2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Wisconsin. The primary elections on September 14 determined which candidates advanced to the general election.
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November 2, 2010
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| Turnout | 49.7% | |||||||||||||||||||
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  Walker: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Barrett: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Democratic governor Jim Doyle did not seek re-election in 2010, making for the first open gubernatorial election in Wisconsin since 1982. Republican nominee Scott Walker, the Milwaukee County Executive, defeated Democratic nominee Tom Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee. As of 2022, this was the last gubernatorial election in which a Republican gubernatorial candidate carried La Crosse and Columbia counties, and the last in which a Democratic candidate carried Trempealeau County.
Democratic primary
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Governor
Candidates
- Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee and former U.S. Representative and candidate in 2002[1]
- Tim John[2]
Failed to qualify
Withdrawn
- Barbara Lawton, incumbent lieutenant governor (2003–2011)[5]
Declined
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Barrett | 213,145 | 90.41% | |
| Democratic | Tim John | 22,296 | 9.46% | |
| Democratic | Scattering | 321 | 0.14% | |
| Total votes | 235,762 | 100.00% | ||
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
Nominee
- Tom Nelson, Assembly Majority Leader (2009–2011) from the 5th district.
Eliminated in primary
- Spencer Coggs, state senator from the 6th district (2003–2011) and former state representative (1983–2003).
- Henry Sanders
- James L. Schneider
Declined
- Barbara Lawton, incumbent lieutenant governor (2003–2011)[9]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Tom Nelson | 108,765 | 51.84% | |
| Democratic | Spencer Coggs | 43,807 | 20.88% | |
| Democratic | James L. Schneider | 37,519 | 17.88% | |
| Democratic | Henry Sanders | 19,387 | 9.24% | |
| Democratic | Scattering | 322 | 0.15% | |
| Total votes | 209,800 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
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Governor
Candidates
Nominee
- Scott Walker, Milwaukee County Executive and candidate in 2006[10]
Eliminated in primary
- Mark Neumann, former U.S. Representative and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1998
- Scott S. Paterick[11]
Failed to qualify
- William "Bill" Ingram, truck driver[12] and write-in candidate for President of the United States in 2008[13]
- John Schless[10]
Polling
Results
Walker—70–80%
Walker—60–70%
Walker—50–60%
Walker—40–50%
Neumann—40–50%
Neumann—50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Scott Walker | 362,913 | 58.65% | |
| Republican | Mark Neumann | 239,022 | 38.62% | |
| Republican | Scott S. Paterick | 16,646 | 2.69% | |
| Republican | Scattering | 247 | 0.04% | |
| Total votes | 618,828 | 100.00% | ||
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
Nominee
- Rebecca Kleefisch, former WISN-TV morning anchor.
Eliminated in primary
- Brett Davis, state representative from the 80th district.
- Robert Gerald Lorge, perennial candidate
- Dave Ross, Mayor of Superior, Wisconsin
- Nick Voegeli
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rebecca Kleefisch | 258,714 | 46.78% | |
| Republican | Brett Davis | 139,997 | 25.31% | |
| Republican | Dave Ross | 80,617 | 14.58% | |
| Republican | Robert Gerald Lorge | 52,076 | 9.42% | |
| Republican | Nick Voegeli | 21,040 | 3.80% | |
| Republican | Scattering | 628 | 0.11% | |
| Total votes | 553,072 | 100.00% | ||
Libertarian primary
Governor
There were no qualified candidates in the Libertarian gubernatorial primary.
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
- Terry Virgil
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | Terry Virgil | 403 | 96.18% | |
| Libertarian | Scattering | 16 | 3.82% | |
| Total votes | 419 | 100.00% | ||
Independent nominations
Candidates
Failed to qualify
- Michael J. Blinkwitz[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Jim Langer | 1,657 | 72.96% | |
| Independent | James James | 614 | 27.04% | |
| Total votes | 2,271 | 100.00% | ||
General election
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Candidates
Seven candidates appeared on the primary election ballot: two Democrats, three Republicans and two other candidates. After Walker and Barrett won their respective primaries, they faced each other and independent candidates using the "Independent" and "Common Sense" labels in the November general election.[18]
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[19] | Tossup | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[20] | Lean R (flip) | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[21] | Lean R (flip) | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[22] | Likely R (flip) | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[23] | Tossup | October 28, 2010 |
Polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Tom Barrett (D) |
Scott Walker (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| McClatchy[24] | October 20, 2010 | 40% | 52% |
| Wisconsin Herald[25] | October 16, 2010 | 44% | 52% |
| CNN/Time Magazine[26] | October 8–12, 2010 | 44% | 52% |
| Rasmussen Reports[27] | October 11, 2010 | 42% | 51% |
| Ipsos/Reuters[28] | October 8–11, 2010 | 42% | 52% |
| Rasmussen Reports[27] | September 29, 2010 | 44% | 50% |
| CNN/Time[29] | September 17–21, 2010 | 42% | 53% |
| Public Policy Polling[30] | September 18–19, 2010 | 41% | 50% |
| Rasmussen Reports[31] | September 15, 2010 | 43% | 51% |
| Rasmussen Reports[32] | August 24, 2010 | 44% | 47% |
| Rasmussen Reports[27] | August 10, 2010 | 41% | 49% |
| Rasmussen Reports[27] | July 27, 2010 | 43% | 50% |
| Rasmussen Reports[33] | July 13, 2010 | 44% | 48% |
| Public Policy Polling[34] | June 26–27, 2010 | 38% | 45% |
| Rasmussen Reports[35] | June 21, 2010 | 41% | 49% |
| Rasmussen Reports[27] | May 25, 2010 | 41% | 48% |
| Rasmussen Reports[36] | April 20, 2010 | 44% | 46% |
| Public Policy Polling[37] | March 20–21, 2010 | 39% | 42% |
| Rasmussen Reports[38] | March 16, 2010 | 42% | 48% |
| WPRI[15] | March 9, 2010 | 32% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports[36] | February 17, 2010 | 40% | 49% |
| Rasmussen Reports[36] | January 26, 2010 | 38% | 48% |
| Public Policy Polling[39] | November 20–22, 2009 | 40% | 40% |
Results
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Scott Walker | 1,128,941 | 52.25% | +6.94% | |
| Democratic | Tom Barrett | 1,004,303 | 46.48% | −6.22% | |
| Independent | Jim Langer | 10,608 | 0.49% | ||
| Common Sense | James James | 8,273 | 0.38% | ||
| Libertarian | No Candidate[a] | 6,790 | 0.31% | ||
| Independent | Patricia Messicci (write-in) | 22 | 0.00% | ||
| Independent | Leslie Ervin Smetak (write-in) | 19 | 0.00% | ||
| Independent | Hari Trivedi (write-in) | 18 | 0.00% | ||
| Scattering | 1,858 | 0.09% | |||
| Majority | 124,638 | 5.77% | |||
| Total votes | 2,160,832 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | +13.16% | |||
By county
| County[40] | Scott Walker Republican |
Tom Barrett Democratic |
All Others Various |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 3,748 | 52.27% | 3,298 | 46.00% | 124 | 1.73% | 450 | 6.28% | 7,170 |
| Ashland | 2,205 | 37.07% | 3,664 | 61.59% | 80 | 1.34% | -1,459 | -24.53% | 5,949 |
| Barron | 8,486 | 54.68% | 6,746 | 43.47% | 288 | 1.86% | 1,740 | 11.21% | 15,520 |
| Bayfield | 2,961 | 40.89% | 4,185 | 57.79% | 96 | 1.33% | -1,224 | -16.90% | 7,242 |
| Brown | 49,567 | 56.08% | 37,549 | 42.48% | 1,274 | 1.44% | 12,018 | 13.60% | 88,390 |
| Buffalo | 2,610 | 53.49% | 2,174 | 44.56% | 95 | 1.95% | 436 | 8.94% | 4,879 |
| Burnett | 3,479 | 56.86% | 2,555 | 41.76% | 85 | 1.39% | 924 | 15.10% | 6,119 |
| Calumet | 11,152 | 60.26% | 7,065 | 38.18% | 288 | 1.56% | 4,087 | 22.09% | 18,505 |
| Chippewa | 11,901 | 56.25% | 8,753 | 41.37% | 504 | 2.38% | 3,148 | 14.88% | 21,158 |
| Clark | 6,368 | 60.62% | 3,844 | 36.59% | 293 | 2.79% | 2,524 | 24.03% | 10,505 |
| Columbia | 11,059 | 51.71% | 10,014 | 46.83% | 312 | 1.46% | 1,045 | 4.89% | 21,385 |
| Crawford | 2,792 | 46.84% | 3,062 | 51.37% | 107 | 1.80% | -270 | -4.53% | 5,961 |
| Dane | 68,238 | 30.98% | 149,699 | 67.96% | 2,336 | 1.06% | -81,461 | -36.98% | 220,273 |
| Dodge | 20,568 | 66.06% | 10,138 | 32.56% | 427 | 1.37% | 10,430 | 33.50% | 31,133 |
| Door | 6,932 | 49.98% | 6,719 | 48.44% | 219 | 1.58% | 213 | 1.54% | 13,870 |
| Douglas | 6,255 | 41.17% | 8,703 | 57.28% | 235 | 1.55% | -2,448 | -16.11% | 15,193 |
| Dunn | 7,282 | 53.71% | 5,972 | 44.05% | 304 | 2.24% | 1,310 | 9.66% | 13,558 |
| Eau Claire | 18,018 | 48.52% | 18,454 | 49.70% | 661 | 1.78% | -436 | -1.17% | 37,133 |
| Florence | 1,197 | 65.30% | 612 | 33.39% | 24 | 1.31% | 585 | 31.91% | 1,833 |
| Fond du Lac | 24,407 | 64.30% | 13,145 | 34.63% | 405 | 1.07% | 11,262 | 29.67% | 37,957 |
| Forest | 1,790 | 52.65% | 1,565 | 46.03% | 45 | 1.32% | 225 | 6.62% | 3,400 |
| Grant | 8,611 | 52.21% | 7,573 | 45.91% | 310 | 1.88% | 1,038 | 6.29% | 16,494 |
| Green | 6,391 | 48.46% | 6,567 | 49.80% | 229 | 1.74% | -176 | -1.33% | 13,187 |
| Green Lake | 4,488 | 64.28% | 2,262 | 32.40% | 232 | 3.32% | 2,226 | 31.88% | 6,982 |
| Iowa | 3,867 | 44.21% | 4,750 | 54.31% | 129 | 1.47% | -883 | -10.10% | 8,746 |
| Iron | 1,336 | 53.38% | 1,139 | 45.51% | 28 | 1.12% | 197 | 7.87% | 2,503 |
| Jackson | 3,428 | 50.59% | 3,219 | 47.51% | 129 | 1.90% | 209 | 3.08% | 6,776 |
| Jefferson | 19,155 | 60.75% | 11,909 | 37.77% | 466 | 1.48% | 7,246 | 22.98% | 31,530 |
| Juneau | 4,502 | 56.36% | 3,358 | 42.04% | 128 | 1.60% | 1,144 | 14.32% | 7,988 |
| Kenosha | 25,136 | 51.29% | 23,312 | 47.57% | 562 | 1.15% | 1,824 | 3.72% | 49,010 |
| Kewaunee | 4,577 | 56.69% | 3,345 | 41.43% | 152 | 1.88% | 1,232 | 15.26% | 8,074 |
| La Crosse | 20,754 | 49.32% | 20,639 | 49.05% | 684 | 1.63% | 115 | 0.27% | 42,077 |
| Lafayette | 2,926 | 52.31% | 2,566 | 45.87% | 102 | 1.82% | 360 | 6.44% | 5,594 |
| Langlade | 4,481 | 61.17% | 2,754 | 37.60% | 90 | 1.23% | 1,727 | 23.58% | 7,325 |
| Lincoln | 6,201 | 54.73% | 4,872 | 43.00% | 258 | 2.28% | 1,329 | 11.73% | 11,331 |
| Manitowoc | 18,234 | 60.03% | 11,784 | 38.80% | 357 | 1.18% | 6,450 | 21.23% | 30,375 |
| Marathon | 28,516 | 57.59% | 20,028 | 40.45% | 970 | 1.96% | 8,488 | 17.14% | 49,514 |
| Marinette | 8,222 | 56.49% | 6,127 | 42.09% | 207 | 1.42% | 2,095 | 14.39% | 14,556 |
| Marquette | 3,483 | 58.05% | 2,384 | 39.73% | 133 | 2.22% | 1,099 | 18.32% | 6,000 |
| Menominee | 166 | 22.07% | 586 | 77.93% | 0 | 0.00% | -420 | -55.85% | 752 |
| Milwaukee | 128,612 | 37.71% | 209,932 | 61.56% | 2,473 | 0.73% | -81,320 | -23.85% | 341,017 |
| Monroe | 7,570 | 57.83% | 5,199 | 39.72% | 320 | 2.44% | 2,371 | 18.11% | 13,089 |
| Oconto | 8,131 | 59.35% | 5,380 | 39.27% | 189 | 1.38% | 2,751 | 20.08% | 13,700 |
| Oneida | 8,773 | 55.29% | 6,762 | 42.62% | 331 | 2.09% | 2,011 | 12.67% | 15,866 |
| Outagamie | 35,143 | 53.85% | 29,223 | 44.78% | 893 | 1.37% | 5,920 | 9.07% | 65,259 |
| Ozaukee | 29,879 | 68.88% | 13,233 | 30.50% | 269 | 0.62% | 16,646 | 38.37% | 43,381 |
| Pepin | 1,279 | 53.14% | 1,093 | 45.41% | 35 | 1.45% | 186 | 7.73% | 2,407 |
| Pierce | 7,067 | 53.10% | 5,925 | 44.52% | 316 | 2.37% | 1,142 | 8.58% | 13,308 |
| Polk | 8,842 | 59.37% | 5,752 | 38.62% | 298 | 2.00% | 3,090 | 20.75% | 14,892 |
| Portage | 12,794 | 46.23% | 14,463 | 52.26% | 420 | 1.52% | -1,669 | -6.03% | 27,677 |
| Price | 3,284 | 52.21% | 2,858 | 45.44% | 148 | 2.35% | 426 | 6.77% | 6,290 |
| Racine | 40,813 | 56.07% | 31,333 | 43.05% | 645 | 0.89% | 9,480 | 13.02% | 72,791 |
| Richland | 3,293 | 52.72% | 2,866 | 45.89% | 87 | 1.39% | 427 | 6.84% | 6,246 |
| Rock | 23,813 | 45.61% | 27,424 | 52.52% | 976 | 1.87% | -3,611 | -6.92% | 52,213 |
| Rusk | 3,045 | 56.37% | 2,170 | 40.17% | 187 | 3.46% | 875 | 16.20% | 5,402 |
| Sauk | 11,044 | 49.82% | 10,741 | 48.46% | 381 | 1.72% | 303 | 1.37% | 22,166 |
| Sawyer | 3,766 | 57.97% | 2,650 | 40.79% | 81 | 1.25% | 1,116 | 17.18% | 6,497 |
| Shawano | 8,663 | 60.27% | 5,487 | 38.18% | 223 | 1.55% | 3,176 | 22.10% | 14,373 |
| Sheboygan | 29,657 | 63.27% | 16,720 | 35.67% | 497 | 1.06% | 12,937 | 27.60% | 46,874 |
| St. Croix | 17,298 | 61.48% | 10,329 | 36.71% | 510 | 1.81% | 6,969 | 24.77% | 28,137 |
| Taylor | 4,212 | 62.17% | 2,370 | 34.98% | 193 | 2.85% | 1,842 | 27.19% | 6,775 |
| Trempealeau | 4,898 | 48.88% | 4,928 | 49.18% | 195 | 1.95% | -30 | -0.30% | 10,021 |
| Vernon | 5,441 | 49.78% | 5,278 | 48.29% | 211 | 1.93% | 163 | 1.49% | 10,930 |
| Vilas | 6,595 | 62.58% | 3,773 | 35.80% | 171 | 1.62% | 2,822 | 26.78% | 10,539 |
| Walworth | 22,733 | 64.73% | 11,870 | 33.80% | 516 | 1.47% | 10,863 | 30.93% | 35,119 |
| Washburn | 3,533 | 53.43% | 2,974 | 44.98% | 105 | 1.59% | 559 | 8.45% | 6,612 |
| Washington | 44,222 | 74.99% | 14,276 | 24.21% | 475 | 0.81% | 29,946 | 50.78% | 58,973 |
| Waukesha | 134,608 | 71.49% | 52,684 | 27.98% | 986 | 0.52% | 81,924 | 43.51% | 188,278 |
| Waupaca | 10,596 | 59.12% | 7,072 | 39.46% | 256 | 1.43% | 3,524 | 19.66% | 17,924 |
| Waushara | 5,178 | 60.11% | 3,284 | 38.12% | 152 | 1.76% | 1,894 | 21.99% | 8,614 |
| Winnebago | 33,044 | 53.96% | 27,141 | 44.32% | 1,056 | 1.72% | 5,903 | 9.64% | 61,241 |
| Wood | 15,626 | 55.27% | 12,023 | 42.52% | 625 | 2.21% | 3,603 | 12.74% | 28,274 |
| Total | 1,128,941 | 52.25% | 1,004,303 | 46.48% | 27,588 | 1.28% | 124,638 | 5.77% | 2,160,832 |
- Counties that flipped Democratic to Republican
- Adams (largest city: Adams)
- Barron (largest city: Rice Lake)
- Buffalo (largest city: Mondovi)
- Burnett (largest village: Grantsburg)
- Chippewa (largest city: Chippewa Falls)
- Clark (largest city: Neillsville)
- Columbia (largest city: Portage)
- Door (largest city: Sturgeon Bay)
- Dunn (largest city: Menomonie)
- Forest (largest city: Crandon)
- Grant (largest city: Platteville)
- Iron (largest city: Hurley)
- Jackson (largest city: Black River Falls)
- Kenosha (largest city: Kenosha)
- La Crosse (largest city: La Crosse)
- Lafayette (largest city: Darlington)
- Lincoln (largest city: Merrill)
- Marathon (largest city: Wausau)
- Monroe (largest city: Sparta)
- Oneida (largest city: Rhinelander)
- Outagamie (largest city: Appleton)
- Pepin (largest city: Durand)
- Pierce (largest city: River Falls)
- Polk (Largest city: Amery)
- Price (largest city: Park Falls)
- Richland (largest city: Richland Center)
- Rusk (largest city: Ladysmith)
- Sauk (largest city: Baraboo)
- Sawyer (largest city: Hayward)
- St. Croix (Largest city: Hudson)
- Vernon (largest city: Viroqua)
- Washburn (largest city: Spooner)
- Winnebago (largest city: Oshkosh)
- Wood (largest city: Wisconsin Rapids)
Notes
- The Libertarian Party had no candidate for governor in 2010, although Terry Virgil ran on the party ticket for Lieutenant Governor