2017 Wisconsin elections

2017 Wisconsin elections

← 2016 April 4, 2017 2018 →

The 2017 Wisconsin Spring Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on April 4, 2017. The top of the ballot was the election for state Superintendent of Public Instruction. There was also an uncontested election for Wisconsin Supreme Court, three uncontested elections for Wisconsin Court of Appeals, and several other nonpartisan local and judicial elections. There were also a number of local referendums for school funding. The 2017 Wisconsin Spring Primary was held February 21, 2017.

In the election for Superintendent of Public Instruction, incumbent Tony Evers won a third term. He would not complete the term, however, as he was elected Governor of Wisconsin the following year.

State elections

Executive

Superintendent of Public Instruction

2017 Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction election

← 2013 April 4, 2017 2021 →
 
Nominee Tony Evers Lowell Holtz
Popular vote 494,793 212,504
Percentage 69.9% 30.0%

County results
Evers:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Holtz:      50–60%

Superintendent before election

Tony Evers
Nonpartisan

Elected Superintendent

Tony Evers
Nonpartisan

Incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers easily defeated challenger Lowell E. Holtz, taking nearly 70% of the vote. Evers' performance in this statewide election would prove useful as he made his case in a crowded Democratic primary field for Governor of Wisconsin in 2018.[1]

Primary county results
  Evers
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
  Holtz
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Election, 2017
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, February 21, 2017[2]
Nonpartisan Tony Evers (incumbent) 255,552 69.43%
Nonpartisan Lowell E. Holtz 84,398 22.93%
Nonpartisan John Humphries 27,066 7.35%
Nonpartisan Rick Melcher (Write-in) 377 0.10%
Scattering 703 0.19%
Total votes 368,096 100.0%
General Election, April 4, 2017[3]
Nonpartisan Tony Evers (incumbent) 494,793 69.86% +7.71%
Nonpartisan Lowell E. Holtz 212,504 30.00%
Nonpartisan Rick Melcher (write-in) 62 0.01%
Scattering 930 0.13% −0.04%
Plurality 282,289 39.86% +17.39%
Total votes 708,289 100.0% -11.08%

Judicial

State Supreme Court

2017 Wisconsin Supreme Court election

← 2016 April 4, 2017 2018 →
← 2007
2027 →
 
Nominee Annette Ziegler
Popular vote 492,352
Percentage 97.2%

County results
Ziegler:
  >90%

Justice before election

Annette Ziegler
Nonpartisan

Elected Justice

Annette Ziegler
Nonpartisan

A regularly-scheduled Wisconsin Supreme Court election was held this year. Incumbent Annette Ziegler was unopposed seeking her second ten-year term.

2017 Wisconsin Supreme Court election[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Annette Ziegler (incumbent) 492,352 97.20%
Write-in 14,165 2.80%
Total votes 506,517 100.0%

State Court of Appeals

Three seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals were up for election in 2017. All three were uncontested.

State Circuit Courts

Forty eight of the state's 249 circuit court seats were up for election in 2017. Eleven of those seats were contested. No incumbent judge was defeated in the general election, but Trempealeau County judge Charles V. Feltes was defeated in the February primary. Feltes had been appointed by Governor Scott Walker the previous July.

Circuit Branch Incumbent Elected Defeated Defeated in Primary
Name Votes % Name Votes % Name(s)
Burnett Kenneth Kutz Melissia R. Christianson Mogen 1,850 63.03% David Grindell 1,085 36.97%
Columbia 2 W. Andrew Voigt W. Andrew Voigt 5,024 99.31%
Dane 9 Richard G. Niess Richard G. Niess 58,785 99.11%
12 Clayton Kawski Jill J. Karofsky 50,585 57.54% Marilyn Townsend 37,110 42.21%
Dodge 2 Martin De Vries Martin De Vries 7,988 64.09% Randall E. Doyle 4,476 35.91%
Door 2 David L. Weber David L. Weber 5,426 99.12%
Fond du Lac 5 Robert Wirtz Robert Wirtz 9,140 99.66%
Grant 1 Robert P. VanDeHey Robert P. VanDeHey 6,086 99.51%
Green Lake Mark Slate Mark Slate 1,643 99.58%
Iron Patrick J. Madden Patrick J. Madden 1,081 98.45%
Jefferson 4 Randy R. Koschnick Bennett J. Brantmeier 6,087 98.94%
Kenosha 4 Anthony Milisauskas Anthony Milisauskas 10,390 99.16%
7 Jodi L. Meier Jodi L. Meier 12,386 85.10% John Anthony Ward 2,145 14.74%
Manitowoc 3 Jerome L. Fox Bob Dewane 7,646 55.03% Patricia Koppa 6,217 44.75% Donald J. Chewning
Marathon 4 Gregory J. Strasser Gregory J. Strasser 12,528 99.52%
5 Michael K. Moran Michael K. Moran 12,780 99.58%
Milwaukee 1 Maxine Aldridge White Maxine Aldridge White 55,038 98.90%
4 Michael J. Hanrahan Michael J. Hanrahan 52,096 98.81%
9 Paul Van Grunsven Paul Van Grunsven 51,192 98.80%
10 Vacant Michelle Ackerman Havas 52,032 98.71%
13 Mary E. Triggiano Mary E. Triggiano 52,348 99.02%
18 Pedro Colón Pedro Colón 54,247 98.80%
19 Dennis R. Cimpl Dennis R. Cimpl 51,670 98.93%
21 Cynthia Davis Cynthia Davis 52,464 98.96%
33 Carl Ashley Carl Ashley 52,473 99.11%
35 Frederick C. Rosa Frederick C. Rosa 52,864 98.89%
36 Jeffrey Kremers Jeffrey Kremers 52,611 98.69%
47 John Siefert Kristy Yang 49,342 57.20% Scott A. Wales 36,705 42.55%
Oconto 1 Michael T. Judge Michael T. Judge 4,846 100.0%
Outagamie 1 Mark J. McGinnis Mark J. McGinnis 14,032 100.0%
Polk 1 Daniel J. Tolan Daniel J. Tolan 4,839 60.06% Malia Malone 3,218 39.94% David D. Danielson
2 Jeff Anderson Jeff Anderson 6,959 100.0%
Racine 3 Emily S. Mueller Emily S. Mueller 15,242 100.0%
Rock 6 John M. Wood John M. Wood 11,822 99.13%
Sheboygan 2 Kent Hoffmann Kent Hoffmann 10,159 99.65%
3 Angela W. Sutkiewicz Angela W. Sutkiewicz 10,722 99.55%
5 Daniel Borowski Daniel Borowski 10,143 99.46%
Trempealeau Charles V. Feltes Rian W. Radtke 2,856 52.29% Rick Schaumberg 2,594 47.49% Charles V. Feltes
Vernon Michael J. Rosborough Darcy Rood 3,253 56.43% Timothy J. Gaskell 2,512 43.57%
Washington 1 James G. Porous James G. Porous 10,004 99.32%
3 Todd K. Martens Todd K. Martens 8,903 73.32% Robert T. Olson 3,210 26.44%
Waukesha 3 Ralph M. Ramirez Ralph M. Ramirez 31,937 99.33%
3 Lloyd V. Carter Lloyd V. Carter 30,757 99.29%
4 William Domina William Domina 31,326 99.31%
Waupaca 1 Philip M. Kirk Troy L. Nielsen 4,522 63.74% Eric D. Hendrickson 2,568 36.19%
Waushara Guy Dutcher Guy Dutcher 2,078 100.0%
Winnebago 2 Scott C. Woldt Scott C. Woldt 11,811 99.18%
6 Daniel J. Bissett Daniel J. Bissett 11,715 99.26%

Local elections

Madison

Dane County Executive Joe Parisi won re-election without opposition.

Racine

In Racine's special mayoral election, held in October, State Assemblymember Cory Mason was elected to fill the remainder of Mayor John Dickert's unexpired term. Mason topped a six-person primary and went on to defeat Alderman Sandy Weidner in the special election.[5]

School referendums

There were 65 local education-funding referendums on the ballot in the 2017 election. 40 of those referendums passed, awarding the school districts approximately $700 million in additional funding.[6]

References

  1. ^ Harris, Adam (August 8, 2018). "The Wisconsin Governor's Race Might Be Decided by Education". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  2. ^ "Canvass Results for 2017 Spring Primary - 2/21/2017" (PDF). Wisconsin State Elections Board. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 9, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  3. ^ "Canvass Results for 2017 Spring Election - 4/4/2017" (PDF). Wisconsin State Elections Board. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "2017 Spring Election Results" (PDF).
  5. ^ Marley, Patrick (October 18, 2017). "State Rep. Cory Mason wins Racine mayor's race". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  6. ^ Johnson, Annysa; Crowe, Kevin (April 6, 2017). "Wisconsin voters continue to approve more school referendums as $700 million OK'd this week". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 28, 2020.