette | 2,595 | 35.61% | 4,690 | 64.35% | 3 | 0.04% | −2,095 | −28.75% | 7,288 |
| Menominee | 938 | 77.84% | 267 | 22.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 671 | 55.68% | 1,205 |
| Milwaukee | 241,620 | 70.33% | 101,577 | 29.57% | 372 | 0.11% | 140,043 | 40.76% | 343,569 |
| Monroe | 7,016 | 40.62% | 10,244 | 59.31% | 11 | 0.06% | −3,228 | −18.69% | 17,271 |
| Oconto | 6,038 | 31.11% | 13,361 | 68.85% | 7 | 0.04% | −7,323 | −37.74% | 19,406 |
| Oneida | 8,771 | 43.57% | 11,347 | 56.37% | 13 | 0.06% | −2,576 | −12.80% | 20,131 |
| Outagamie | 39,217 | 46.03% | 45,975 | 53.97% | 0 | 0.00% | −6,758 | −7.93% | 85,192 |
| Ozaukee | 22,278 | 42.81% | 29,727 | 57.12% | 34 | 0.07% | −7,449 | −14.31% | 52,039 |
| Pepin | 1,275 | 38.69% | 2,020 | 61.31% | 0 | 0.00% | −745 | −22.61% | 3,295 |
| Pierce | 7,787 | 43.31% | 10,184 | 56.64% | 9 | 0.05% | −2,397 | −13.33% | 17,980 |
| Polk | 7,406 | 36.26% | 13,021 | 63.74% | 0 | 0.00% | −5,615 | −27.49% | 20,427 |
| Portage | 17,859 | 53.62% | 15,430 | 46.33% | 17 | 0.05% | 2,429 | 7.29% | 33,306 |
| Price | 2,678 | 38.13% | 4,345 | 61.87% | 0 | 0.00% | −1,667 | −23.74% | 7,023 |
| Racine | 37,788 | 46.64% | 43,145 | 53.26% | 81 | 0.10% | −5,357 | −6.61% | 81,014 |
| Richland | 3,245 | 46.52% | 3,724 | 53.39% | 6 | 0.09% | −479 | −6.87% | 6,975 |
| Rock | 35,901 | 55.75% | 28,450 | 44.18% | 47 | 0.07% | 7,451 | 11.57% | 64,398 |
| Rusk | 2,280 | 35.81% | 4,084 | 64.14% | 3 | 0.05% | −1,804 | −28.33% | 6,367 |
| Sauk | 14,705 | 51.26% | 13,981 | 48.74% | 0 | 0.00% | 724 | 2.52% | 28,686 |
| Sawyer | 3,634 | 42.63% | 4,884 | 57.29% | 7 | 0.08% | −1,250 | −14.66% | 8,525 |
| Shawano | 5,933 | 33.25% | 11,909 | 66.75% | 0 | 0.00% | −5,976 | −33.49% | 17,842 |
| Sheboygan | 21,987 | 41.52% | 30,937 | 58.42% | 36 | 0.07% | −8,950 | −16.90% | 52,960 |
| St. Croix | 17,910 | 40.94% | 25,815 | 59.01% | 20 | 0.05% | −7,905 | −18.07% | 43,745 |
| Taylor | 2,460 | 28.46% | 6,183 | 71.54% | 0 | 0.00% | −3,723 | −43.08% | 8,643 |
| Trempealeau | 5,259 | 43.12% | 6,928 | 56.81% | 8 | 0.07% | −1,669 | −13.69% | 12,195 |
| Vernon | 6,622 | 50.58% | 6,460 | 49.35% | 9 | 0.07% | 162 | 1.24% | 13,091 |
| Vilas | 5,098 | 38.77% | 8,053 | 61.23% | 0 | 0.00% | −2,955 | −22.47% | 13,151 |
| Walworth | 17,989 | 39.42% | 27,623 | 60.53% | 26 | 0.06% | −9,634 | −21.11% | 45,638 |
| Washburn | 3,144 | 37.79% | 5,172 | 62.17% | 3 | 0.04% | −2,028 | −24.38% | 8,319 |
| Washington | 22,205 | 30.19% | 51,344 | 69.81% | 0 | 0.00% | −29,139 | −39.62% | 73,549 |
| Waukesha | 84,882 | 38.23% | 137,012 | 61.71% | 119 | 0.05% | −52,130 | −23.48% | 222,013 |
| Waupaca | 8,076 | 34.97% | 15,009 | 64.99% | 8 | 0.03% | −6,933 | −30.02% | 23,093 |
| Waushara | 3,775 | 33.54% | 7,480 | 66.46% | 0 | 0.00% | −3,705 | −32.92% | 11,255 |
| Winnebago | 36,119 | 48.88% | 37,718 | 51.04% | 57 | 0.08% | −1,599 | −2.16% | 73,894 |
| Wood | 13,774 | 42.07% | 18,953 | 57.89% | 11 | 0.03% | −5,179 | −15.82% | 32,738 |
| Totals | 1,333,369 | 50.64% | 1,298,369 | 49.31% | 1,539 | 0.06% | 35,000 | 1.33% | 2,633,277 |
- Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Columbia (largest city: Portage)
- Crawford (largest city: Prairie du Chien)
- Kenosha (largest city: Kenosha)
- Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Door (largest city: Sturgeon Bay)
By congressional district
Despite losing the state, Toney won six of eight congressional districts.[53]
| District | Kaul | Toney | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 49% | 51% | Bryan Steil |
| 2nd | 72% | 28% | Mark Pocan |
| 3rd | 49.5% | 50.4% | Ron Kind (117th Congress) |
| Derrick Van Orden (118th Congress) | |||
| 4th | 77% | 23% | Gwen Moore |
| 5th | 38% | 62% | Scott L. Fitzgerald |
| 6th | 42% | 58% | Glenn Grothman |
| 7th | 41% | 59% | Tom Tiffany |
| 8th | 43% | 57% | Mike Gallagher |