Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District election, 2016

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Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District

General Election Date November 8, 2016

Primary Date August 9, 2016

November 8 Election Winner: Mike Gallagher

Incumbent prior to election: Reid Ribble

Race Ratings Cook Political Report: Lean R Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean R Rothenberg & Gonzales: R Favored

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2016 U.S. Senate Elections

The 8th Congressional District of Wisconsin held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as a race to watch. The seat was left open following incumbent Reid Ribble's (R) decision to retire. Mike Gallagher (R) defeated Tom Nelson (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Gallagher defeated Frank Lasee and Terry McNulty in the Republican primary on August 9, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS

Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District race was expected to be heavily impacted by both the presidential race and Wisconsin's U.S. Senate race.

Heading into the election, Mike Gallagher (R) was a favorite over Tom Nelson (D).

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
June 1, 2016	August 9, 2016	November 8, 2016

Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Wisconsin utilizes an open primary system; registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Reid Ribble (R), who was first elected in 2010. Ribble did not seek re-election in 2016.

Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District includes Brown, Calumet, Door, Kewaunee, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, and Waupaca counties and a portion of Winnebago County.

Election results

General election

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 8 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Mike Gallagher	62.7%	227,892
	Democratic	Tom Nelson	37.3%	135,682
	N/A	Write-in	0%	18
Total Votes				363,592
Source: Wisconsin Elections Commission

Primary election

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 1 Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Mike Gallagher	74.5%	40,322
Frank Lasee	19.8%	10,705
Terry McNulty	5.7%	3,109
Total Votes		54,136
Source: Wisconsin Elections and Ethics Commission

Candidates

General election candidates:

Mike Gallagher a
Tom Nelson

Primary candidates:

Democratic

Tom Nelson - Outagamie County executive a

Republican

Frank Lasee - State sen.
Mike Gallagher - Former Marine captain a
Terry McNulty

Not running:

Reid Ribble (R) - Incumbent

Withdrew:
Tony Saladino (D)
Gary Schomburg (R)
Jerry Kobishop (D)
Robbie Hoffman (Independent)
Wendy Gribben (Independent Progressive)

Race background

Tom Nelson was added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Emerging Races program on April 8, 2016. Emerging Races is the second tier of the Red to Blue program. According to the DCCC, it includes the districts "where campaigns are on track and working hard to put seats in play."

Endorsements

Mike Gallagher

• Retiring incumbent Reid Ribble

Polls

Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District -- Gallagher vs. Nelson
Poll	Gallagher	Nelson	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Public Opininon Strategies August, 2016	52%	36%	+/-4.9	400
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

Media

Mike Gallagher

"Always" - Gallagher's first ad, released June 2016

"One of Us" - Gallagher ad, released August 2016

"Running" - Gallagher campaign ad, released September 2016

"Left Behind" - Gallagher campaign ad, released October 2016

"Worried" - Gallagher campaign ad, released October 2016

Tom Nelson

Support

"Our Wisconsin" - Nelson campaign ad, released July 2016

"NewPage" - Nelson campaign ad, released August 2016

"Controlled" - Nelson campaign ad, released September 2016

"Minimum Wage" - Nelson campaign ad, released October 2016

"No" - Nelson ad tying Gallagher to Trump, released October 2016

Opposition

"Bottom Line" - NRCC ad opposing Nelson, released September 2016

"All Signs" - NRCC ad opposing Nelson, released October 2016

Campaign themes

Mike Gallagher

“	Taxes & Regulations: Unnecessary regulations and taxes are reducing wages, killing Wisconsin jobs, and forcing our businesses overseas. Not only do we need more family-friendly tax rates, but we also need to replace our outdated, broken tax code with one that is more modern and simple. We need to cut the lobbyist-written special interest loopholes and lower rates so working families in Wisconsin can keep more of what they earn. I will fight the career politicians and bureaucrats to cut the ever-growing regulations hurting our families, small businesses, and manufacturers. Budget & Spending: Federal spending is out of control, leaving us with a national debt of over $19 trillion, bankrupting the country and sending the bill to the next generation. To revive our economic strength, I will work tirelessly to cut wasteful spending, streamline government, and get our economy growing again so we can balance the budget and pay down the national debt. I strongly support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and will support one in Congress. Force Congress to Do Its Job: It’s simple: if you don’t do your job, you shouldn’t get paid. Currently, the “People’s House” isn’t doing the people’s work. As your representative, I will lead legislation that will not allow members of Congress to be paid unless a balanced budget is passed. Congress should not be a career; individuals should serve and return home. I will push to end pensions for members of Congress, institute term limits, and I will freeze congressional salaries so that Congress will focus on their constituents rather than their paychecks. National Security: When America leads, the world is safer and more prosperous. Sadly, over the last seven years we’ve abandoned American leadership, abandoned our allies, and undermined our credible military deterrent. As a result, we are no longer safe here at home. The Second Amendment: As a military veteran, gun owner, and NRA member, I will defend our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. I will always support Wisconsin’s hunters, sportsmen, and law-abiding gun owners who just want to protect their own families. This is part of Wisconsin’s way of life and fundamental to who we are as a country.	”
—Michael Gallagher's campaign website, http://news.mikeforwisconsin.com/issues/

Tom Nelson

“	Growing the Economy & Creating Jobs: When the Kimberly NewPage Paper Mill shut down because of unfair trade deals, Tom stood up in support of the workers. He fought against tax breaks for NewPage while the plant was shuttered. And after the mill closed, Tom did all he could to help find jobs for the displaced workers. Because of this experience, he will always oppose unfair trade deals that rob hardworking Wisconsinites of good-paying family supporting jobs. National Security & Foreign Policy: America faces the ongoing and evolving threat of terrorism, and we must do all we can to ensure American citizens are safe both at home and abroad. In order to do this, we must be tough and smart: we must provide our military, diplomats, and related personnel – and coalition partners abroad – with the support, resources, and tools to cut off ISIS strongholds, and deny it the funding it needs to continue. We must partner with our allies and technology companies to target those who have been radicalized on our soil, without ignoring the Constitution. We must expand the number of FBI agents dedicated to finding potential terrorists, as well as beef up our immigration screening processes to find those who seek to do us harm on our shores. Support Our Veterans: In the wake of two wars and continuing demands on our military personnel, now more than ever, we must recommit to supporting our veterans. At a time of war, they answered the call to defend and take care of us. Now, it is our turn to take care of them. Taking Care of Our Seniors: Tom knows that we must protect Social Security and Medicare for future generations. Our seniors rely on these important programs, and Tom will fight any attempt to weaken them by reducing benefits or gambling them on Wall Street. Protecting Our Environment: Northeast Wisconsin is home to some of our nation's most important natural resources, and in Congress, Tom will fight every day to protect the Great Lakes. He will continue Congressman Ribble's work combating the pollution in the Green Bay by bringing people together and finding solutions that protect our environment and ensure our state has the resources necessary to solve this pressing issue. Tom also knows that we must address the issue of unsafe groundwater in parts of our district. He will work with national, state, and local leaders to address this problem that is impacting people in Northeast Wisconsin.	”
—Tom Nelson's campaign website

Campaign contributions

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

Mike Gallagher

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

Tom Nelson

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

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The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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District history

2014

See also: Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 8th Congressional District of Wisconsin held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Reid Ribble (R) defeated Ron Gruett (D) in the general election.

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 8 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Reid Ribble Incumbent	65%	188,553
	Democratic	Ron Gruett	34.9%	101,345
	N/A	Scattering	0.1%	150
Total Votes				290,048
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

2012

See also: Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 8th Congressional District of Wisconsin held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Reid Ribble won re-election in the district.

U.S. House, Wisconsin District 8 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jamie Wall	44%	156,287
	Republican	Reid Ribble Incumbent	55.9%	198,874
	Miscellaneous	N/A	0.1%	303
Total Votes				355,464
Source: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" (dead link)

Important dates and deadlines

See also: Wisconsin elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Wisconsin in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline	Event type	Event description
January 5, 2016	Ballot access	Last day for candidates to file nomination papers, declarations of candidacy and campaign registration statements for the spring election
January 15, 2016	Campaign finance	January continuing report due
February 8, 2016	Campaign finance	Spring pre-primary report due
March 28, 2016	Campaign finance	Spring pre-election report due
June 1, 2016	Ballot access	Last day for candidates to file nomination papers, declarations of candidacy and campaign registration statements for the general election
July 15, 2016	Campaign finance	July continuing report due
August 1, 2016	Campaign finance	Fall partisan primary report due
August 9, 2016	Election date	State partisan primary election
September 27, 2016	Campaign finance	Fourth Tuesday in September report due
October 31, 2016	Campaign finance	Fall general election report due
November 8, 2016	Election date	General election
Sources: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Calendar of Election and Campaign Events," accessed January 11, 2016 Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "New Campaign Finance Laws Effective January 1, 2016," December 21, 2015

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Wisconsin, 2016
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2016

Footnotes

For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!

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Wisconsin's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tammy Baldwin (D)

Ronald Johnson (R)

Representatives

District 1

Bryan Steil (R)

District 2

Mark Pocan (D)

District 3

Derrick Van Orden (R)

District 4

Gwen Moore (D)

District 5

Scott Fitzgerald (R)

District 6

Glenn Grothman (R)

District 7

Tom Tiffany (R)

District 8

Tony Wied (R)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (3)