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Attorney Josh Kaul (D) defeated incumbent Brad Schimel (R) and Terry Larson (Constitution Party) in the November 6, 2018, general election for Wisconsin Attorney General.
Schimel was first elected in 2014 by a margin of 6 percentage points. Of the ten preceding attorney general elections, a Republican candidate won four—including Schimel in 2014—and a Democratic candidate won six. At the time of the 2018 election, the most recent Democratic candidate to win an attorney general election in Wisconsin was Peg Lautenschlager in 2002. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) carried the state by a margin of 1 percentage point.
Kaul's victory, alongside Tony Evers' (D) victory in the gubernatorial election and Douglas La Follette's (D) victory in the Secretary of State election, created a Democratic triplex in Wisconsin. At the time of the election, Wisconsin had been under divided triplex control since Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen (R) took office in 2007, breaking a Democratic triplex.
Wisconsin Attorney General, 2018
| Poll | Poll sponsor | Kaul (D) | Schimel (R) | Undecided/Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette Law School (October 24-28, 2018) | N/A | 45% | 47% | 9% | +/-3.2 | 1,154 |
| Marquette Law School (October 3-7, 2018) | N/A | 43% | 47% | 11% | +/-3.9 | 799 |
| Marquette Law School (September 12-16, 2018) | N/A | 41% | 48% | 10% | +/-4.4 | 614 |
Attorney General of Wisconsin, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Brad Schimel |
51.5% | 1,211,388 | |
| Democratic | Susan Happ | 45.4% | 1,066,866 | |
| Libertarian | Thomas Nelson | 3% | 70,951 | |
| Nonpartisan | Scattering | 0% | 1,120 | |
| Total Votes | 2,350,325 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board | ||||
On November 2, 2010, J.B. Van Hollen won re-election to the office of Attorney General of Wisconsin. He defeated Scott Hassett (D) in the general election.
Attorney General of Wisconsin, 2010
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | J.B. Van Hollen Incumbent |
57.8% | 1,220,791 | |
| Democratic | Scott Hassett | 42.1% | 890,080 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 1,614 | |
| Total Votes | 2,112,485 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. | ||||
On November 7, 2006, J.B. Van Hollen won election to the office of Attorney General of Wisconsin. He defeated Kathleen Falk (D) in the general election.
Attorney General of Wisconsin, 2006
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | J.B. Van Hollen |
50.2% | 1,065,453 | |
| Democratic | Kathleen Falk | 49.7% | 1,056,594 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 2,420 | |
| Total Votes | 2,124,467 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. | ||||
On November 5, 2002, Peggy A. Lautenschlager won election to the office of Attorney General of Wisconsin. She defeated Vince Biskupic (R) in the general election.
Attorney General of Wisconsin, 2002
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Peggy A. Lautenschlager |
51.6% | 882,945 | |
| Republican | Vince Biskupic | 48.3% | 826,862 | |
| - | Scattering | 0.1% | 1,488 | |
| Total Votes | 1,711,295 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. | ||||
Demographic data for Wisconsin
| Wisconsin | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 5,767,891 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 54,158 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.3% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 86.5% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 6.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 6.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 27.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $53,357 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 15% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wisconsin. | ||
As of July 2017, Wisconsin had a population of approximately 5,800,000 people, with its three largest cities being Milwaukee (pop. est. 600,000), Madison (pop. est. 250,000), and Green Bay (pop. est. 110,000).
