2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin

2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin

November 2, 2010
All 8 Wisconsin seats to the United States House of Representatives
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 3 5 Seats won 5 3 Seat change 2 2 Popular vote 1,165,761 938,690 Percentage 54.46% 43.85% Swing 8.52% 6.00%
Republican   50-60%   60-70%   70-80% Democratic   50-60%   60-70%

The 2010 congressional elections in Wisconsin were held on November 2, 2010, to determine who would represent the state of Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives. It coincided with the state's senatorial and gubernatorial elections. Representatives were elected for two-year terms; those elected would serve in the 112th Congress from January 2011 until January 2013. Wisconsin has eight seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin, 2010
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Republican	1,165,761	54.46%	5	+2
	Democratic	938,690	43.85%	3	-2
	Libertarian	4,311	0.20%	0	-
	Independents	31,720	1.48%	0	-
Totals		2,140,482	100.00%	8	—

By district

Results of the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin by district:

District	Republican		Democratic		Others		Total		Result
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
District 1	179,819	68.24%	79,363	30.12%	4,311	1.64%	263,493	100.00%	Republican hold
District 2	118,099	38.19%	191,164	61.81%	0	0.00%	309,263	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 3	116,838	46.51%	126,380	50.31%	8,001	3.18%	251,219	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 4	61,543	29.60%	143,559	69.05%	2,802	1.35%	207,904	100.00%	Democratic hold
District 5	229,642	69.36%	90,634	27.37%	10,813	3.27%	331,089	100.00%	Republican hold
District 6	183,271	70.71%	75,926	29.29%	0	0.00%	259,197	100.00%	Republican hold
District 7	132,551	52.19%	113,018	44.50%	8,397	3.31%	253,966	100.00%	Republican gain
District 8	143,998	54.83%	118,646	45.17%	0	0.00%	262,644	100.00%	Republican gain
Total	1,165,761	54.49%	938,690	43.88%	34,924	1.63%	2,139,375	100.00%

District 1

See also: Wisconsin's 1st congressional district

Incumbent Republican Congressman Paul Ryan ran for a seventh term in this marginally conservative district based in southeastern Wisconsin. Congressman Ryan faced a nominal challenge from Democratic businessman John Heckenlively and Libertarian Joseph Kexel.

The Wisconsin State Journal sharply criticized Congressman Ryan, labeling him "a singularly ineffective representative" and lambasted his plans to privatize Social Security and Medicare, noting, "even the most anti-government extremists recognize that gambling America’s retirement security on the stock market is madness." The State Journal called for voters to vote for challenger Heckenlively, with the rationale that he "will fight for the interests of southeastern Wisconsin working families the incumbent has so neglected.

Wisconsin's 1st congressional district election, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Paul Ryan (inc.)	179,819	68.21
	Democratic	John Heckenlively	79,363	30.10
	Libertarian	Joseph Kexel	4,311	1.64
	Write-ins		134	0.05
Total votes			263,627	100.00
	Republican hold

District 2

See also: Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district

Incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, one of the few openly gay members of Congress, ran for a seventh term from this solidly liberal district based around the city of Madison, and she faced Republican candidate Chad Lee in the general election.

The Capital Times gave Congresswoman Baldwin glowing praise, observing that she "has eschewed the celebrity circuit and focused on heavy lifting in Washington and tending to the needs of her constituents in south-central Wisconsin’s 2nd district," calling the results of her work "impressive." Ultimately, the Capital Times concluded, "Baldwin’s service merits an enthusiastic endorsement, and she has it from us."

Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district election, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tammy Baldwin (inc.)	191,164	61.77
	Republican	Chad Lee	118,099	38.16
	Write-ins		197	0.06
Total votes			309,460	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 3

2010 Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district election

Nominee Ron Kind Dan Kapanke Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 126,380 116,838 Percentage 50.3% 46.5%

Kind:      40–50%      50–60% Kapanke:      50–60%

U.S. Representative before election Ron Kind Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Ron Kind Democratic

See also: Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district

The 3rd district spans the Driftless Area in southwestern Wisconsin taking in cities such as Eau Claire and La Crosse. The incumbent was Democrat Ron Kind, who was reelected with 63.19% of the vote in 2008.

Democratic primary

Nominee

• Ron Kind, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ron Kind (incumbent)	24,514	99.79
	Write-in		51	0.21
Total votes			24,565	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Dan Kapanke, State Senator from the 32nd district (2005–2011)

Eliminated in primary

• Bruce F. Evers

Results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dan Kapanke	41,216	76.94
	Republican	Bruce F. Evers	12,312	22.98
	Write-in		42	0.08
Total votes			53,570	100.0

General election

Campaign

Democratic Congressman Ron Kind faced Republican State Senator Dan Kapanke in his bid for an eighth term from this liberal-leaning congressional district based that includes much of western Wisconsin. The campaign between Kapanke and Kind was brutal, with Kapanke and the National Republican Congressional Committee accusing Kind of charging two doctors in exchange for meeting with them to discuss a bill, a claim that Kind countered with allegations that Kapanke used $32,000 from a charity to improve a baseball stadium. In their debate, Kapanke attacked Kind for having supported much of President Obama's agenda.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorsed Congressman Kind for re-election, noting, "Kind is a partisan with principles instead of someone who is principally, to the virtual exclusion of reasoned compromise, partisan." The Wisconsin State Journal criticized both Kind and Kapanke, noting that while they were "unimpressed with...Ron Kind" and that Kapanke was "scandal-plagued," Kind "is preferable to his...challenger."

Results

Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district election, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ron Kind (inc.)	126,380	50.28
	Republican	Dan Kapanke	116,838	46.49
	Independent	Michael Krsiean	8,001	3.18
	Write-ins		121	0.05
Total votes			251,340	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 4

See also: Wisconsin's 4th congressional district

Congresswoman Gwen Moore ran for a fourth term from this staunchly liberal district based largely in the city of Milwaukee. This district tends to give Democrats solid margins of victory, so Moore did not face a credible challenge from Republican candidate Dan Sebring or independent candidate Eddie Ayyash.

The Wisconsin State Journal strongly endorsed Congresswoman Moore in her bid for re-election, calling her "a gem with a terrific voting record and an accessible style that will earn her easy re-election."

Wisconsin's 4th congressional district election, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gwen Moore (inc.)	143,559	68.98
	Republican	Dan Sebring	61,543	29.57
	Independent	Eddie Ahmad Ayyash	2,802	1.35
	Write-ins		199	0.10
Total votes			208,103	100.00
	Democratic hold

District 5

See also: Wisconsin's 5th congressional district

This solidly conservative district based in the northern and western suburbs of Milwaukee, has been represented by Republican Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner since he was first elected in 1978. Running for a seventeenth term, Sensenbrenner faced a nominal challenge from Democratic businessman Todd Kolosso and independent candidate Robert R. Raymond, who had run against the Congressman in previous elections.

The Wisconsin State Journal soured on Congressman Sensenbrenner, calling him "irascible" and announcing that he "has reached his 'sell-by' date." The State Journal endorsed Kolosso, who they claimed "would be a more engaged representative."

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district election, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Sensenbrenner (inc.)	229,642	69.32
	Democratic	Todd P. Kolosso	90,634	27.36
	Independent	Robert R. Raymond	10,813	3.26
	Write-ins		169	0.05
Total votes			331,258	100.00
	Republican hold

District 6

See also: Wisconsin's 6th congressional district

Incumbent Republican Congressman Tom Petri has represented this conservative-leaning district based in east-central Wisconsin since he was first elected in a 1979 special election. Petri built a reputation as a moderate in Congress and was well-liked by the constituents of his district. Though he faced a challenge from Democratic candidate Joseph Kallas, Petri was in no real danger of losing his seat.

The Wisconsin State Journal has high praise for Congressman Petri, referring to him as a "moderate...who builds bipartisan coalitions on education issues and brings a thoughtful take to foreign policy debates."

Wisconsin's 6thcongressional district election, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Petri (inc.)	183,271	70.66
	Democratic	Joseph C. Kallas	75,926	29.27
	Write-ins		170	0.07
Total votes			259,367	100.00
	Republican hold

District 7

2010 Wisconsin's 7th congressional district election

Nominee Sean Duffy Julie Lassa Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 132,551 113,018 Percentage 52.1% 44.4%

County results Duffy:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Lassa:      50–60%

U.S. Representative before election Dave Obey Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Sean Duffy Republican

See also: Wisconsin's 7th congressional district

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Julie Lassa, State Senator from the 24th district (2003–2017)

Eliminated in primary

• Don Raihala

Declined

• Dave Obey, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Julie Lassa	28,585	85.27
	Democratic	Don Raihala	4,920	14.68
	Write-in		16	0.05
Total votes			33,521	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Sean Duffy, Ashland County District Attorney (2002–2010)

Eliminated in primary

• Dan Mielke

Results

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sean Duffy	41,032	66.04
	Republican	Dan Mielke	21,074	33.92
	Write-in		25	0.04
Total votes			62,132	100.0

General election

Campaign

When long-serving Democratic Congressman Dave Obey, the dean of the Wisconsin congressional delegation and the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, declined to seek another term in this liberal-leaning district based in northwestern Wisconsin. Democratic State Senator Julie Lassa emerged as her party's nominee, while Ashland County District Attorney Sean Duffy, who had starred on MTV’s The Real World: Boston became the Republican nominee. A contentious general election ensued, in which the candidates traded barbs and personal attacks against each other.

Duffy alleged that as a State Senator, Lassa accepted a $2,530 pay increase, even while the state was losing jobs and undergoing a budget deficit. Politifact, however, questioned the accuracy of this attack, noting that Lassa had given back half of the pay increase. Lassa returned fire with a hard-hitting television advertisement alleging that Duffy skimped on his responsibilities as a District Attorney and the quality of his office’s services declined as a result. Politifact again investigated this claim and rated it as "Barely true."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praised both candidates in the race, observing, "both...candidates are a good fit for the district and would make able representatives." They praised Lassa for her "good work on several issues in the legislature," but ultimately endorsed Duffy, calling him, "the kind of independent thinker who might just shake things up in Washington." The Wisconsin State Journal, on the other hand, endorsed Lassa as a "more experienced and a more independent thinker than former MTV star Sean Duffy."

Results

Wisconsin's 7th congressional district election, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sean Duffy	132,551	52.11
	Democratic	Julie Lassa	113,018	44.43
	Independent	Gary Kauther	8,397	3.30
	Write-ins		423	0.17
Total votes			254,389	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic

District 8

See also: Wisconsin's 8th congressional district

2010 Wisconsin's 8th congressional district election

Nominee Reid Ribble Steve Kagen Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 143,998 118,646 Percentage 54.77% 45.12%

County results Ribble:      50–60%      60–70% Kagen:      50–60%      80–90%

U.S. Representative before election Steve Kagen Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Reid Ribble Republican

The 8th district is located in northeastern Wisconsin and includes Green Bay and Appleton. The incumbent was Democrat Steve Kagen, who was reelected with 54% of the vote in 2008.

Democratic primary

Nominee

• Steve Kagen, incumbent U.S. Representative

Results

Democratic primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Steve Kagen (incumbent)	23,307	99.81
	Write-in		44	0.19
Total votes			23,351	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Reid Ribble, De Pere businessman

Eliminated in primary

• Terri McCormick, former state representative from the 56th district (2001–2007) and candidate for this district in 2006
• Roger Roth, state representative from the 56th district (2007–2011) and nephew of former U.S. representative Toby Roth

Withdrawn

• Marc Savard, farmer (remained on ballot; endorsed Ribble)

Results

Primary results by county:

  Ribble

•   30-40%
•   40-50%
•   50-60%

  Roth

•   40-50%
•   50-60%

Republican primary results

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Reid Ribble	38,521	47.95
	Republican	Roger Roth	25,704	32.00
	Republican	Terri McCormick	14,107	17.56
	Republican	Marc Savard (withdrawn)	1,968	2.45
	Write-in		36	0.04
Total votes			80,336	100.0

General election

Campaign

Seeking a third term in this marginally conservative district based in northeastern Wisconsin and the Green Bay metropolitan area, incumbent Democratic Congressman Steve Kagen faced a stiff challenge from Republican Reid Ribble, a roofing contractor and former minister from Kaukauna. Kagen and Ribble engaged in a bitterly fought general election, with Kagen accusing Ribble of wanting to privatize Social Security and Ribble responded by accusing Kagen of sending American jobs to China through his votes in Congress.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had praise for both the Democratic and Republican candidates, describing them as "pragmatic and able, well suited to a district that skews conservative," but ultimately endorsed Congressman Kagen for re-election, observing, "he has a reliably independent streak" and noting that Kagen "got it right" on many of the issues that Ribble attacked him over, "and that makes him the better pick." The Wisconsin State Journal concurred, urging voters to "proudly re-elect" Congressman Kagen due to his opposition to the "bank bailout and bad trade deals" and his objections "to surging more troops into Afghanistan." The Green Bay Press-Gazette, however, disagreed, endorsing Ribble as a person who "would approach the major challenges facing our country with a set of fresh eyes" and criticizing Congressman Kagen because "there are no significant pieces of legislation or contributions that stand out to convince us he deserves a third term."

Results

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district election, 2010

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Reid Ribble	143,998	54.77
	Democratic	Steve Kagen (incumbent)	118,646	45.12
	Write-ins		294	0.11
Total votes			262,938	100.00
	Republican gain from Democratic

External links

• Elections & Voting Archived 2012-11-07 at the Wayback Machine at the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board
  • Candidate list Archived 2010-08-26 at the Wayback Machine
• U.S. Congress Candidates for Wisconsin at Project Vote Smart
• Wisconsin U.S. House from OurCampaigns.com
• Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Wisconsin from OpenSecrets
• 2010 Wisconsin General Election graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
• House - Wisconsin from the Cook Political Report
• Election 2010 at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel