2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin All 8 Wisconsin seats to theUnited States House of Representatives Majority party Minority party Party Republican Democratic Last election 5 3 Seats won 5 3 Seat change Popular vote 1,270,448 1,379,998 Percentage 45.81% 49.76% Swing 6.55% 2.95%
District results County results Republican
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
Democratic
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90>%
The2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, to elect the eightU.S. representatives from the state ofWisconsin , one from each of the state's eight congressional districts. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, includingPresident of the United States andU.S. Senator fromWisconsin . The primaries were held on August 9.
Wisconsin was one of two states in which the party that won the state's popular vote did not win a majority of seats in 2016, the other state beingVirginia .
Republican incumbentPaul Ryan , who had represented the 1st district since 1999, ran for re-election. This district had a PVI of R+3. Since October 29, 2015 Ryan sat as theSpeaker of the House .
Eliminated in primary [ edit ] Nehlen filed campaign papers to run against Ryan on April 1, 2016, and officially launched his campaign on April 14, with the opening of his first campaign office inKenosha , Wisconsin.[ 2] Nehlen claimed to have been a Paul Ryan supporter and worked for his election in earlier campaigns but at least one conservative media report questioned that claim.[ 3]
According to aJanesville Gazette report about his campaign launch, "Nehlen declined to talk about issues such as abortion and would not say what presidential candidate he supports or whether he would support a Republican running for the presidency."[ 4] Nehlen ran on a platform calling for secure borders, enforcement of existing immigration laws, and reduced government spending, and he opposed theTrans-Pacific Partnership treaty.[ 5] On May 5, 2016, Nehlen pledged to supportDonald Trump for the presidency.[ 6]
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on July 14, 2016, that Nehlen had hired Dan Backer as his campaign treasurer.[ 7] [ 8] Backer is nationally known for his fundraising activities.[ 9] [ 10] [ 11] [ 12]
In an August 2016 radio interview, Nehlen suggested that theUnited States should "have a discussion" about the possibility of deportingSharia -adherent Muslims living in the country.[ 13] The remark occurred when Nehlen was asked about his thoughts regarding the dispute between2016 Republican presidential candidateDonald Trump andKhizr and Ghazala Khan , the parents ofHumayun Khan , anAmerican Muslim Army captain who died in asuicide bombing while serving inIraq in 2004. During the interview, Nehlen also said that everymosque in the United States should be monitored for signs of potential radicalization.[ 14]
Because of Nehlen's support for Trump, Trump publicly thanked him on Twitter and later toldThe Washington Post that Nehlen was "running a very good campaign", even though he did not endorse him.[ 15] [ 16] [ 17] On August 5, 2016, Trump endorsed Ryan's re-election after pressure from fellow Republican leaders.[ 18]
Paul Nehlen
Statewide officials
Organizations
Individuals
Paul Ryan
U.S. Executive Branch officials
Eliminated in primary [ edit ] Tom Breu, plumbing engineer[ 25] Libertarian primary [ edit ] Jason Lebeck, I.T. technician[ 27] Spencer Zimmerman, appears on the ballot as "Trump Conservative"[ 28] Democratic incumbentMark Pocan , who had represented the 2nd district since 2013, ran for re-election. This district had a PVI of D+17.
Democratic primary results[ 23] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Mark Pocan (incumbent) 71,461 99.5 Democratic Write-ins 395 0.5 Total votes 71,856 100
Peter Theron, professor and nominee for this seat in2008 &2014 [ 24] Republican primary results[ 23] Party Candidate Votes % Republican Peter Theron 12,866 99.4 Republican Write-ins 79 0.6 Total votes 12,945 100.0
Democratic incumbentRon Kind , who had represented the 3rd district since 1996, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 56.5% of the vote in 2014, and the district had a PVI of D+5. Despite Republican nomineeDonald Trump carrying the district in the concurrentpresidential election , Kind was reelected unopposed.
Eliminated in primary [ edit ] Myron Buchholz, retired teacher[ 35] 2016 Wisconsin's 4th congressional district election Precinct resultsMoore: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90%Raymond: 70–80% No votes
Democratic incumbentGwen Moore , who had represented the 4th district since 2005, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 70.2% of the vote in 2014 and the district had a PVI of D+23.
Eliminated in primary [ edit ] Democratic primary results[ 23] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Gwen Moore (incumbent) 55,256 84.5 Democratic Gary George 10,013 15.3 Democratic Write-ins 128 0.2 Total votes 65,397 100.0
Dan Sebring, automobile repair shop owner and nominee for this seat in2010 ,2012 , and2014 Libertarian primary [ edit ] Libertarian primary results[ 23] Party Candidate Votes % Libertarian Andy Craig 127 100.0
Republican incumbentJim Sensenbrenner , who had represented the 5th district since 1978, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 69.5% of the vote in 2014 and the district had a PVI of R+13.
Republican primary results[ 23] Party Candidate Votes % Republican James Sensenbrenner (incumbent) 34,203 99.7 Republican Write-ins 100 0.3 Total votes 34,303 100.0
Democratic primary results[ 23] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Khary Penebaker 19,353 99.4 Democratic Write-ins 115 0.6 Total votes 19,468 100.0
Libertarian primary [ edit ] Republican incumbentGlenn Grothman who had represented the 6th district since 2015, ran for re-election. He was elected with 56.8% of the vote in 2014 and the district has a PVI of R+5.
Republican primary results[ 23] Party Candidate Votes % Republican Glenn Grothman (incumbent) 29,795 99.6 Republican Write-ins 105 0.4 Total votes 29,900 100.0
Eliminated in primary [ edit ] Michael Slattery, farmer[ 42] Republican incumbentSean Duffy , who had represented the 7th district since 2011, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 59.3% of the vote in 2014 and the district has a PVI of R+2.
Eliminated in primary [ edit ] Don Raihala, small business owner[ 43] Mary Hoeft, university professor[ 43] Eliminated in primary [ edit ] Kirk Bangstad, political consultant[ 44] Ethel Quisler, independent contractor[ 45] Kelly Westlund, businesswoman,Ashland City Council member and nominee for this seat in2014 [ 46] Republican incumbentReid Ribble , who had represented the 8th district since 2011, announced on January 30, 2016, that he would retire at the end of his third term, opening the seat for the 2016 election.[ 47] The district had a PVI of R+2.
Eliminated in primary [ edit ] Mike Gallagher
U.S. Representatives
State legislators
Organizations
Individuals
Terry McNulty
Organizations
Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund(co-endorsement with Gallagher) [ 60] Frank Lasee
Organizations
Wisconsin Family Action PAC[ 65] Democratic primary results[ 23] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Tom Nelson 20,914 99.9 Democratic Write-ins 28 0.1 Total votes 20,942 100.0
Wendy Gribben, part-time grocery store employee[ 69] Robbie Hoffman, artist and psychologist[ 70] ^ Tatge-Rozell, Jill. "Delavan businessman to challenge Ryan Archived April 3, 2016, at theWayback Machine ".Kenosha News . March 31, 2016. ^ "Republican businessman challenges Paul Ryan for congressional seat" .Wisconsin State Journal . April 9, 2016.^ "Paul Nehlen Has Never Donated to Paul Ryan" .Media Trackers . Archived from the original on August 8, 2016.^ "Challenger hopes to oust Rep. Paul Ryan in primary" .Janesville Gazette . April 12, 2016. Archived fromthe original on May 11, 2016. RetrievedSeptember 2, 2016 .^ Nehlen, Paul."Issues" .Paul Nehlen . RetrievedJuly 10, 2016 . ^ Nolan McCaskill (May 5, 2016)."Paul Ryan's primary opponent: I'll support Trump" .Politico . RetrievedMay 8, 2016 . ^ "Master of 'scam PACs' now targeting 'establishment' Paul Ryan" .Milwaukee Journal Sentinel .^ Binversie, Kevin (July 15, 2016)."Is Paul Nehlen Nothing More than a ScamPAC Stooge?" . Archived fromthe original on July 21, 2016. RetrievedJuly 16, 2016 . ^ Lipton, Eric; Steinhauer, Jennifer (October 23, 2015)." 'Fire Paul Ryan'? Rebel PACs Hit Republicans, and It Pays" .The New York Times .ISSN 0362-4331 . RetrievedJuly 15, 2016 . ^ Lewis, Matt (May 7, 2015)."The 'Conservative' PACs Trolling for Your Money" .Wall Street Journal .ISSN 0099-9660 . RetrievedJuly 15, 2016 . ^ Choma, Russ."This group is raising money for Donald Trump" .Mother Jones . RetrievedJuly 15, 2016 . ^ Vogel, Kenneth (January 26, 2015)."The rise of 'Scam PACs' " .Politico . RetrievedJuly 15, 2016 . ^ Tom LoBianco."Ryan challenger seeks debate on deporting all Muslims" .CNN . RetrievedAugust 6, 2016 . ^ "Ryan's Primary Opponent: 'Why Do We Have Muslims in the Country?' " .ABC News . August 5, 2016. RetrievedAugust 6, 2016 .^ Corasaniti, Nick (August 2, 2016)."Donald Trump Refuses to Endorse Paul Ryan and John McCain" .The New York Times . RetrievedAugust 17, 2016 . ^ Fandos, Nicholas (August 4, 2016)."Paul Ryan's Rival, a Long Shot, Tries to Gain an Edge From Donald Trump's Praise" .The New York Times . RetrievedAugust 17, 2016 . ^ Jaffe, Alexandra (August 3, 2016)."Paul Ryan Primary Opponent at Heart of Proxy War Between Trump and GOP" .NBC News . RetrievedAugust 17, 2016 . ^a b Bash, Dana; Acosta, Jim; Diamond, Jeremy (August 6, 2016)."Trump Endorses Paul Ryan, John McCain" .CNN . RetrievedAugust 6, 2016 . ^ DeBonis, Mike (May 9, 2016)."Is Paul Ryan in danger of being 'Cantored'? Probably not" .The Washington Post . RetrievedAugust 4, 2016 . ^ Spicuzza, Mary (April 26, 2016)."Paul Ryan challenger Paul Nehlen endorsed by a tea party group" .Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . RetrievedAugust 4, 2016 . ^ "Ann Coulter rallies Paul Nehlen supporters" .Jsonline.com . August 6, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 8, 2017 .^a b Costa, Robert (August 9, 2016)."Paul Ryan Easily Wins His Primary, but GOP's Populist Storm Still Rages" .The Washington Post . Archived fromthe original on August 29, 2016. RetrievedAugust 13, 2016 .Firebrand commentator Ann Coulter headed to the district to campaign with Nehlen, as did conservative filmmaker Ron Maxwell, who directed "Gettysburg" (1993). ^a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Wisconsin Elections Commission" . Wisconsin Elections Commission. August 9, 2016. RetrievedDecember 2, 2016 .^a b "Wisconsin 2016 General Election" .Thegreenpapers.com . RetrievedJuly 9, 2016 .^ Schultz, Frank (November 5, 2014)."Janesville Democrat sets out on quest for congressional seat" .Janesville Gazette . RetrievedFebruary 2, 2015 . ^ Schultz, Frank (June 19, 2015)."Rob Zerban won't run for Congress in 2016" .Janesville Gazette . RetrievedJune 29, 2015 . ^ Helm, Whitney. "Three announce plans to run against Ryan ".Beloit Daily News . March 12, 2016. ^ "Spencer Zimmerman" . Ballotpedia. RetrievedJuly 9, 2016 .^a b c d e f g h "2016 House Race Ratings for November 7, 2016" .House: Race Ratings .Cook Political Report . RetrievedNovember 12, 2016 .^a b c d e f g h "Daily Kos Elections House race ratings: Initial ratings for 2016" .Daily Kos Elections . RetrievedNovember 7, 2016 .^a b c d e f g h "2016 House Ratings (November 3, 2016)" .House Ratings .The Rothenberg Political Report . RetrievedNovember 3, 2016 .^a b c d e f g h "2016 House" .Sabato's Crystal Ball . November 7, 2016. RetrievedNovember 7, 2016 .^a b c d e f g h "Battle for the House 2016" .Real Clear Politics . RetrievedOctober 31, 2016 .^a b c d e f g h "Wisconsin Elections Commission" . Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 8, 2016. RetrievedDecember 2, 2016 .^ "Myron Buchholz announces run against Congressman Ron Kind - WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports" .Wqow.com . Archived fromthe original on August 13, 2016. RetrievedJuly 9, 2016 .^ LAKANA (August 9, 2016)."Moore easily turns back George in 4th District primary - WISC" .Channel3000.com . Archived fromthe original on August 12, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 8, 2017 . ^ "Andy Craig — Candidate, U.S. House of Representatives | Milwaukee WI" .AndyCraig2016.com . RetrievedMarch 15, 2016 .^ "Andy Craig for Congress" .Facebook . January 14, 2015. RetrievedAugust 9, 2016 .^ "Khary for Congress Campaign Announcement Video" .Facebook . February 8, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2016 .^ Craig, Andy (January 11, 2016)."John Arndt to Challenge Rep. Sensenbrenner (WI-5) as Libertarian, Focus on Term Limits and Limited Government" . Independent Political Report. RetrievedJuly 9, 2016 . ^ "Committee/Candidate Details" .Fec.gov . RetrievedJuly 9, 2016 .^ Charles Collier. 'Slattery Running for Congress, Tax Reform'.The Denmark News , July 7, 2016, Accessed July 7, 2016. ^a b c "Duffy, Hoeft prevail in 7th Congressional primary | Local" .lacrossetribune.com . August 11, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 8, 2017 .^ Yokley, Eli (July 7, 2015)."Tech Consultant to Run Against Republican Sean Duffy" .Roll Call . Archived fromthe original on July 9, 2015. RetrievedJuly 8, 2015 . ^ RICK OLIVO (March 2, 2016)."Quisler announces congressional candidacy | News" .Apg-wi.com . RetrievedJuly 9, 2016 . ^ Westlund, Kelly (August 12, 2015)."Over the last several months, I've had many, many conversations..." Facebook . RetrievedSeptember 29, 2015 . ^ McCardle, Elery (January 30, 2016)."U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble not seeking re-election" .WBAY-TV , Green Bay, Wisconsin. Archived fromthe original on February 1, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2016 . ^ "Mike Gallagher to run for WI 8th Congressional District" . wbay.com. February 27, 2016. Archived fromthe original on February 29, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 27, 2016 .^a b "State Sen. Frank Lasee will run for Congress" . wbay.com. February 14, 2016. Archived fromthe original on February 15, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 14, 2016 .^ "McNulty announces 8th Congressional District run" .Green Bay Press-Gazette . February 17, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2016 .^ Matesic, Emily (April 7, 2016)."Nelson, Schomburg Announce Congressional Runs - April 7, 2016" . WBAY. Archived fromthe original on July 9, 2016. RetrievedJuly 9, 2016 . ^ "Macco campaign: Not running for Congress" . Wispolitics.com. February 8, 2016. Archived fromthe original on February 9, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2016 .^ "Marinette Rep. Nygren won't seek Ribble's House seat" . Wbay.com. February 18, 2016. Archived fromthe original on February 19, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2016 .^ Roth, Roger (February 3, 2016)."Roth Campaign: State Senator Roger Roth will not seek GOP nomination for 8th Congressional District" .Wispolitics.com . Archived fromthe original on February 7, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 3, 2016 . ^ "Steffen not running for Congress" . Fox11online.com. February 23, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2016 .^a b "Who could run for Ribble's seat in Congress?" . fox11online.com. February 1, 2016. Archived fromthe original on March 2, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 18, 2016 .^ Roth, Collin (February 1, 2016)."Scramble Is On To Replace Reid Ribble In 8th District" .Right Wisconsin . Archived fromthe original on February 7, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2016 . ^ Adam Rodewald (July 25, 2016)."Reid Ribble endorses Gallagher for Congress" .Green Bay Press-Gazette . RetrievedJuly 25, 2016 . ^ "Gallagher Campaign: State Representative Al Ott endorses Mike Gallagher for WI-8" . WisPolitics. July 7, 2016. Archived fromthe original on August 17, 2016. RetrievedJuly 25, 2016 .^a b "Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund announces 2016 candidate endorsements" (PDF) .Wispolitics.com . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on August 17, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 8, 2017 .^ Jason Stein (June 8, 2016)."Gard playing role in 8th District primary" . Appleton Post-Crescent. RetrievedJuly 25, 2016 . ^ "WI-08: Former Ambassador John Bolton Endorses Mike Gallagher" . June 7, 2016. Archived fromthe original on August 20, 2016. RetrievedJuly 25, 2016 .^ "AMBASSADOR JOHN BOLTON ENDORSES 5 U.S. VETERANS FOR CONGRESS" (PDF) .Wispolitics.com . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on August 17, 2016. RetrievedJanuary 8, 2017 .^a b "National Security Leaders Endorse Gallagher for Congress" . July 21, 2016. Archived fromthe original on August 2, 2016. RetrievedJuly 25, 2016 .^ "Lasee Earns Sole Endorsement of Wisconsin Family Action in 8th District Race" (PDF) . July 22, 2016. RetrievedJuly 25, 2016 .^ Ted Miller and Rhonda Roberts (April 7, 2016)."Outagamie County Exec Nelson to run for Congress" . Wbay.com. Archived fromthe original on April 7, 2016. RetrievedApril 7, 2016 . ^a b Behr, Madeleine (February 2, 2016)."Bernard Schaber ponders 8th District run" .Appleton Post-Crescent . RetrievedFebruary 2, 2016 . ^ Maichle, Kyle [@kylemaichle52] (January 31, 2016). (Tweet )https://x.com/kylemaichle52/status/693658749089767424 . RetrievedJanuary 30, 2016 – viaTwitter . {{cite web }}:Missing or empty|title= (help ) [dead link ] ^ "Two candidates confirm run for Congressional seat" . fox11online.com. February 20, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 27, 2016 .^ "Wisconsin" . Ron Gunzberger's Politics1. April 21, 2016.^ NMB Research ^ Public Opinion Strategies (R-Gallagher)
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