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United States Senate elections in Wisconsin, 2012
 Wisconsin's 2012 elections: • U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State Assembly |
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Herb Kohl  |
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Tossup (As of March 2012) |
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The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run is June 1, 2012. The primary elections will be held on August 14, 2012.
The election will fill the Class 1 Senate seat, which is currently held by Herb Kohl (D). First elected in 1988, Kohl is not running for re-election in 2012.
Candidates
Democratic Primary
- Tammy Baldwin: U.S. Representative[1][2]
Republican primary
- Jeff Fitzgerald: Wisconsin state assembly speaker[3]
- Mark Neumann: Former U.S. representative[1]
- John Schiess: Retired delivery driver[3]
- Tommy Thompson: Former Wisconsin governor[3][2]
Race rating
Cook Political Report
Each month the Cook Political Report releases race ratings for President, U.S. Senate, U.S. House (competitive only) and Governors. There are seven possible designations: [4]
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Solid Democratic
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Tossup |
Lean Republican
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| Cook Political Report Race Rating -- Wisconsin Senate | |
|---|---|
| Month | Rating |
| March 22, 2012[5] | |
| March 1, 2012[6] | |
| January 26, 2012[7] | |
| December 22, 2011[8] | |
| December 1, 2011[9] | |
Sabato's Crystal Ball
The University of Virginia's Center for Politics published an article called Sabato's Crystal Ball on March 22, 2012 detailing the 8 races in the Senate in 2012 that will decide the political fate of which party will end up with control in 2013.[10] The seat rated a toss-up that the Sabato's Crystal Ball believes could be decided by the party's nomination is the Senate seat in Wisconsin. If former Governor Tommy Thompson (R) can win the Republican nomination and make it to the general election in November, the articles believes he would have a significant edge.[10] According to the article, "Given the current state of these toss ups, it’s not a stretch to think that a Thompson victory in Wisconsin could end up giving Republicans their 51st Senate seat."[10]
Election history
2010
On November 2, 2010, Ron Johnson (R) won election to the U.S. Senate, defeating incumbent Russ Feingold (D), Rob Taylor (Constitution Party of Wisconsin), Ernest J. Pagels, Jr. (Write-in Republican), and Michael D. LaForest (Write-in Independent).[11]
| U.S. Senate, Wisconsin, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Ron Johnson |
51.9% | 1,125,999 | |
| Democratic | Russell D. Feingold Incumbent | 47% | 1,020,958 | |
| Constitution | Rob Taylor | 1.1% | 23,473 | |
| Write-in | Ernest J. Pagels, Jr. | 0% | 134 | |
| Write-in | Michael D. LaForest | 0% | 129 | |
| None | Scattering | 0% | 638 | |
| Total Votes | 2,171,331 | |||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Herb Kohl (D) won re-election to the U.S. Senate, defeating Robert Gerald Lorge (R), Ben J. Glatzel (I), and Rae Vogeler (Green).[12]
| U.S. Senate, Wisconsin, 2006 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Herb Kohl Incumbent |
67.3% | 1,439,214 | |
| Republican | Robert Gerald Lorge | 29.5% | 630,299 | |
| Independent | Ben J. Glatzel | 1.2% | 25,096 | |
| Green | Rae Vogeler | 2% | 42,434 | |
| None | Scattering | 0.1% | 1,254 | |
| Total Votes | 2,138,297 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin, 2012
- United States Senate elections, 2012
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel "Tammy Baldwin enters race for open Senate seat," Accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Governing "Ex-Wis. Gov. Thompson Launches GOP Bid for Senate" Accessed April 25, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hudson, WI Patch "Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson Files Senate Papers With Federal Election Commission," Accessed January 6, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report "Our Accuracy," Accessed December 12, 2011
- ↑ Cook Political Report "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," March 22, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," March 1, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," January 26, 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," December 27, 2011
- ↑ Cook Political Report "2012 SENATE RACE RATINGS," December 1, 2011
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Center for Politics "Tilting the Toss Ups – the Eight Races That Will Decide the Senate" Accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
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