The reelection of Gov. Scott Walker on June 5 might have concluded one of the most contentious elections in recent memory, but it's only the start of election season.
Over the next six months, voters will elect a president, one U.S. senator, all eight congressional representatives, 16 state senators, all 99 Assembly representatives and all 72 district attorneys.
The deadline for filing nomination papers for all these positions was June 2, and as of 9:30 p.m. that day, the Government Accountability Board (GAB) had received 484 registrations for 195 positions. Of those, 394 candidates (PDF) made it to the final ballot by submitting statements of economic interests and a sufficient number of valid signatures.
Of the 124 legislative seats (PDF) up for grabs, only 20 races are uncontested. Unopposed candidates include state Sens. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay), Mark Miller (D-Monona), Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee), Fred Risser (D-Madison) and state Reps. Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) and Cory Mason (D-Racine).
Five candidates made it onto the final ballot for the seat held by retiring U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, including such veteran politicians as state Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon), former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann (R-Nashotah), former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison). Baldwin is the only Democrat vying for the seat.
The Democratic primary for Baldwin's Congressional seat will pit two Madison progressives, state Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison) and state Rep. Kelda Helen Roys (D-Madison) against each other. Three others are also running for the seat, including Republican Chad Lee, who lost to Baldwin in 2010, and Democrats Dennis Hall and Matthew Silverman.
Unsurprisingly, seats being vacated by incumbents not seeking reelection have the longest candidate lists. Nine Democrats and one Republican will vie for the 71st Assembly District seat held by Rep. Louis Molepske Jr. (D-Stevens Point), and eight candidates will compete for the 18th Assembly District seat held by Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee).
Due to filing inconsistencies, deadlines for filing nominations for seats currently held by Rep. David Cullen (D-Milwaukee), Rep. Brett Hulsey (D-Madison), and Rep. Roys were extended to June 4. Extensions were granted because the incumbents filed neither nomination documents nor notifications of non-candidacy with the GAB by the deadline.
The partisan primary election will be held on Tuesday, August 14, and the general election will follow on Tuesday, November 4.
