2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

← 2014 November 6, 2018 2022 →
Turnout61.2% (Increase 6.7%)
 
Nominee Tony Evers Scott Walker
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Mandela Barnes Rebecca Kleefisch
Popular vote 1,324,307 1,295,080
Percentage 49.54% 48.44%

Evers:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Walker:      20–30%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Tie:      40–50%      50%      No data

Governor before election

Scott Walker
Republican

Elected Governor

Tony Evers
Democratic

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The 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018. It occurred concurrently with a Senate election in the state, elections to the state's U.S. House seats, and various other elections. Incumbent Republican governor Scott Walker sought re-election to a third term, and was challenged by Democratic candidate and then-Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, as well as Libertarian Phil Anderson and independent Maggie Turnbull. Evers, along with his running mate Mandela Barnes, managed to defeat Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch in a closely fought and widely watched race, ending the state's Republican trifecta.

The result was considered "too close to call" on election night, with Walker and Evers being separated by a mere few hundred votes for much of the night as counties reported their results. Shortly after midnight on November 7, Milwaukee County reported around 46,000 uncounted absentee ballots. From those ballots, Evers received 38,674 votes, or 84% of the total, and Walker 7,181, giving Evers a narrow lead. The race was called for him shortly after.[1]

Wisconsin was the only state in the 2018 gubernatorial election cycle to elect a Democratic governor while voting more Republican than the national average.[a] With a margin of 1.1%, this election was also the second-closest race of the 2018 gubernatorial election cycle, behind only the election in Florida. Walker was one of two Republican incumbent governors to be defeated for re-election in 2018, the other being Bruce Rauner in neighboring Illinois, who had lost decisively to J. B. Pritzker.

  1. ^ "With Governor's race deadlocked, Milwaukee delivered for Evers with late absentee ballots". journal sentinel. November 7, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2019.


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