Wisconsin Senate Recall Elections, 2011
The State of Wisconsin will hold recall elections for nine state senators in 2011. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Board of Wisconsin (GAB) has certified all six recall petitions filed against the six Republican senators and permitted recall elections to go forward, with a tentative date being set for August 9, 2011.
The three recall petitions filed against Democratic senators were certified and permitted recall elections to go forward, with a tentative date being set for July 19, 2011.
The Republican Party controls the Wisconsin State Senate with a 19–14 majority. The Democrats need a net gain of three seats to take control of the state senate.
The Wisconsin state law allows lawmakers targeted for recalls to exceed normal contribution limits during the period petitions are being circulated and before the election dates are set. This would help the Republican senators who are facing recall, while their Democratic challengers could start raising money only after they announced their campaigns.
Contents |
Successful petitions
| Dist. | Incumbent | Party | Signatures required |
Signatures collected (%) |
Winner | Seat Retained? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Robert Cowles | Republican | 15,960 | 23,959 (150%) | Robert Cowles | Yes |
| 8 | Alberta Darling | Republican | 20,343 | 22,243 (109%) | Alberta Darling | Yes |
| 10 | Sheila Harsdorf | Republican | 15,744 | 23,685 (150%) | Sheila Harsdorf | Yes |
| 12 | Jim Holperin | Democratic | 15,960 | 19,255 (121%) | ||
| 14 | Luther Olsen | Republican | 14,733 | 22,207 (150%) | Luther Olsen | Yes |
| 18 | Randy Hopper | Republican | 15,269 | 22,953 (150%) | Jessica King | No |
| 22 | Robert Wirch | Democratic | 13,537 | 17,138 (127%) | ||
| 30 | Dave Hansen | Democratic | 13,852 | 15,540 (112%) | Dave Hansen | Yes |
| 32 | Dan Kapanke | Republican | 15,588 | 21,776 (140%) | Jennifer Shilling | No |
Dates
- July 12: Democratic Primaries in Districts 2, 8, 10, 14, 18 and 32. Republican Primary Election for District 30.
- July 19: Republican Primary Election for Districts 12 and 22. General Election in District 30.
- August 9: General Elections for Districts 2, 8, 10, 14, 18 and 32.
- August 16: General Elections in Districts 12 and 22.
Republicans facing Recall
- District 2 - Robert Cowles. He will face Nancy J. Nusbaum who defeated Otto C. Junkerman in the primary.
- District 8 - Alberta Darling. Darling will face Sandy Pasch of Whitefish Bay, a state representative, defeated Gladys Huber of Mequon in the Democratic primary.
- District 10 - Sheila Harsdorf. Shelly Moore of River Falls, who defeated Isaac Weix of Menomonie in the primary will face the General Election.
- District 14 - Luther Olsen. He will face State Represenative Fred Clark of Baraboo, who defeated Rol Church of Wautoma in the primary.
- District 18 - Randy Hopper. Jessica King of Oshkosh will face him in the general election after defeating John D. Buckstaff, also from Oshkosh, in the primary.
- District 32 - Dan Kapanke. He will face Jennifer Shilling (D-95) of LaCrosse, a state representative, who defeated James D. Smith, also from LaCrosse, in the primary.
Democrats facing Recall
- District 12 - Jim Holperin (19,255 certified signatures). Kim Simac won the Republican primary.
- District 22 - Robert Wirch (17,138 certified signatures). Jonathan Steitz won the Republican primary.
- District 30 - Dave Hansen (15,540 certified signatures). Republican David VanderLeest, also from Green Bay, contested against Hansen in the general election. The General Election was held on July 19, 2011 which was won by Dave Hansen.
District 2
General Election
The General Election for District 2 State Senate seat will be held on August 9, 2011.
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Cowles |  |
27,543 | 60% |
| Nancy J. Nusbaum |  |
18,039 | 40% |
Democratic Primary
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy J. Nusbaum | |
14,200 | 65% |
| Otto Junkermann | |
7,576 | 35% |
District 8
General Election
The General Election for District 8 State Senate seat will be held on August 9, 2011.
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta Darling | |
39,471 | 54% |
| Sandy Pasch | |
34,096 | 46% |
Democratic Primary
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Pasch | |
21,683 | 65% |
| Gladys Huber | |
11,871 | 35% |
District 10
General Election
The General Election for District 10 State Senate seat will be held on August 9, 2011.
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheila Harsdorf | |
37,099 | 58% |
| Shelly Moore | |
27,250 | 42% |
Democratic Primary
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelly Moore | |
19,300 | 55% |
| Isaac Weix | |
16,031 | 45% |
District 12
General Election
The General Election for District 12 State Senate seat will be held on August 16, 2011.
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Holperin | |
||
| Robert Lussow | |
Republican Primary
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Lussow | |
11,301 | 59% |
| Kim Simac | |
7,767 | 41% |
District 14
General Election
The General Election for District 14 State Senate seat will be held on August 9, 2011.
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luther Olsen | |
26,554 | 52% |
| Fred Clark | |
24,365 | 48% |
Democratic Primary
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Clark | |
15,070 | 67% |
| Rol Church | |
7,344 | 33% |
District 18
General Election
The General Election for District 18 State Senate seat will be held on August 9, 2011.
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Hopper | |
26,937 | 49% |
| Jessica King | |
28,188 | 51% |
Democratic Primary
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jessica King | |
19,562 | 69% |
| John Buckstaff | |
8,957 | 31% |
District 22
General Election
The General Election for District 22 State Senate seat will be held on August 16, 2011.
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Wirch | |
||
| Jonathan Steitz | |
Republican Primary
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Steitz | |
5,981 | 64% |
| Fred R. Ekornaas | |
3,369 | 36% |
District 30
General Election
The General Election for District 30 State Senate seat was held on July 19, 2011. Democrat and Incumbent Dave Hansen successfully won the General Election winning over 65% of the votes.
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Hansen | |
22,052 | 67% |
| David VanderLeest | |
11,054 | 33% |
District 32
General Election
The General Election for District 32 State Senate seat will be held on August 9, 2011.
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan Kapanke | |
26,724 | 45% |
| Jennifer Shilling | |
33,192 | 55% |
Democratic Primary
| Name | Party | Votes | Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennier Shilling | |
25,338 | 70% |
| John Buckstaff | |
10,664 | 30% |
Timeline
July 19, 2011: Senator Dave Hansen won the first recall election of the season defeating Republican David VanderLeest winning 66% of the votes. As per the unofficial results, Hansen received 20,639 votes to VanderLeest's 10,601. "The best is yet to come, This is what democracy looks like", Hansen told the crowd after his victory. Speaking to reporters later, Hansen said: "This seems bigger than me. The support we got seems bigger than me. It's about the people now. It's about we the people. It's about taking our state back. This is incredible,"
In the two Republican primary elections held today, Jonathan Steitz won the nomination defeating Fred R. Ekornaas. The other GOP primary was won by Robert Lussow.
July 12, 2011: Start of the recall elections. The Democratic Primary Elections were held in Districts 2, 8, 10, 14, 18 and 32 and Republican Primary Election is held in District 30. With the law allowing Republicans to take part in the Democratic Primary elections, six fake Democrats were pitted against the Democrats in the party primaries. All the six fake Democrats lost to the Democrats who are supported by the Democratic Party.
July 5, 2011: Spending reports show that Republicans were outraising Democratic challengers in at least four out of the 9 senate recall elections. The six democratic candidates have raised more than $1.5 million and they collectively have nearly $1 million in cash.
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