[Madison, WI] – While Democrats try to hang their hats on winning a mayoral race in a city where their party has routinely carried 80 percent of the vote, the enthusiasm for conservatives was clear in last night’s Spring Election. Across the state, conservatives were successful in roughly two-thirds of the races in which we were active, including swing and Democrat leaning areas. This success was a testament to the strength of the grassroots Republican operation, including the infrastructure provided by our county parties, and Wisconsinites’ frustration with harmful and divisive curriculum in our schools, attacks on election integrity, and far-left overreach from liberal local elected officials.
“Last night proved that our grassroots operation is battle-tested and well-positioned to carry this momentum into November,” said Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Paul Farrow. “Conservatives fought and won across the state, including in swing and deep blue areas. We are proud of the slate of conservative candidates who stepped up to the plate across Wisconsin, as they’ve proven that when we stand up and fight back against the far-left takeover of our local governments, we win.”
The Republican Party of Wisconsin worked with county parties throughout the state, providing financial assistance, data, walk apps for door knocking, in-person and virtual trainings, and voter guides.
Some highlights from last night’s election include:
- Maria Lazar’s victory marked the second time an Evers appointee was defeated in the Second District Appellate Court.
- Samantha Kerkman became the first woman, and reportedly the first Republican, elected as Kenosha County Executive in a historically Democrat county. A testament to our data operation, internal voter scoring data accurately predicted a narrow upset, pointing to a 1,185-vote win for Kerkman. Unofficial vote totals currently point to an 807-vote win.
- After Democrats spent about $100,000 on digital advertising on three Green Bay City Council seats, conservatives won two of those three seats and a majority on the council.
- Conservatives nearly doubled their seats on the 30-person La Crosse County Board, going from seven seats to 13 and nearly flipping control.
- A conservative was elected County Executive in Portage County, the heavily Democrat area once known as Dane County North. Here, internal voter scoring data accurately predicted a narrow upset, pointing to a 40-vote win for Pavelski. Unofficial vote totals currently point to a 24-vote win.
- Conservatives flipped County Boards in Calumet, Door, Kenosha, Marathon, Rock, Adams, and St. Croix Counties.
