The wisconsin delegation
congressional officials …
Wisconsin is not a gender-diverse congressional delegation for its size but has had two members serve in the military, one of whom had five combat tours of duty.
Of the ten members in the 2022-2023 class, two are female, eight are male, and one is of minority representation.
Three are lawyers, and one has two Master’s degrees and a doctorate and chairs a strategically important committee in the House.
The University of Wisconsin has conferred six degrees - the highest received by any delegation member.
The average tenure for the delegation currently is 3.9 terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2024. The longest-serving member has been in Congress for ten terms.
One member of the Wisconsin delegation is a freshman. One of the Senators is up for re-election in 2024.
When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)
If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.
Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of pushback on former President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are vital to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. For example, two of the ten current Wisconsin delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on the same evening Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.
Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on critical matters because they control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.
Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire or an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century does not get one a good grade from Thomas.
We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2024 elections today. The overwhelming majority of House members were re-elected in 2022.
Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:
Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.
It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.
Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!
So, would you like to meet these fascinating Wisconsinites? If so, keep reading on!
what is thomas looking for?
Thomas does not see any particularly vulnerable races in Wisconsin to watch in 2024.
the senators
Credit: US Senator Ron Johnson
United States Senator ron johnson (r)
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson is the senior senator serving the great state of Wisconsin. He is serving his third term and is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, the Budget Committee, the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, the Senator is married and the father of two.
Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2024
Thomas Rank: D
Credit: US Senator Tammy Baldwin
United states senator tammy baldwin (D)
Wisconsin’s junior senator is completing her second term and is running for re-election in 2024. A member of the Appropriations Committee; the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Baldwin graduated from Smith College with a law degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
the representatives
Credit: US Rep. Bryan Steil
district 1 - u.s. rep. bryan Steil (r)
Congressman Bryan Steil is a third-term member of Congress who serves on the House Administration and Financial Services committees. His district includes southeastern Wisconsin. Steil graduated from Georgetown University with a law degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B
district 2 - U.S. Rep. mark pocan (D)
Congressman Mark Pocan represents the Madison area in Congress and is in his sixth term. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, the married Pocan serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Committee on Education and Labor.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Mark Pocan
Credit: US Rep. Derrick Van Orden
District 3 - U.S. Rep. derrick van orden (r)
Representing southwestern and western Wisconsin as a freshman Congressman, Derrick Van Orden is a retired Navy SEAL who did five combat tours during his military career. Van Orden wrote about his career in a published book. A graduate of Excelsior University, the Congressman is married, the father of four, and serves on the Agriculture Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B
District 4 - U.S. Rep. gwen moore (d)
Representing the Milwaukee area, Congresswoman Gwen Moore is a ten-term member of the House who serves on the Ways and Means Committee. Moore, the mother of three, is a graduate of Marquette University.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Gwen Moore
Credit: US Rep. Scott Fitzgerald
district 5 - U.S. rep. scott fitzgerald (r)
Representing the northern suburbs of Milwaukee, three-term House member Scott Fitzgerald is a former newspaper editor who was also in the United States Army during his career. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin and serves on the House Judiciary Committee; the Education and Workforce Committee; and the Small Business Committee.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: D
district 6 - U.S. rep. glenn grothman (r)
Glenn Grothman is a five-term member of the House who represents eastern Wisconsin. He serves on the Budget Committee; the Education and Workforce Committee; the Oversight and Government Reform Committee; and the Joint Committee on Taxation. Grothman graduated from the University of Wisconsin with both undergraduate and law degrees.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Glenn Grothman
Credit: US Rep. Tom Tiffany
district 7 - U.S. rep. tom tiffany (r)
Congresswoman Tom Tiffany was a member of the Wisconsin Senate when he won a special election to Congress in 2022. His district includes northwestern and central Wisconsin. Tiffany is a member of the Judiciary and Natural Resources committees. The married father of three is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: D
district 8 - vacant
Congressman Mike Gallagher resigned this seat effective April 19th.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: N/A
Website: N/A
Credit: State of Wisconsin