The 2022 Wisconsin Secretary of State election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the Secretary of State of Wisconsin . Incumbent Democrat Doug La Follette won re-election to an unprecedented 12th term in the office, narrowly defeating Republican state legislator Amy Loudenbeck . With a margin of 0.29%, this was the closest secretary of state race of the 2022 election cycle.
The secretary of state is one of Wisconsin's six constitutional officers. Once one of the most powerful offices in the state, its role has slowly been diminished as duties were reassigned or eliminated over time. In 1974 election oversight was stripped from the duties of the office and in 2013 the office lost the ability to delay the publicization of laws passed by the legislature, a move which helped unions prepare for Act 10 's implementation.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3]
As part of broader attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election , Republicans, having historically weakened the office, began a push to put election oversight back under the purview of the secretary of state, as opposed to the Wisconsin Elections Commission , which Republicans had created to replace the previous nonpartisan Government Accountability Board , which oversaw elections and ethics.[ 3] [ 4]
Eliminated in primary [ edit ]
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ a]
Margin of error
DougLa Follette
Alexia Sabor
Undecided
Change Research (D)[ 7] [ A]
July 1–7, 2022
560 (LV)
± 4.6%
42%
9%
43%
Primary results by county:
Eliminated in primary [ edit ]
Daniel Schmidtka[ 9]
Jay Schroeder, nominee for secretary of state in 2018 [ 10]
Withdrew before primary [ edit ]
Dmitry Becker[ 9] (endorsed Loudenbeck) [ 11]
Amy Loudenbeck
U.S. Representatives
Statewide officials
State legislators
Individuals
Organizations
Primary results by county: 40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
Libertarian primary [ edit ]
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ a]
Margin of error
Doug La Follette (D)
Amy Loudenbeck (R)
Other
Undecided
CNN /SSRS [ 22]
October 13–17, 2022
905 (RV)
± 4.2%
47%
46%
6%[ b]
1%
714 (LV)
± 4.5%
49%
48%
2%[ c]
1%
By congressional district [ edit ]
Despite losing the state, Loudenbeck won 6 of 8 congressional districts.[ 23]
^ a b Key: A – all adults RV – registered voters LV – likely voters V – unclear
^ "Neither" with 4%; "Other" with 2%
^ "Neither" with 1%; "Other" with 1%
Partisan clients
^ "1973 Wisconsin Act 334" (PDF) . Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2021 .
^ "2013 Wisconsin Act 5" . Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2021 .
^ a b Hardee, Howard (August 3, 2022). "The race for Wisconsin secretary of state takes on higher stakes in 2022" . PBS . Retrieved July 14, 2024 .
^ a b Johnson, Shawn (March 17, 2022). "Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette to seek reelection in 2022" . www.wpr.org . Wisconsin Public Radio . Retrieved March 31, 2022 .
^ "Democrat Alexia Sabor to challenge Secretary of State Doug La Follette" . www.jsonline.com . Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel . April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022 .
^ "Sabor Campaign: Barbara Lawton endorses Alexia Sabor for Wisconsin Secretary of State" . www.wispolitics.com . Wispolitics.com . June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022 .
^ Change Research (D)
^ a b c d "2022 State and Federal Official Results" . Wisconsin Elections Commission . May 18, 2022.
^ a b c d White, Laurel (December 1, 2021). "GOP lawmaker Amy Loudenbeck launches secretary of state campaign, calls for office to take control of elections" . www.wpr.org . Wisconsin Public Radio . Retrieved March 31, 2022 .
^ "Jay Schroeder Announcement of Candidacy" (PDF) . www.wispolitics.com . Wispolitics.com . November 16, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2022 .
^ a b Becker, Dmitry. "Dmitry Becker for Secretary of State" . Dmitry Becker for Secretary of State . Retrieved October 24, 2023 .
^ a b c d "Loudenbeck campaign: Support grows stronger as primary nears, McCallum, Steil and Bancel endorse" . Wispolitics.com . July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022 .
^ a b c d e "Loudenbeck campaign: Support for Loudenbeck for Secretary of State continues to grow" . www.wispolitics.com . Wispolitics.com . May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 20, 2022 .
^ "Loudenbeck Campaign: Announces legislative endorsements" . www.wispolitics.com . Wispolitics.com . January 20, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022 .
^ "Loudenbeck campaign: Statement on Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police endorsement" . Wispolitics.com . August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022 .
^ "Loudenbeck Campaign: Receives endorsement of Grocers for Secretary of State" . www.wispolitics.com . Wispolitics.com . March 23, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022 .
^ "Wisconsin Young Republicans: Announce election endorsements" . May 11, 2022.
^ "Schroeder campaign: Receives huge endorsement from fellow patriot for SOS" . www.wispolitics.com . Wispolitics.com . June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022 .
^ Leischner, Mike (May 22, 2022). "No Endorsement From State Republicans in Governor's Race" . www.wtaq.com . WTAQ . Retrieved May 28, 2022 .
^ "Secretary of State and Attorney General: What to Watch for Next Week in Key Statewide Contests" . Sabato's Crystal Ball . November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022 .
^ Solomon, Zack (November 7, 2022). "Elections Daily Secretary of State Ratings" . Elections Daily . Retrieved November 29, 2022 .
^ CNN/SSRS
^ "Ward by Ward Report by Congressional District - Secretary of State" . Wisconsin Elections Commission . 2022. Spreadsheet download
Official campaign websites
U.S. Senate U.S. House (election ratings ) Governors Attorneys general Secretaries of state State treasurers Other statewide elections
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Texas
Vermont
State legislatures
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Mayors
Anaheim, CA
Auburn, AL
Austin, TX
Charlotte, NC
Columbia, MO
Denton, TX
Gainesville, FL
Greensboro, NC
Henderson, NV
Irvine, CA
Laredo, TX
Lexington, KY
Little Rock, AR
Long Beach, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Louisville, KY
Lubbock, TX
Milwaukee, WI (special)
Newark, NJ
Newport News, VA
Norman, OK
North Las Vegas, NV
Oakland, CA
Oklahoma City, OK
Pensacola, FL
Providence, RI
Raleigh, NC
Reno, NV
San Bernardino, CA
San Jose, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Shreveport, LA
Tallahassee, FL
Washington, DC
Local
Anne Arundel County, MD
Baltimore County, MD
Cook County, IL
Cuyahoga County, OH
Frederick County, MD
Harford County, MD
Hennepin County, MN
Howard County, MD
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County, CA
Maricopa County, AZ
Montgomery County, MD
Navajo Nation
Orange County, CA
Philadelphia, PA
Portland, OR
Prince George's County, MD
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Shelby County, TN
Tulsa, OK
Washington, DC
Wicomico County, MD
Statewide Other