2022 Midterm Election Results Summary 

Results are tallied as of this writing at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 9. 

Some Key Takeaways on Races

• There was no red wave, despite political pundits on both sides of the aisle having predicted one.  
• It was a good night for incumbents despite a majority of voters saying the country is headed in the wrong direction.  
• Wisconsin splits tickets and remains a purple battleground state. 

Statewide Races 

At the top of the ticket in this election was the race for Wisconsin Governor between incumbent Tony Evers (D-WI) and construction business executive Tim Michels (R-WI). The closely fought race was deemed a tossup in the final polls leading up to the election. Evers has been reelected to a second term as Governor with new Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez, winning 51.1% of the vote. 

Incumbent Attorney General Josh Kaul (D-WI) is leading against Fond Du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney (R-WI) by a slim margin of 50.5%-49.5%. 

Longtime Democratic incumbent Doug La Follette has .1-point edge over State Representative Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton) at 48.2%-48.1% in the Secretary of State race. 

John Leiber (R-WI) leads against Mayor Aaron Richardson (D-WI) in the State Treasurer’s race with 49.8% to Richardson’s 48%. 

U.S. Congress 

In the hotly contested U.S. Senate race between incumbent Ron Johnson (R-WI) and former Lt. Governor Mandela Barns (D-WI), Johnson has the advantage over Barnes at 50.6%-49.4%. 

A seat opened in the U.S. House of Representatives following the retirement of longtime Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI) in Wisconsin’s third congressional district. In a faceoff between Brad Pfaff (D) and Derrick Van Orden (R), Van Orden holds a 4-point lead with Van Orden at 52% and Pfaff at 48%. 

There were no surprises in the remaining congressional races. All of Wisconsin’s U.S. House of Representatives incumbents held onto their seats, including Bryan Steil (R) (challenged by Ann Roe (D)), Mark Pocan (D) (challenged by Erik Olsen (R)), Gwen Moore (D) (challenged by Tim Rogers (R)), Scott Fitzgerald (R) (challenged by Mike Van Someren (D)), Glenn Grothman (R) (unopposed), Tom Tiffany (R) (challenged by Richard Ausman (D)), and Mike Gallagher (R) (challenged by Jacob VandenPlas (D)). 

Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin are in play for U.S. Senate majority. Democrats hold 48 seats, and Republicans hold 47 seats thus far. It could come down to another Georgia run off in December. 

The GOP is poised to take the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats have 172 seats while the GOP holds 197 seats.  Republicans need 21 additional seats to gain the majority. 

Wisconsin State Legislature 

The Senate Republicans appear on the path to net the one seat needed to gain the two-thirds majority. In the other House, the Assembly Democrats have thwarted the GOP’s efforts to add five more seats to reach the two-thirds veto-proof majority. 

Two former bankers were on the ballot for the State Assembly this election. Incumbent Representative Terry Katsma (R-Oostburg) won his race convincingly by over 62% against challenger Lisa Salgado (D-WI) in District 26. Jerry O’Connor (R-Fond Du Lac) secured the victory with 62% of the vote over Joe Lavrenz (D-WI) in District 52. 

To view live election results from the statewide and Congressional races as well as Wisconsin’s 91 State Senate and State Assembly races, click here.  

With the elections now in the rearview mirror, the Wisconsin Bankers Association Government Relations team looks forward to continuing to meet with returning elected officials on WBA’s legislative and budget priorities. The team also looks forward to welcoming 29 new legislators and working to share the voice of our industry on banking issues with elected officials and their staff.