2018 Wisconsin Attorney General election

{{Infobox election

| election_name = 2018 Wisconsin Attorney General election

| country = Wisconsin

| type = presidential

| ongoing = no

| previous_election = 2014 Wisconsin Attorney General election

| previous_year = 2014

| election_date = {{Start date|2018|11|06}}

| next_election = 2022 Wisconsin Attorney General election

| next_year = 2022

| image_size = x150px

| image1 = File:Josh Kaul-11 - 44798765494 (3x4).jpg

| nominee1 = Josh Kaul

| party1 = Democratic Party (United States)

| popular_vote1 = 1,305,902

| percentage1 = 49.41%

| image2 = File:Brad Schimel (cropped).jpg

| nominee2 = Brad Schimel

| party2 = Republican Party (United States)

| popular_vote2 = 1,288,712

| percentage2 = 48.76%

| map_image = {{switcher |250px |County results |250px |Congressional district results |default=1}}

| map_caption = Kaul: {{legend0|#a5b0ff|40–50%}} {{legend0|#7996e2|50–60%}} {{legend0|#6674de|60–70%}} {{legend0|#584cde|70–80%}}
Schimel: {{legend0|#ffb2b2|40–50%}} {{legend0|#e27f7f|50–60%}} {{legend0|#d75d5d|60–70%}} {{legend0|#d72f30|70–80%}}

| title = Attorney General

| before_election = Brad Schimel

| before_party = Republican Party (US)

| after_election = Josh Kaul

| after_party = Democratic Party (US)

}}{{ElectionsWI}}

The 2018 Wisconsin Attorney General election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the attorney general of Wisconsin.

Republican incumbent Brad Schimel, first elected in 2014, ran for re-election to a second term.{{cite news|last=DeFour|first=Matthew|date=May 14, 2016|title=Glenn Grothman cites transgender bathroom legal battle as sign of 'moral decline'|work=Racine Journal Times|url=http://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/glenn-grothman-cites-transgender-bathroom-legal-battle-as-sign-of/article_62c843bd-9fd7-5bff-a6fe-3bae3b07f9fe.html|access-date=November 4, 2016}} Voting rights attorney and former federal prosecutor Josh Kaul, the Democratic nominee, narrowly defeated Schimel in the general election.{{cite news|last1=Beck|first1=Molly|date=November 7, 2018|title=Josh Kaul declares victory over Brad Schimel in attorney general's race|agency=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/11/07/wisconsin-attorney-general-election-results-schimel-versus-kaul/1849068002/}} Terry Larson, the Constitution Party nominee, also garnered around 2% of the vote, greater than the vote difference between Schimel and Kaul.

Republican primary

Incumbent Attorney General Brad Schimel ran unopposed in the Republican primary.{{Cite web|date=September 4, 2018|title=WI Attorney General – R Primary|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=842101|url-status=live|access-date=June 18, 2021|website=Our Campaigns|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624195744/https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=842101 |archive-date=2021-06-24 }}

{{Election box begin no change|title=Republican primary results}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Brad Schimel (incumbent)|votes=394,799|percentage=99.77%}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Write-in|votes=896|percentage=0.23%}}{{Election box total no change|votes=395,695|percentage=100.0%}}{{Election box end}}

Democratic primary

Attorney Josh Kaul won the Democratic nomination unopposed.{{Cite web|date=September 4, 2018|title=WI Attorney General – D Primary|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=842102|url-status=live|access-date=June 18, 2021|website=Our Campaigns|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200448/https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=842102 |archive-date=2021-06-24 }}

{{Election box begin no change|title=Democratic primary results}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Josh Kaul|votes=432,954|percentage=99.65%}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Write-in|votes=1,509|percentage=0.35%}}{{Election box total no change|votes=434,463|percentage=100.0%}}{{Election box end}}

Constitution primary

Terry Larson won the Constitution Party nomination unopposed.{{Cite web|title=Terry Larson|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Terry_Larson|url-status=live|access-date=June 18, 2021|website=Ballotpedia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107191436/https://ballotpedia.org/Terry_Larson |archive-date=2018-11-07 }}{{Election box begin no change|title=Constitution primary results}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Constitution Party (United States)|candidate=Terry Larson|votes=354|percentage=100.0%}}

General election

= Polling =

class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"

!Poll source

!Date(s)
administered

!Sample
size

!Margin
of error

! style="width:100px;" |Brad
Schimel (R)

! style="width:100px;" |Josh
Kaul (D)

!Undecided

rowspan="2" |Marquette University[https://law.marquette.edu/poll/2018/10/31/mlsp50release/ Marquette University]

| rowspan="2" align="center" |October 24–28, 2018

| align="center" |1,154 LV

| align="center" |± 3.2%

| {{party shading/Republican}} align="center" |47%

| align="center" |45%

| align="center" |8%

align="center" |1,400 RV

| align="center" |± 3.0%

| {{party shading/Republican}} align="center" |45%

| align="center" |43%

| align="center" |12%

rowspan="2" |Marquette University[https://law.marquette.edu/poll/2018/10/10/mlsp49release/ Marquette University]

| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |October 3–7, 2018

| align="center" |799 LV

| align="center" |± 3.9%

| {{party shading/Republican}} align="center" |47%

| align="center" |43%

| align="center" |10%

align="center" |1,000 RV

| align="center" |± 3.6%

| {{party shading/Republican}} align="center" |45%

| align="center" |41%

| align="center" |14%

rowspan="2" |Marquette University[https://law.marquette.edu/poll/2018/09/18/mlsp48release/ Marquette University]

| rowspan="2" align="center" |September 12–16, 2018

| align="center" |614 LV

| align="center" |± 4.4%

| {{party shading/Republican}} align="center" |48%

| align="center" |41%

| align="center" |11%

align="center" |800 RV

| align="center" |± 4.0%

| {{party shading/Republican}} align="center" |47%

| align="center" |40%

| align="center" |13%

= Results =

Kaul won the election by a 0.65% margin.{{Cite web|date=December 3, 2018|title=WI Attorney General|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=842108|url-status=live|access-date=June 18, 2021|website=Our Campaigns|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024010901/https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=842108 |archive-date=2020-10-24 }}{{Cite web|title=2018 Attorney General General Election Results|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=55&year=2018&f=0&off=9&elect=0|url-status=live|access-date=June 18, 2021|website=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Elections|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200549/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?fips=55&year=2018&f=0&off=9&elect=0 |archive-date=2021-06-24 }}

{{Election box begin no change|title=Wisconsin Attorney General election, 2018}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Democratic Party (United States)|candidate=Josh Kaul|votes=1,305,902|percentage=49.41%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Republican Party (United States)|candidate=Brad Schimel (incumbent)|votes=1,288,712|percentage=48.76%}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Constitution Party (United States)|candidate=Terry Larson|votes=47,038|percentage=1.78%}}

{{Election box write-in with party link no change|votes=1,199|percentage=0.05%}}

{{Election box total no change|votes=2,642,851|percentage=100.00%}}

{{Election box gain with party link no change|winner=Democratic Party (United States)|loser=Republican Party (United States)}}

==By congressional district==

Despite losing the state, Schimel won five of eight congressional districts.{{Cite web|url=https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::7d07ec5b-34c7-42a4-bd43-cc076bf366d6|title=DRA 2020|website=Daves Redistricting|accessdate=August 18, 2024}}

class=wikitable
District ! Schimel ! Kaul ! Representative
align=center ! {{party shading/Republican}}\|{{ushr\|Wisconsin\|1\|1st}} \| 55% \| 43% \| {{party shading/Republican}}\|Paul Ryan
align=center ! {{party shading/Democratic}}\|{{ushr\|Wisconsin\|2\|2nd}} \| 30% \| 69% \| {{party shading/Democratic}}\|Mark Pocan
align=center ! {{party shading/Democratic}}\|{{ushr\|Wisconsin\|3\|3rd}} \| 48% \| 50% \| {{party shading/Democratic}}\|Ron Kind
align=center ! {{party shading/Democratic}}\|{{ushr\|Wisconsin\|4\|4th}} \| 24% \| 74% \| {{party shading/Democratic}}\|Gwen Moore
align=center ! {{party shading/Republican}}\|{{ushr\|Wisconsin\|5\|5th}} \| 62% \| 37% \| {{party shading/Republican}}\|Jim Sensenbrenner
align=center ! {{party shading/Republican}}\|{{ushr\|Wisconsin\|6\|6th}} \| 57% \| 41% \| {{party shading/Republican}}\|Glenn Grothman
align=center ! {{party shading/Republican}}\|{{ushr\|Wisconsin\|7\|7th}} \| 57% \| 41% \| {{party shading/Republican}}\|Sean Duffy
align=center ! {{party shading/Republican}}\|{{ushr\|Wisconsin\|8\|8th}} \| 56% \| 42% \| {{party shading/Republican}}\|Mike Gallagher

class=wikitable

District

! Schimel

! Kaul

! Representative

align=center

! {{party shading/Republican}}|{{ushr|Wisconsin|1|1st}}

| 55%

| 43%

| {{party shading/Republican}}|Paul Ryan

align=center

! {{party shading/Democratic}}|{{ushr|Wisconsin|2|2nd}}

| 30%

| 69%

| {{party shading/Democratic}}|Mark Pocan

align=center

! {{party shading/Democratic}}|{{ushr|Wisconsin|3|3rd}}

| 48%

| 50%

| {{party shading/Democratic}}|Ron Kind

align=center

! {{party shading/Democratic}}|{{ushr|Wisconsin|4|4th}}

| 24%

| 74%

| {{party shading/Democratic}}|Gwen Moore

align=center

! {{party shading/Republican}}|{{ushr|Wisconsin|5|5th}}

| 62%

| 37%

| {{party shading/Republican}}|Jim Sensenbrenner

align=center

! {{party shading/Republican}}|{{ushr|Wisconsin|6|6th}}

| 57%

| 41%

| {{party shading/Republican}}|Glenn Grothman

align=center

! {{party shading/Republican}}|{{ushr|Wisconsin|7|7th}}

| 57%

| 41%

| {{party shading/Republican}}|Sean Duffy

align=center

! {{party shading/Republican}}|{{ushr|Wisconsin|8|8th}}

| 56%

| 42%

| {{party shading/Republican}}|Mike Gallagher

References

Wisconsin

Attorney General

Category:Wisconsin Attorney General elections

2018 Wisconsin Attorney General election

Republican primary

Democratic primary

Constitution primary

General election

= Polling =

= Results =

==By congressional district==

See also

References