Wisconsin’s Representatives In Congress Remain Largely Unchanged Following Election

Incumbents Hold On To 7 Seats, While Grothman Wins Open Seat In 6th District

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U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, who soundly defeated his Democratic challenger Mark Zerban. Photo: Gage Skidmore (CC-BY-NC-SA).

All congressional incumbents who sought re-election in Wisconsin won on Tuesday night.

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, of Janesville, was the first to be declared a victor by the Associated Press at around 9:15 p.m. He defeated Democratic challenger Rob Zerban with a 29-point margin of victory — a stark contrast to 2012, when Zerban lost to the then-vice presidential nominee by a mere 8 points.

The last race to be declared by the Associated Press was in the 3rd District, where U.S. Rep. Ron Kind eventually won against his challenger Tony Kurtz by a 13-point margin.

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All other incumbents, with the exception of retiring Rep. Tom Petri, won their re-elections handily, all with margins of victory in the double digits.

State Sen. Glenn Grothman won Petri’s vacant seat in the state’s 6th District.

Nationally, the House was included in the Republican Party’s domination of elections across the country: As of 1:10 a.m. on Wednesday, it’s clear that it will add at least five seats to its majority in that chamber.

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