Wisconsin lived up to both its “Purple State” and its ticket-splitting reputation on election night (Nov. 5) as election results were razor thin across the ballot.  Former President Trump won the state by 30,000 votes, roughly 0.9% of the vote.  This is only the second time in the last 40 years the state has voted Republican for President, the first was also for Trump in 2016.  Conversely, Democrat US Senator Tammy Baldwin was re-elected by a very narrow margin, roughly 29,000 votes.   

There was also uncertainty with state legislative races heading into election night, mostly due to the election being held under new legislative maps. The State Assembly entered the night with a 64-35 Republican majority.  Most pundits expected the GOP to lose numerous seats, with some even predicting Democrats taking the majority.  However, once all the votes were counted, Assembly Republicans maintained 54-45 seat majority heading into the 2025-26 legislative session.

In the State Senate, Republicans lost all 4 contested seats and will enter the new session with a reduced 18-15 majority – down from their current 22-11 seat majority. Of note, Republican incumbent Senator Joan Ballweg (R-Markeson) lost her re-election battle after her 60% GOP seat was redistricted into a 45% GOP seat.  Similarly, Republican incumbent Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) lost his re-election race after he was redistricted out of his 70% GOP seat into a 49.5% seat.  The main take away from the election is that with their 4-seat pick-up, Democrats have put themselves into position to contest for the majority in 2026 election cycle.