2025 Wisconsin elections

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The2025 Wisconsin Spring Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on April 1, 2025. The race seen as most significant was an open seat on theWisconsin Supreme Court, which became the most expensive judicial race in history. The election also included a state-wide race forSuperintendent of Public Instruction. Several other nonpartisan local and judicial offices were also on the ballot, as were many local school funding referendums. The2025 Wisconsin Spring Primary was held February 18, 2025.^[1][2][3]

TheDemocratic Party of Wisconsin was seen as broadly victorious across the state's Spring elections. In the Supreme Court race, the Democrats' preferred candidate,Susan M. Crawford, defeated the Republicans' preferred candidate,Brad Schimel, maintaining the liberal 4–3 majority on the court. The Democrats also supported the incumbent state superintendent,Jill Underly, who won a second four-year term. Additionally, Democrats saw success in many local elections including in emergingbellwether^[4]Winnebago County, where former Assembly minority leaderGordon Hintz defeated a Republican-backed incumbent to become county executive. Democrats also supported a number of successful school funding referendums throughout the state.

On the same ballot, however, voters ratified a Republican-supported amendment to theConstitution of Wisconsin, which enshrined a photo identification requirement to vote. The requirement was already in place in Wisconsin due to existing state laws; in effect, the amendment made the requirement harder to remove.^[5]

A regularly scheduled election forSuperintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin was on the ballot for the general election on April 1, 2025. The incumbent superintendentJill Underly, first elected in2021, won her second four-year term, defeating education consultant Brittany Kinser.^[6]

Sauk County superintendent Jeff Wright also ran, but was eliminated in the February 18 nonpartisan primary.^[7][8]

A regularly scheduledWisconsin Supreme Court election was on the ballot for the general election on April 1, 2025, for a ten-year term on the court. The incumbent judge,Ann Walsh Bradley, did not run for re-election, retiring after 30 years on the court.^[1]Dane County circuit judgeSusan M. Crawford defeatedWaukesha County circuit judge and former state attorney generalBrad Schimel, maintaining the 4–3 liberal majority on the court.^[13]

The 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election became the most expensive judicial race in United States history, surpassing the2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court election. Total spending on the race reached nearly $100 million; billionaireElon Musk—at the time a senior advisor to U.S. PresidentDonald Trump—spent more than $25 million through hispolitical action committees on behalf of Brad Schimel.^[14]

Three seats on theWisconsin Court of Appeals were on the ballot for the general election on April 1, 2025.^[16]

• In District II, incumbent judgeMark Gundrum was unopposed for a third six-year term. He was appointed to the court by GovernorScott Walker in 2011 and won election in 2013 and 2019 without opposition.
• In District III, incumbent judgeLisa K. Stark was unopposed for a third six-year term. She was elected without opposition in 2013 and re-elected without opposition in 2019. After winning her first election, she was appointed to begin her term early due to a vacancy.
• In District IV, incumbent judgeJennifer E. Nashold was unopposed for a second six-year term. She was first elected without opposition in 2019.

Thirty eight of the state's 261circuit court seats were on the ballot for the general election on April 1, 2025. Only eight seats were contested; five incumbent judges faced a challenger, three were defeated.^[16]

• In Jefferson County's branch 1 race, incumbent judge Will Gruber defeated a challenge from attorney Jack Chavez.
• In Jefferson County's branch 2 race, incumbent judge Theresa Beck defeated a challenge from attorney Jennifer Weber.
• In La Crosse County, attorney Joe Veenstra defeated family court commissioner Eric Sanford to succeed retiring judge Ramona Gonzalez.^[17]
• In Marinette County, incumbent judge Peggy Miller defeated district attorney DeShea Morrow.^[18]
• In Racine County, public defender Jamie McClendon defeated incumbent judge Jon Fredrickson.^[19][20]
• In St. Croix County, deputy district attorney Brian Smestad defeated county corporation counsel Heather Amos to succeed retiring judge Edward Vlack.^[21] Attorney James Johnson was eliminated in the primary.^[22]
• In Waukesha County's branch 4 race, assistant district attorney David Maas defeated incumbent judge Bridget Schoenborn.^[23]
• In Waukesha County's branch 6 race, assistant district attorney Zach Wittchow defeated former circuit judge Fred Strampe to succeed retiring judge and Supreme Court candidateBrad Schimel.^[23]

Question 1

April 1, 2025
Photographic identification for voting. Shall section 1m of article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 1,437,326 62.78% No 852,107 37.22% Total votes 2,288,134 100.00%
Yes:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90% No:     50–60%     60–70%

A constitutional amendment was ratified by voters at the Spring general election, April 1, 2025. The amendment added avoter ID requirement for voting in Wisconsin. Wisconsin law already required that an active form of photo identification be submitted to vote.^[24]

The question read:

Photographic identification for voting. Shall section 1m of article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?

A regularly scheduled county executive election was held inDane County, Wisconsin, concurrent with the general election on April 1, 2025. The incumbent,Melissa Agard, who was first elected in the 2024 special election, won a full four-year term, defeating furniture salesman Stephen Ratzlaff.^[25] Ratzlaff was previously a candidate for state assembly in2020 and2021.^[26]

A recall election was held on September 16, 2025 inDeForest, Wisconsin which saw the recall of incumbent village board trustee Bill Landgraff.^[28] The recall was initiated due to allegations that Landgraff intimidated, stalked and disrespected village residents, as well as due to his support for removing fluoride from the municipal water supply.^[29][30] 2024 write-in candidate Alicia Williams and local resident Stacey Petersen announced campaigns to unseat Landgraff, who also ran in the recall.^[31][32] Williams defeated Landgraff by a 68 point margin, with Petersen coming in third by a margin of four votes.^[33]

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held inLa Crosse, Wisconsin, concurrent with the general election on April 1, 2025. The incumbent mayor, Mitch Reynolds, did not run for re-election. Local organizer and former school board member Shaundel Washington-Spivey was elected mayor, defeating city councilmember Chris Kahlow. Washington-Spivey is La Crosse's first black mayor and first LGBTQ mayor.^[35] Nonprofit executive Vicki Markussen and realtor Ellie McLoone were eliminated in the primary.^[36]

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held inManitowoc, Wisconsin, concurrent with the general election on April 1, 2025. The incumbent mayor, Justin Nickels, was re-elected to his fifth four-year term, defeating small business owner Jason Prigge.^[39]

A special election was held to fill inMilwaukee, concurrent with the general election on April 1, 2025. The election was to fill a vacant seat on theMilwaukee Common Council, vacated due to the death ofJonathan Brostoff. Union executive Alex Brower won the special election to serve the remainder of the term expiring April 17, 2028. Brower defeated salesman Daniel Bauman; six other candidates were eliminated in the primary, held concurrently with the spring primary election: customer service manager Josh Anderson, gardener Franco Ferrante, perennial candidate Ieshuh Griffin, business owner Nas Musa, attorney Alexander Kostal, and orthopedic technician Bryant Junco.^[40]

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held inSheboygan, Wisconsin, concurrent with the general election on April 1, 2025. The incumbent mayor, Ryan Sorenson, was re-elected to his second four-year term, defeating city councilmember John Belanger.^[41][42]

A regularly scheduled mayoral election was held inOshkosh, Wisconsin, concurrent with the general election on April 1, 2025. The incumbent mayor Matt Mugerauer, first elected in 2023, was re-elected without opposition.^[43]

A regularly scheduled county executive election was held inWinnebago County, Wisconsin, concurrent with the general election on April 1, 2025. Former Assembly minority leaderGordon Hintz was elected county executive, defeating the incumbent Jon Doemel.^[44][45][46] Winnebago County sheriff John Matz was eliminated in the primary.^[47]

• Elections in Wisconsin
• Clarke v. Wisconsin Elections Commission
• Bilingual elections requirement for Wisconsin (per Voting Rights Act Amendments of 2006)^[48]
• Political party strength in Wisconsin

• Wisconsin Elections Commission
• Wisconsin atBallotpedia
• Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association,"Wisconsin",Voting & Elections Toolkits
• "Wisconsin: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links",Vote.org, Oakland, CA
• "League of Women Voters of Wisconsin". September 7, 2017. (state affiliate of the U.S.League of Women Voters)

• 2025 Wisconsin elections
• 2025 elections in the United States by state
• April 2025 in the United States

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