1992 United States Senate election in Wisconsin
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The 1992 United States Senate election in Wisconsin was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Kasten ran for re-election to a third term but was defeated by Democrat Russ Feingold.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Roger W. Faulkner
- Bob Kasten, incumbent U.S. Senator
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Kasten (incumbent) | 197,488 | 80.49% | |
| Republican | Roger W. Faulkner | 47,804 | 19.48% | |
| Republican | Write ins | 79 | 0.03% | |
| Total votes | 245,371 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Joseph Checota, businessman
- Russ Feingold, State Senator
- Edmond C. Hou-Seye, perennial candidate
- Thomas Keller
- Jim Moody, U.S. Representative
Campaign
Feingold, who had little name recognition in the state and was campaigning in a primary against a pair of
The ads also contained a significant amount of humor. One featured Feingold meeting with an Elvis Presley impersonator, who offered Feingold his endorsement.[4] (Bob Kasten responded to the Elvis endorsement with an advertisement featuring an Elvis impersonator attacking Feingold's record.[5]) Another showed Feingold standing next to a pair of half-sized cardboard cut-outs of his opponents, refusing to "stoop to their level" as the two were shown literally slinging mud at one another.[3]
During the primary campaign, Feingold unveiled an 82-point plan that aimed to eliminate the
Feingold won by positioning himself as a quirky underdog who offered voters an alternative to what was seen by many as negative campaigning of opponents Jim Moody and Joe Checota.[8] On primary day, Feingold, whose support had shown in the single digits throughout much of the campaign, surged to victory with 70 percent of the vote.[7]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Russ Feingold | 367,746 | 69.67% | |
| Democratic | Jim Moody | 74,472 | 14.11% | |
| Democratic | Joe Checota | 71,570 | 13.56% | |
| Democratic | Thomas Keller | 8,678 | 1.64% | |
| Democratic | Edmond C. Hou-Seye | 5,019 | 0.95% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 359 | 0.07% | |
| Total votes | 527,844 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Results
While Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and Ross Perot split the Wisconsin presidential vote 41%-37%-21%, Feingold beat Kasten by a margin of 53 percent to 46 percent.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Russ Feingold | 1,290,662 | 52.58% | |
| Republican | Bob Kasten (incumbent) | 1,129,599 | 46.02% | |
Independent
|
Patrick Johnson | 16,513 | 0.67% | |
| Libertarian | William Bittner | 9,147 | 0.37% | |
Independent
|
Mervin A. Hanson, Sr. | 3,264 | 0.13% | |
| Grassroots | Robert L. Kundert | 2,747 | 0.11% | |
| Independent Populist | Joseph Selliken | 2,733 | 0.11% | |
| Total votes | 2,454,665 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
See also
References
- ^ "WI US Senate - R Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "Promises Made, Promises Kept". Archived from the original on December 29, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ a b "Russ Feingold for United States Senate Multimedia". Archived from the original on December 29, 2006. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
- ^ "Wisconsin Senate: The Candidates". The Washington Post. September 9, 1998. Retrieved June 5, 2007.
- ^ Marcus, Greil (January 17, 1993). "The Elvis Test". San Francisco Examiner. Eye Candy Promotions. Archived from the original on April 5, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ Odegard, Sue (1999). "Feingold tackles health care, capital punishment, COPS grants at River Falls Listening Session". River Falls Journal. Archived from the original on May 30, 2001. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ a b Sykes, Charles J. (November 2, 1992). "The next Bill Proxmire? — US Senate race between Democrat Russ Feingold and Republican Robert W. Kasten in Wisconsin". National Review. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ WTMJ-AM. Archived from the originalon January 3, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2007.
- ^ "WI US Senate - D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved January 2, 2020.