2018 Wisconsin Attorney General election
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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. Voting rights attorney and former federal prosecutor Josh Kaul, the Democratic nominee, narrowly defeated Schimel in the general election. 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.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brad Schimel (incumbent) | 394,799 | 99.77% | |
| Republican | Write-in | 896 | 0.23% | |
| Total votes | 395,695 | 100.0% |
Democratic primary
Attorney Josh Kaul won the Democratic nomination unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Josh Kaul | 432,954 | 99.65% | |
| Democratic | Write-in | 1,509 | 0.35% | |
| Total votes | 434,463 | 100.0% |
Constitution primary
Terry Larson won the Constitution Party nomination unopposed.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constitution | Terry Larson | 354 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 354 | 100.0% |
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Brad Schimel (R) | Josh Kaul (D) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette University | October 24–28, 2018 | 1,154 LV | ± 3.2% | 47% | 45% | 8% |
| 1,400 RV | ± 3.0% | 45% | 43% | 12% | ||
| Marquette University | October 3–7, 2018 | 799 LV | ± 3.9% | 47% | 43% | 10% |
| 1,000 RV | ± 3.6% | 45% | 41% | 14% | ||
| Marquette University | September 12–16, 2018 | 614 LV | ± 4.4% | 48% | 41% | 11% |
| 800 RV | ± 4.0% | 47% | 40% | 13% |
Results
Kaul won the election by a 0.65% margin.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Josh Kaul | 1,305,902 | 49.41% | |
| Republican | Brad Schimel (incumbent) | 1,288,712 | 48.76% | |
| Constitution | Terry Larson | 47,038 | 1.78% | |
| Write-in | 1,199 | 0.05% | ||
| Total votes | 2,642,851 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican |
By congressional district
Despite losing the state, Schimel won five of eight congressional districts.
| District | Schimel | Kaul | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 55% | 43% | Paul Ryan |
| 2nd | 30% | 69% | Mark Pocan |
| 3rd | 48% | 50% | Ron Kind |
| 4th | 24% | 74% | Gwen Moore |
| 5th | 62% | 37% | Jim Sensenbrenner |
| 6th | 57% | 41% | Glenn Grothman |
| 7th | 57% | 41% | Sean Duffy |
| 8th | 56% | 42% | Mike Gallagher |