(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office)
KENOSHA, Wis. — Democrats dominated Tuesday’s November 3, 2026, general election in Kenosha County, winning nearly every contested race on the county’s ballot and delivering a significant blow to Republicans. The election was part of a broader Democratic wave across Wisconsin that saw Republican candidates struggle even in areas where they have traditionally enjoyed strong support.
According to unofficial results released by Kenosha County, 67,546 ballots were cast, with all precincts reporting. Democrats carried Kenosha County in the races for governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state treasurer, Congress, and two of the three State Assembly districts represented on the county’s ballot.
Republicans did have some victories. Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner (R) easily won another term without a Democratic opponent, receiving 43,538 votes, or 89.27% of votes cast in his race. Republican State Senator Ellen Schutt defeated Democrat Adam Duda in the 11th Senate District, receiving 61.05% of the vote in Kenosha County. Republican State Representative Amanda Nedweski also won reelection in Assembly District 32, defeating Democrat Greg Miller with 61.82% of the county’s vote.
One of the biggest surprises of election night was the defeat of Republican Congressman Bryan Steil, whose congressional district includes Kenosha County. Democratic challenger Mitchell Berman carried Kenosha County with 34,843 votes, or 51.95%, compared to Steil’s 32,156 votes, or 47.94%. Steil’s loss was a major political upset for Republicans who had considered the incumbent a formidable candidate.
Sheffler Handily Defeats Republican Challenger
The most closely watched contested Kenosha County government race was for Clerk of Circuit Court, where Democrat Brian Sheffler defeated Republican Zach Rodriguez by 5,490 votes. Sheffler received 35,747 votes, or 54.11%, compared to Rodriguez’s 30,257 votes, or 45.8%.
Sheffler, currently Kenosha County’s Register in Probate and Juvenile Clerk, will take office in January. His victory was another example of the Democratic success that characterized election night in Kenosha County.
According to a statement released to Kenosha County Eye, Sheffler said, “Tonight, voters in every corner of Kenosha County said they want a courthouse that is fair, accessible, and well run.” He added, “I’m grateful for their trust, and I will work every day to keep earning it.”
Sheffler began working at the Kenosha County Courthouse in 1998 as a high school intern. In 2018, all eight Kenosha County circuit judges unanimously appointed him Register in Probate, and he was subsequently appointed Juvenile Clerk in 2020.
Sheffler said his priorities will include improving public access to the courts, maintaining reliable service, and implementing fiscally responsible solutions. His victory gives Democrats another elected Kenosha County office as the party celebrates sweeping gains throughout Wisconsin.
Zoerner Wins Reelection, But Write-In Votes Raise Questions
Republican Kenosha County Sheriff David Zoerner easily won reelection, receiving 43,538 votes, or 89.27%. However, Zoerner faced no Democratic challenger, leaving unanswered how he would have performed against an opponent in a year when Democrats won nearly every other contested countywide race. Common sense suggests that a Democrat could have defeated Zoerner in Tuesday’s blue wave, perhaps even handily.
Perhaps the most interesting result in the sheriff’s race was the unusually large number of write-in votes. A total of 5,234 voters, or 10.73% of those casting a vote in the race, wrote in someone other than Zoerner. That means more than one out of every ten voters who participated in the sheriff’s contest declined to select the incumbent, despite there being no other candidate listed on the ballot.
The write-in total is particularly noteworthy considering the broader Democratic victories across Kenosha County. Kenosha County Eye’s editor was among those who wrote in either Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, although he cannot remember which one. Apparently, thousands of other voters also decided to write in somebody other than the incumbent sheriff, an unusually high percentage for a race without an organized write-in challenger.
Democrats Take Complete Control Of Wisconsin Government
The Democratic wave extended well beyond Kenosha County. Democrat David Crowley defeated Republican Tom Tiffany in the governor’s race, becoming Wisconsin’s first African American governor. In Kenosha County, Crowley received 35,393 votes, or 52.78%, compared to Tiffany’s 31,567 votes, or 47.07%.
Democrats also won control of both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature, giving the party control of the governor’s office, State Senate and State Assembly. The new political landscape represents a dramatic reversal from the Republican dominance that characterized Wisconsin politics for much of the past decade and a half.
According to unofficial statewide results, Democrats will control the 99-member State Assembly with 53 seats, compared to 46 Republicans. In the 33-member State Senate, Democrats will hold 18 seats compared to 15 Republicans. The party also benefits from a Wisconsin Supreme Court that Kenosha County Eye would characterize as having a five-and-a-half to one-and-a-half liberal majority.
Although the court is generally described as having a 5-2 liberal majority, conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn has frequently sided with the liberal justices on significant issues. His unpredictable voting record makes it difficult to place him firmly in either ideological camp, which is why KCE considers the court’s makeup closer to five-and-a-half liberals and one-and-a-half conservatives.
That combination gives Democrats extraordinary political power in Madison for at least the next two years. With majorities in both legislative chambers and a Democratic governor, Republicans will have limited ability to stop legislation that Democrats can agree to pass. Democrats can essentially enact their legislative agenda without needing Republican support, provided they maintain unity within their own party.
One of the most significant potential changes is the legalization of marijuana. Wisconsin Democrats have pushed for recreational marijuana legalization for years, but Republican legislative leadership repeatedly blocked those efforts. With Democrats now controlling the entire legislative process, legalization appears almost inevitable.
Other issues that could see significant changes include abortion laws, firearm regulations, collective bargaining rights, education funding and taxation. For Republicans who have relied on legislative majorities to block Democratic proposals, Tuesday’s election represents a substantial loss of political influence.
Kenosha County’s Other Election Results
Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul defeated Republican Eric Toney, carrying Kenosha County with 35,743 votes, or 53.56%, compared to Toney’s 30,938 votes, or 46.36%. Democrat JoCasta Zamarripa also carried Kenosha County in the secretary of state race, while Democrat Yee Leng Xiong defeated Republican John Leiber in the state treasurer contest.
In the State Assembly, Democrat Tip McGuire defeated Republican Ed Hibsch in District 64 with 62.12% of the Kenosha County vote. Democrat Ben DeSmidt defeated Republican Valerie Kretchmer in District 65, receiving 60.65% of the county’s vote.
While Democrats dominated most races, Republicans maintained their strength in western Kenosha County, where Schutt and Nedweski both won decisive victories. Those results illustrate the continuing political divide between the more Democratic City of Kenosha and the county’s more conservative western communities.
Voters also rejected two local school referendums. The Twin Lakes School District referendum failed, with 51.61% voting against it, while the Trevor-Wilmot Consolidated Grade School District referendum was rejected by 56.29% of voters.
At the congressional level, Wisconsin’s eight U.S. House seats will be evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, with four seats held by each party. Democrats flipped two Republican-held congressional districts, including Steil’s 1st Congressional District, further illustrating the scale of Tuesday’s electoral shift.
For Kenosha County Republicans, the results offer relatively few bright spots beyond the victories of Zoerner, Schutt and Nedweski. Democrats, meanwhile, will enter 2027 with considerably greater power in Madison and another victory in a contested Kenosha County courthouse election.
The Kenosha County results remain unofficial until the canvass is completed. The county’s Board of Canvass is scheduled to begin its work Monday, November 9, at 9 a.m. at the Kenosha County Center in Bristol.
4 Responses
IL and WI are now the exact same state.
CA and TX are now the exact same state
NC and SC are now the exact same as Virginia.
Only a handful of free states left. FL TN Oklahoma Alabama. That’s about it.
So many of us want to get started with repairing the damage caused by the current administration. Y’all can keep talking about “owning the libs” as prices go down and wages go up. The majority have spoken.
Zoerner knows he would’ve lost if Beller hadn’t taken votes in the midterms. Hopefully he thinks of that every day and finally tries to do his job.
Congratulations to Gov Elect Crowley, may he be successful in lowering Wisconsinites tax burdens and costs of living; things Gov Evers was incapable and impotent to do for us.