Who is running in Dane County, Wisconsin in 2026
- Governor / Lieutenant Governor
- David Crowley / Sarah Godlewski and Tom Tiffany / David Varnam
- Attorney General
- Josh Kaul and Eric Toney
- Secretary of State
- JoCasta Zamarripa, Pete Karas and Jay Schroeder
- State Treasurer
- Yee Leng Xiong and John Leiber
- State Senate, District 15
- Mark Spreitzer, Scott Fleming and Christopher Dean
- State Senate, District 17
- Jenna Jacobson and Howard Marklein
- Assembly District 42
- Maureen McCarville and Keith F. Miller
- Assembly District 43
- Brienne Brown and Paul McGraw
- Assembly District 46
- Joan Fitzgerald and John Donohue
- Assembly District 47
- Randy Udell and Sandy Bakk
- Assembly District 48
- Andrew Hysell and Mark Kjorlie
- Assembly District 50
- Bill Oemichen and Jon Aleckson
- Assembly District 51
- Ben Gruber, Todd Novak and Nathan Tataje
- Assembly District 76
- Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford and Nina Chat
- Assembly District 77
- Renuka Mayadev and Jane McCormick
- Assembly District 78
- Shelia Stubbs and Henry Johnson
- Assembly District 79
- Lisa Subeck and John Fons
- Assembly District 80
- Mike Bare and Simran Arora
- Assembly District 81
- Alex Joers and Mark S. Maier
Dane County
Wisconsin elects its sheriff and clerk of circuit court in midterm years, and both are unopposed this fall. City council, mayor and school board elections in Wisconsin are held in April, so Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg and Middleton have no city or school board races on this ballot.
Sheriff
Vote for oneUnopposed. Barrett beat Jack Ordman in the August Democratic primary.
Kalvin D. Barrett
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratAppointed by Gov. Tony Evers in 2021 and elected in 2022 as the county's first Black sheriff. His office declines ICE detainer requests unless they come with a judicial warrant or court order, and he has focused on jail diversion and mental health programs.
Sources: Police1, UW-Madison, Wisconsin Right Now, Candidate list
Unopposed county office
No contestClerk of Circuit Court (Jeff Okazaki, Democrat).
State and federal
Dane County is split among four state Senate districts on this ballot and thirteen contested Assembly districts. Check your sample ballot on MyVote Wisconsin to see which are yours.
Governor / Lieutenant Governor
Vote for oneOpen seat: Gov. Tony Evers is not running again. Governor and lieutenant governor are elected together as a ticket. Jamie Jo Carothers (Independent) is a registered write-in candidate for governor.
David Crowley / Sarah Godlewski
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratThe first Black county executive in Milwaukee County history, he worked with state lawmakers of both parties on the 2023 shared revenue overhaul that let the county raise its sales tax to cover pension costs. Godlewski was state treasurer before becoming secretary of state in 2023.
Sources: Wikipedia, Milwaukee County, Wikipedia
Tom Tiffany / David Varnam
Not good people RepublicanEndorsed by Donald Trump. He objected to certifying the 2020 presidential results and joined a brief backing a lawsuit to throw out certified returns in swing states, Wisconsin among them.
Sources: PBS Wisconsin, Wisconsin Watch, Wikipedia
Attorney General
Vote for oneA rematch of 2022.
Josh Kaul
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratSued to challenge Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban after Roe fell. When his opponent faulted crime lab delays, he pointed out that the Legislature turned down his requests for more lab and DNA analysts.
Sources: Wisconsin Watch, FOX6, Marquette Law
Eric Toney
Compromised RepublicanRunning on "public safety over politics" and faster crime lab work. His backing leans heavily on police unions: the state Fraternal Order of Police, the Milwaukee Police Association and most of the state's sheriffs.
Sources: Urban Milwaukee, Wikipedia
Secretary of State
Vote for oneOpen seat. In Wisconsin this office keeps state records and helps manage public trust lands; it does not run elections.
JoCasta Zamarripa
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratIn the Assembly she wrote bills to let undocumented immigrants get driver's licenses and pay in-state tuition. Wants to modernize the office and use it to speak up on cost of living and workers' rights.
Sources: Women in Wisconsin, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia
Pete Karas
Seems like good people GreenWants the office made nonpartisan, plus ranked-choice voting and better open records, and won't take corporate donations. Beat a Democratic challenge to keep his name on the ballot.
Sources: WUWM, Wisconsin Green Party
Jay Schroeder
Not good people RepublicanSupports Donald Trump and has questioned the 2020 election results. Wants to abolish the Wisconsin Elections Commission and put the secretary of state in charge of elections.
Sources: Wisconsin Watch, Campaign site
State Treasurer
Vote for oneTwo decent people. Leiber has kept a one-person office small; Xiong would bring local budget experience.
Yee Leng Xiong
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWould be the first Hmong American elected to statewide office in Wisconsin. Says he'd be a taxpayer watchdog and push for full transparency on the Common School Fund.
Sources: WUWM, Civic Media, Ballotpedia
John Leiber
Seems like good people RepublicanSays he has run the office with no staff and kept it small on purpose. Opposes weighing environmental and social criteria in state investments.
Sources: Campaign site, Ballotpedia, Wikipedia
Constitutional amendments
Yes or noWe describe what each amendment does and don't make recommendations. All three were put on the ballot by the Republican-led Legislature.
- Question 1, partial veto: Bars the governor from using the partial veto to create or raise any tax or fee. A yes vote adds that limit. It follows Gov. Evers' 2023 budget veto that let school districts raise revenue for 400 years.
- Question 2, places of worship during an emergency: Bars the state and local governments from closing places of worship or banning gatherings in them during a declared emergency, including a public health emergency. A yes vote adds that ban.
- Question 3, government discrimination: Bars state and local government from discriminating against, or giving preferential treatment to, anyone on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public jobs, schools, contracts and administration. A yes vote adds that rule, which supporters aim at diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
U.S. Representative, District 2
Vote for oneUnopposed. All of Dane County is in District 2.
Mark Pocan
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratChair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and co-chair of the Labor Caucus. Voted for the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022, and is endorsed by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, SEIU and AFSCME.
Sources: Wikipedia, MoveOn, iVoterGuide
State Senate, District 15
Vote for oneOnly the City of Edgerton's Dane County wards vote in this district; most of it is in Rock County.
Mark Spreitzer
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratChairs the Senate Democratic Caucus and says his priorities are lowering the cost of child care, health care, housing and college. Endorsed by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, AFT-Wisconsin, WEAC and Planned Parenthood Advocates.
Sources: Wikipedia, Our Lives, AFT-Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood Advocates
Scott Fleming
Compromised RepublicanPromises "common-sense restraint" and lower property taxes, and wants data centers to pay their full infrastructure costs. Endorsed by local Republican groups and Sen. Mary Felzkowski, with an "AQ" rating from the NRA.
Sources: Campaign site, iVoterGuide, NRA-PVF
Christopher Dean
Not enough info IndependentRunning as an independent under the "Serving People Not Parties" label. Wants better funding for emergency services, easier residency rules for veterans' benefits, and a focus on K-12 schools.
Sources: The Recombobulation Area, The Ballot Brief
State Senate, District 17
Vote for oneCovers the county's southwest corner, including Mount Horeb, Oregon and Belleville.
Jenna Jacobson
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWants to fix the school funding formula so districts lean less on property tax referendums, and to protect rural health care. Endorsed by EMILYs List and Planned Parenthood Advocates.
Sources: Wikipedia, Campaign site, EMILYs List, Planned Parenthood Advocates
Howard Marklein
Compromised RepublicanEndorsed by Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin and the Farm Bureau's PAC. Has been criticized this fall over past investments in Chinese companies and a 2025 Finance Committee vote that cut an extra review period for big transmission lines, which he now says he opposes.
Sources: Wikipedia, Urban Milwaukee, Daily Cardinal, AFP-Wisconsin
Unopposed state senate seat
No contestDistrict 27 (Dianne Hesselbein, Democrat), which covers western Dane County, Middleton, Verona and part of west Madison.
Assembly District 42
Vote for oneDeForest, Windsor, Vienna, part of Burke, a few Madison wards and one Sun Prairie ward.
Maureen McCarville
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratServes on the energy and veterans committees. Endorsed by Wisconsin Conservation Voters and Planned Parenthood Advocates.
Sources: LegiStorm, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood Advocates
Keith F. Miller
Not enough info RepublicanSigned the U.S. Term Limits pledge in June. Endorsed by the state and Dane County Republican parties.
Sources: Ballotpedia, U.S. Term Limits, Wisconsin GOP voter guide
Assembly District 43
Vote for oneOnly the City of Edgerton's Dane County wards; most of the district is in Rock and Walworth counties.
Brienne Brown
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWrote a bill banning rent price-fixing software and co-sponsored a state Equal Rights Amendment. On migrants in Whitewater, said the city's real problem is too little state funding, not the newcomers.
Sources: Wikipedia, PBS NewsHour, Campaign site
Paul McGraw
Not enough info RepublicanSpent 14 years at the state agriculture department. Runs on "faith, family, and the Constitution," cutting school bureaucracy to focus on reading and math, and backing law enforcement.
Sources: Campaign site
Assembly District 46
Vote for oneCottage Grove, Cambridge, Deerfield, Marshall and nearby towns.
Joan Fitzgerald
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratBacks Child Care Counts funding, a state child tax credit and up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. Endorsed by Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood Advocates and the Farm Bureau's PAC.
Sources: Wikipedia, Campaign site, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood Advocates
John Donohue
Not enough info RepublicanServes on Jefferson County's aging and disability advisory committee and lost races for Fort Atkinson City Council in 2023 and county board in 2024. Lists "Constitutional rule of law" and fiscal responsibility as his principles.
Sources: Ballotpedia, WisPolitics, Wisconsin GOP voter guide
Assembly District 47
Vote for oneFitchburg (most wards), Stoughton, McFarland (part) and southeastern towns.
Randy Udell
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWants special education reimbursement raised to 60%, Medicaid expansion and universal background checks, plus funding for local police, fire and EMS. Has been treasurer of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since 2015.
Sources: Wikipedia, VOTE411, Campaign site
Sandy Bakk
Not enough info RepublicanDidn't answer the League of Women Voters' VOTE411 guide, and we found little else about her campaign.
Sources: VOTE411
Assembly District 48
Vote for oneSun Prairie (most wards), Bristol, York, part of Burke and a few Madison wards.
Andrew Hysell
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRuns on reproductive rights, Child Care Counts and public schools, endorsed by Gov. Evers, WEAC and Planned Parenthood Advocates. In 2024 he faced questions about running a Kansas literacy program funded with welfare (TANF) money under Gov. Sam Brownback.
Sources: Wikipedia, Tone Madison, Campaign site, WEAC
Mark Kjorlie
Compromised RepublicanBacked by the Republican Party of Wisconsin and the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee. We found little else about him.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Wisconsin GOP voter guide
Assembly District 50
Vote for oneOpen seat: Jenna Jacobson is running for state Senate. Oregon, Belleville and nearby towns.
Bill Oemichen
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWants the school aid formula changed to reduce reliance on referendums, and has raised concerns about the "lack of due process" in immigration enforcement. Endorsed by WEAC, Wisconsin Conservation Voters and the Farm Bureau's PAC.
Sources: WisPolitics, Wisconsin Farm Bureau, WEAC
Jon Aleckson
Not enough info RepublicanHis "Restore Wisconsin" platform calls for a property tax freeze for seniors, AI workforce training and civics education changes. Endorsed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
Sources: Campaign site, Wisconsin GOP voter guide
Assembly District 51
Vote for oneMount Horeb, Blue Mounds and Vermont; most of the district is west of Dane County.
Ben Gruber
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratLifelong southwestern Wisconsin resident. Endorsed by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, AFT-Wisconsin, Wisconsin Conservation Voters and Planned Parenthood Advocates.
Sources: UpNorthNews, Wisconsin AFL-CIO, AFT-Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood Advocates
Todd Novak
Compromised RepublicanThe first openly gay Republican in the Legislature, with a bipartisan reputation; his campaign ads stress distance from party hardliners and Trump. Backed by the Dairy Business Association and NFIB's PAC.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Marquette Law, Wisconsin Watch, Midwest Farm Report
Nathan Tataje
Not enough info American SolidarityRuns on Christian democracy, a rural school endowment for property tax relief and worker-owned cooperatives. Opposes large hyperscale data centers over water, utility rates and local zoning control.
Sources: American Solidarity Party
Assembly District 76
Vote for oneOpen seat on Madison's east side and Maple Bluff.
Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWants more affordable housing, more money for the UW system, a pause on data centers and a ban on local police cooperating with ICE. Endorsed by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and IBEW Local 159; she would be Wisconsin's first openly transgender legislator.
Sources: Wikipedia, WisPolitics, Victory Fund
Nina Chat
Not enough info RepublicanWe found no public information about her campaign.
Sources: Dane County ballot
Assembly District 77
Vote for oneNear west Madison, Shorewood Hills and one Fitchburg ward.
Renuka Mayadev
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratRanking Democrat on the Constitution and Ethics Committee, with priorities of reproductive rights, public schools and health care. Endorsed by the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, WEAC and Wisconsin Conservation Voters.
Sources: Wikipedia, Urban Milwaukee, WEAC, Wisconsin Conservation Voters
Jane McCormick
Compromised RepublicanWants to "lower the tax burden, encourage housing choices" and address safety concerns downtown. Proposes a statewide one-stop child care resource center.
Sources: Campaign site, Wisconsin GOP voter guide
Assembly District 78
Vote for oneSouth and east Madison, Monona, part of McFarland and Fitchburg.
Shelia Stubbs
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratFormer probation agent and special education teacher. Co-chaired the Speaker's Task Force on Racial Disparities and keeps pushing for a state task force on missing and murdered Black women and girls. Endorsed by Gov. Evers.
Sources: Wikipedia, News From the States, Campaign site
Henry Johnson
Not enough info RepublicanWe found no public information about his campaign.
Sources: Dane County ballot
Assembly District 79
Vote for oneWest Madison.
Lisa Subeck
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratWrote bills to restore Roe-era abortion protections and guarantee a right to contraception, and to ban ghost guns and close background check gaps. Endorsed by Wisconsin Conservation Voters and Planned Parenthood Advocates.
Sources: Wikipedia, Campaign site, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Planned Parenthood Advocates
John Fons
Not enough info RepublicanLost a Dane County Board race in April, then ran for this seat. Wants tougher drunk driving penalties, and told a child care survey "It doesn't take a village. It takes a family."
Sources: Campaign site, 9to5 Wisconsin
Assembly District 80
Vote for oneVerona, Cross Plains, part of the Town of Middleton and far west Madison.
Mike Bare
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratCo-wrote a 2026 bill barring legislators from lobbying for a year after leaving office. Endorsed by WEAC, the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, AFT-Wisconsin and the Farm Bureau's PAC.
Sources: Wikipedia, Sen. Keyeski, AFT-Wisconsin, Wisconsin Farm Bureau
Simran Arora
Not enough info RepublicanWants property tax relief, surplus tax dollars returned to families and fewer barriers to workforce housing. Says redistricting should stay with the Legislature.
Sources: Campaign site, VOTE411, WisPolitics
Assembly District 81
Vote for oneMiddleton (most wards), Waunakee, Mazomanie, Black Earth and western towns.
Alex Joers
Seems like good people (best choice in this race) DemocratVoted against the 2025 Republican bill on local police cooperation with ICE and has proposed paid family leave and child care funding. Campaigns on school funding and closing corporate tax loopholes.
Sources: Wikipedia, Legislature press releases, Campaign site
Mark S. Maier
Not enough info RepublicanFirst run for office; top priority is reading and math scores. Says data centers must not push utility costs onto taxpayers or drain local water.
Sources: Campaign site, CREATE Wisconsin, Wisconsin GOP voter guide
Local referendums
We describe what each referendum does and don't make recommendations. The three statewide constitutional amendments appear with the statewide races.
Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, operating referendum
Yes or noLets the district exceed its state revenue limit for four years: by $24.9 million in 2027-28, $27.9 million in 2028-29, $31.1 million in 2029-30 and $34.6 million in 2030-31, for programs, staff pay and other operating costs. Ballot text.
Waunakee Community School District, operating referendum
Yes or noQuestion 1. Lets the district exceed its revenue limit by $4.2 million in 2027-28, rising $2.1 million a year to $10.5 million in 2030-31 and staying at that level permanently, for operating costs and employee pay. Ballot text.
Waunakee Community School District, $97.5 million building bonds
Yes or noQuestion 2. Lets the district borrow up to $97.5 million to tear down an older part of the high school and build additions, renovate the old middle school (the High School South Campus), redo athletic fields and do district-wide maintenance. Ballot text.
School District of Lodi, operating referendum and bonds
Yes or noTwo questions for Dane County voters in the Lodi district: exceeding the revenue limit by $5.98 million a year for five years starting in 2027-28, and borrowing up to $13.2 million for high school renovations (technical education spaces and the pool) and new athletic fields at the Primary School. Ballot text.
Evansville Community School District, operating referendum
Yes or noLets the district exceed its revenue limit by $5.3 million a year for four years, 2027-28 through 2030-31, for operating and maintenance costs. Ballot text.