The Lieutenant Governor’s race is looking at an open field of candidates, with incumbent Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes foregoing re-election to run against Sen. Ron Johnson in the U.S. Senate race. In the last Lieutenant Governor’s race, Mandela Barnes beat GOP incumbent Rebecca Kleefisch by 47,227 votes.
First-term State Representative Sara Rodriguez (D-Brookfield) won her party’s nomination and will join Governor Tony Evers on the Democratic ticket. Although relatively new to state politics, Rodriguez was one of very few Democrats to flip a Republican-held suburban district when she won her assembly seat in 2020. Prior to serving in the assembly, Rodriguez worked as a registered nurse, small business owner, vice president of a Fortune 500 company, and executive for a local healthcare system
State Senator Roger Roth (R-Appleton) won the crowded Republican primary. Roth served in the Assembly from 2007 to 2011. He then successfully ran for the State Senate in 2014 and has served since, although he is not able to seek re-election while running for Lt. Governor. Roth was chosen by his peers in 2017 and 2019 to be President of the Senate. Prior to his time in the legislature, Roth was a Captain in the Wisconsin Air National Guard where he served four tours of duty in Iraq. He is also a self-employed home builder.
Democratic Primary Results:
Sara Rodriguez: 77%
Peng Her: 23%
Republican Primary Results:
Roger Roth: 30%
Patrick Testin: 18%
Cindy Werner: 14%
Jonathan Wichmann: 13%
Will Martin: 9%
Kyle Yudes: 5%
David Varnam: 5%
David King: 5%
