Democratic primary

In the 2012 Democratic Party presidential primaries, the Wisconsin Democratic presidential preference primary was held concurrent with the Spring general election, April 3, 2012. The only candidate for the Democratic nomination was incumbent president Barack Obama, who received about 98% of the vote.^[1]

Republican primary

In the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries, the Wisconsin Republican presidential preference primary was held concurrent with the Spring general election, April 3, 2012. As the incumbent president was a Democrat, the Republican presidential nominating contest was open and saw nine candidates enter the race. By the time of Wisconsin's presidential preference primary, only four candidates remained in the race, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former U.S. senator Rick Santorum (PA), former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich (GA), and U.S. Representative Ron Paul (TX). Other candidates whose names appeared on the ballot included former Ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr. (UT) and U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann (MN).

Mitt Romney won the Wisconsin Republican presidential preference primary with 44%, Santorum received 37% of the votes, Paul received 11%, with 6% going to Gingrich.^[1]

General election

Barack Obama won the presidential election against Mitt Romney and was awarded Wisconsin's ten electoral votes.

Gubernatorial recall

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker was subject to a recall petition in the Spring of 2012 and faced a recall election on June 5, 2012. He survived the recall election; Walker received 53% of the vote in a rematch with his 2010 opponent, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett.

Lieutenant gubernatorial recall

Alongside Walker, lieutenant governor Rebecca Kleefisch was subject to recall petitions in the Spring of 2012 and faced recall elections on June 5, 2012. She survived the recall election; Kleefisch defeated Fire Fighters union president Mahlon Mitchell with a slightly smaller margin than Walker had in defeating Barrett.

State Senate recall

Four Wisconsin state senators were subjects of a coordinated recall effort to remove them from office in the Spring of 2012. The four recall elections occurred on June 5, 2012. One incumbent, Van H. Wanggaard, was defeated in the recall. One other chose to resign and was replaced by another of the same party. The net result was that Democrats gained the majority of the state Senate.

State Senate 33rd district special election

A special election was held December 2, 2012, to fill the 33rd State Senate seat vacated by Rich Zipperer, who resigned to become deputy chief of staff to Governor Scott Walker. Republican state representative Paul Farrow won the seat without opposition.^[6]

State Senate

The 16 even-numbered districts out of 33 seats in the Wisconsin Senate were up for election at the Fall general election, November 6, 2012. Ten of these seats were held by Democrats and six were held by Republicans. Prior to the election, Democrats controlled the chamber with a 17 to 16 majority. Republicans flipped two seats in the general election, taking an 18–15 majority going into the 101st Wisconsin Legislature.

More information Dist., Incumbent ...

Dist.	Incumbent			This race[2]
	Member	Party	First elected	Primary election candidates	General election candidates	Result
2	Robert Cowles	Republican	1987 (special)	Robert Cowles (Rep.)	Y Robert Cowles (Rep.) 98.54%	Incumbent re-elected.
4	Lena Taylor	Democratic	2004	Lena Taylor (Dem.)	Y Lena Taylor (Dem.) 86.62% David D. King (Ind.) 13.11%	Incumbent re-elected.
6	Spencer Coggs	Democratic	2003 (special)	Nikiya Harris (Dem.) Michael Mayo (Dem.) Allyn Monroe Swan (Dem.) Elizabeth M. Coggs (Dem.) Delta L. Triplett (Dem.)	Y Nikiya Harris (Dem.) 98.72%	Incumbent retired. Democratic hold.
8	Alberta Darling	Republican	1992	Alberta Darling (Rep.)	Y Alberta Darling (Rep.) 95.58% Beth L. Lueck (Dem. write-in)	Incumbent re-elected.
10	Sheila Harsdorf	Republican	2000	Sheila Harsdorf (Rep.) Daniel C. Olson (Dem.)	Y Sheila Harsdorf (Rep.) 59.17% Daniel C. Olson (Dem.) 40.72%	Incumbent re-elected.
12	Jim Holperin	Democratic	2008	Tom Tiffany (Rep.) Susan Sommer (Dem.) Lisa Theo (Dem.)	Y Tom Tiffany (Rep.) 56.24% Susan Sommer (Dem.) 40.45% Paul O. Ehlers (Ind.) 3.26%	Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican gain.
14	Luther Olsen	Republican	2004	Luther Olsen (Rep.) David Wayne Eiler (Rep.) Margarete Worthington (Dem.)	Y Luther Olsen (Rep.) 57.53% Margarete Worthington (Dem.) 42.4%	Incumbent re-elected.
16	Mark F. Miller	Democratic	2004	Mark F. Miller (Dem.)	Y Mark F. Miller (Dem.) 98.73%	Incumbent re-elected.
18	Jessica King	Democratic	2011 (recall)	Rick Gudex (Rep.) Jessica King (Dem.)	Y Rick Gudex (Rep.) 50.3% Jessica King (Dem.) 49.6%	Incumbent lost. New member elected. Republican gain.
20	Glenn Grothman	Republican	2004	Glenn Grothman (Rep.) Tanya Lohr (Dem.)	Y Glenn Grothman (Rep.) 68.63% Tanya Lohr (Dem.) 31.3%	Incumbent re-elected.
22	Robert Wirch	Democratic	1996	Robert Wirch (Dem.) Pam Stevens (Rep.)	Y Robert Wirch (Dem.) 69.57% Pam Stevens (Rep.) 30.29%	Incumbent re-elected.
24	Julie Lassa	Democratic	2003 (special)	Julie Lassa (Dem.) Scott Kenneth Noble (Rep.) Steve Abrahamson (Rep.)	Y Julie Lassa (Dem.) 56.59% Scott Kenneth Noble (Rep.) 43.31%	Incumbent re-elected.
26	Fred Risser	Democratic	1962	Fred Risser (Dem.)	Y Fred Risser (Dem.)	Incumbent re-elected.
28	Mary Lazich	Republican	1998	Mary Lazich (Rep.) Jim Ward (Dem.)	Y Mary Lazich (Rep.) 63.38% Jim Ward (Dem.) 36.51%	Incumbent re-elected.
30	Dave Hansen	Democratic	2000	Dave Hansen (Dem.) John Macco (Rep.) Ray Suennen (Rep.)	Y Dave Hansen (Dem.) 54.23% John Macco (Rep.) 45.68%	Incumbent re-elected.
32	Jennifer Shilling	Democratic	2011 (recall)	Jennifer Shilling (Dem.) Bill Feehan (Rep.)	Y Jennifer Shilling (Dem.) 58.28% Bill Feehan (Rep.) 41.64%	Incumbent re-elected.

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State Assembly

All 99 seats of the Wisconsin State Assembly were up for election at the Fall general election, November 6, 2012. This was the first election after the redistricting of the legislature in 2011, and 21 seats had no incumbent on the ballot in this election. Republicans won 60 seats, matching their total from the 2010 election and maintaining their majority going into the 101st Wisconsin Legislature.

More information Seats, Party (majority caucus shading) ...

Seats		Party (majority caucus shading)			Total
		Democratic	Ind.	Republican
Last election (2010)		38	1	60	99
Total before this election		38	1	58	97
Up for election		39	1	59	99
of which:	Incumbent retiring	8	1	6	15
	Vacated	1	0	1	2
	Unopposed	16	0	4	20
This election		39	0	60	99
Change from last election		1	1
Total after this election		39	0	60	99
Change in total		1	1	2

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State Supreme Court

There was no election for Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2012.

State Court of Appeals

Four seats on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals were on the ballot at the Spring general election, April 3, 2012. None of the elections were contested, one new judge was elected.^[1]

• In District I, incumbent judge Ralph Adam Fine was elected to a fifth six-year term, running unopposed. He was first elected in 1988.
• In District II, incumbent chief judge Richard S. Brown was elected to a sixth six-year term, running unopposed. He was first elected in 1978 (to a four-year term).
• In District III, incumbent judge Mark Mangerson, appointed by Governor Scott Walker in 2011, was elected to his first six-year term, running unopposed.
• In District IV, assistant state attorney general JoAnne Kloppenburg was elected to a six-year term, running unopposed, to succeed retiring judge Margaret J. Vergeront.

State Circuit Courts

Fifty two of the state's 249 circuit court seats were on the ballot at the Spring general election, April 3, 2012. Twelve of those elections were contested, two incumbents were defeated.^[1]

Kenosha mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Kenosha, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 3, 2012. The incumbent Keith Bosman, first elected in 2008, was elected to a second four-year term, defeating city council president Jesse Downing. Two other candidates were eliminated in the February primary: video producer Jeff Baas and bar owner Nasser Museitif.

Wausau mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Wausau, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 3, 2012. The incumbent Jim Tipple, first elected in 2004, was elected to a third four-year term.

Milwaukee mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 3, 2012. The incumbent Tom Barrett, first elected in 2004, was elected to a third four-year term, defeating University of Wisconsin faculty member Edward McDonald. One other candidate was eliminated in the February primary, Ieshuh Griffin.

Milwaukee County executive

A regularly scheduled county executive election was held in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 3, 2012. The incumbent Chris Abele, first elected in a 2011 special election, was elected to his first four-year term without opposition.

Appleton mayor

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held in Appleton, Wisconsin, at the Spring general election, April 3, 2012. The incumbent Tim Hanna, first elected in 1996, was elected to a fifth four-year term, defeating city councilmember Thomas Konetzke.^[7]

Sheboygan mayor recall

A mayoral recall election was held in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, concurrent with the Spring primary, February 21, 2012. A special recall primary was held on January 17, 2012. After incumbent mayor Bob Ryan ran into a series of controversies, Sheboygan residents collected over 4,700 signatures to trigger a recall election, submitting their petitions on November 1, 2011. In the recall election, Ryan was defeated by former state representative Terry Van Akkeren in a rematch of the 2009 mayoral election.^[8] Six other candidates ran and were eliminated in the nonpartisan primary: city councilmember Jean Kittelson, retired executive Roberta Filicky-Peneski, businessman Randy Schwoerer, musician Erik Neave, high school student Asher Heimermann, and restaurant worker Mark Hermann.^[9]