1974 Wisconsin gubernatorial election explained

The 1974 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974. Democrat Patrick Lucey won the election with 53% of the vote, winning his second term as Governor of Wisconsin and defeating Republican William Dyke.^[1]

As of 2023, this is the last time a Democratic gubernatorial candidate won Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties. These three counties, collectively known as the WOW counties, have been among the most Republican areas in the state since the 1940s. It is also the last time a Democratic gubernatorial candidate carried Calumet and Marinette counties.

Primary election

The primary election was held on September 10, 1974. Nominees for Governor and Lieutenant Governor were selected in separate primaries before running on a joint ticket in the general election.

Democratic party

Governor

Candidates

• Edmond Hou-Seye, American party nominee for United States Senate in 1970
• Patrick J. Lucey, incumbent governor

Results

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates

• Martin J. Schreiber, incumbent lieutenant governor
• Andrew Tripoli

Results

Republican party

Governor

Candidates

• William Dyke, former mayor of Madison

Results

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates

• John M. Alberts, member of Wisconsin State Assembly

Results

American party

Governor

Candidates

• William H. Upham

Results

Lieutenant Governor

Candidates

• Donald D. Hoeft

Results

General election

Candidates

• Patrick J. Lucey & Martin J. Schreiber, Democrat
• William Dyke & John M. Alberts, Republican
• William H. Upham & Donald D. Hoeft, American
• Crazy Jim & Gary C. Wetzel, Independent
• William O. Hart & Fred Dahir, Independent
• Fred B. Blair & Mary K. Blair, Independent
• Georgia Cozzini & David Hornung, Independent

Results by county

Lucey was the first Democrat since Albert G. Schmedeman in 1934 to win Outagamie County, Ozaukee County, Sawyer County, and Waukesha County. Adams County, Jackson County, and Oneida County would not vote for the losing candidate again until 2018.

County	Patrick J. Lucey Democratic		William Dyke Republican		William H. Upham American		Crazy Jim Independent		All Others Various		Margin		Total votes cast
		%		%		%		%		%		%
	Adams		1,444		44.71%		1,675		51.86%		76		2.35%		11		0.34%		24		0.74%		-231		-7.15%		3,230
	Ashland		3,028		64.48%		1,525		32.47%		79		1.68%		24		0.51%		40		0.85%		1,503		32.01%		4,696
	Barron		4,709		54.15%		3,784		43.51%		143		1.64%		33		0.38%		27		0.31%		925		10.64%		8,696
	Bayfield		2,447		62.60%		1,358		34.74%		57		1.46%		29		0.74%		18		0.46%		1,089		27.86%		3,909
	Brown		21,323		47.94%		20,591		46.29%		1,972		4.43%		287		0.65%		310		0.70%		732		1.65%		44,483
	Buffalo		2,596		55.34%		1,974		42.08%		79		1.68%		27		0.58%		15		0.32%		622		13.26%		4,691
	Burnett		2,137		68.43%		931		29.81%		33		1.06%		10		0.32%		12		0.38%		1,206		38.62%		3,123
	Calumet		4,073		48.83%		3,945		47.30%		248		2.97%		53		0.64%		22		0.26%		128		1.53%		8,341
	Chippewa		7,054		56.70%		4,566		36.70%		630		5.06%		114		0.92%		76		0.61%		2,488		20.00%		12,440
	Clark		4,439		51.00%		3,445		39.58%		723		8.31%		67		0.77%		30		0.34%		994		11.42%		8,704
	Columbia		4,798		39.31%		7,178		58.81%		110		0.90%		66		0.54%		53		0.43%		-2,380		-19.50%		12,205
	Crawford		2,665		53.01%		2,68		45.12%		60		1.19%		12		0.24%		22		0.44%		397		7.90%		5,027
	Dane		50,648		60.13%		28,580		33.93%		934		1.11%		626		0.74%		3,445		4.09%		22,068		26.20%		84,233
	Dodge		8,268		41.61%		11,055		55.63%		325		1.64%		164		0.83%		60		0.30%		-2,787		-14.02%		19,872
	Door		3,021		41.09%		4,088		55.60%		190		2.58%		28		0.38%		25		0.34%		-1,067		-14.51%		7,352
	Douglas		9,275		76.32%		2,611		21.49%		89		0.73%		67		0.55%		110		0.91%		6,664		54.84%		12,152
	Dunn		4,191		52.68%		3,289		41.34%		365		4.59%		55		0.69%		56		0.70%		902		11.34%		7,956
	Eau Claire		10,717		55.07%		7,563		38.86%		841		4.32%		172		0.88%		169		0.87%		3,154		16.21%		19,462
	Florence		579		57.50%		392		38.93%		18		1.79%		13		1.29%		5		0.50%		187		18.57%		1,007
	Fond du Lac		9,901		42.44%		12,105		51.88%		896		3.84%		305		1.31%		124		0.53%		-2,204		-9.45%		23,331
	Forest		1,215		56.25%		769		35.60%		137		6.34%		28		1.30%		11		0.51%		446		20.65%		2,160
	Grant		5,445		36.78%		8,861		59.85%		322		2.17%		76		0.51%		102		0.69%		-3,416		-23.07%		14,806
	Green		2,422		29.46%		5,699		69.32%		68		0.83%		18		0.22%		14		0.17%		-3,277		-39.86%		8,221
	Green Lake		1,410		28.61%		3,292		66.80%		186		3.77%		21		0.43%		19		0.39%		-1,882		-38.19%		4,928
	Iowa		1,937		35.76%		3,372		62.25%		42		0.78%		25		0.46%		41		0.76%		-1,435		-26.49%		5,417
	Iron		1,329		61.19%		653		30.06%		29		1.34%		150		6.91%		11		0.51%		676		31.12%		2,172
	Jackson		2,073		47.93%		2,182		50.45%		43		0.99%		20		0.46%		7		0.16%		-109		-2.52%		4,325
	Jefferson		7,770		43.88%		9,498		53.63%		242		1.37%		129		0.73%		70		0.40%		-1,728		-9.76%		17,709
	Juneau		2,223		37.40%		3,602		60.60%		68		1.14%		21		0.35%		30		0.50%		-1,379		-23.20%		5,944
	Kenosha		16,708		63.45%		8,698		33.03%		448		1.70%		300		1.14%		179		0.68%		8,010		30.42%		26,333
	Kewaunee		2,424		40.93%		2,921		49.32%		536		9.05%		26		0.44%		16		0.27%		-497		-8.39%		5,923
	La Crosse		10,843		42.52%		14,124		55.39%		335		1.31%		96		0.38%		102		0.40%		-3,281		-12.87%		25,500
	Lafayette		1,838		33.02%		3,653		65.62%		50		0.90%		14		0.25%		12		0.22%		-1,815		-32.60%		5,567
	Langlade		3,475		52.79%		2,820		42.84%		171		2.60%		83		1.26%		34		0.52%		655		9.95%		6,583
	Lincoln		4,199		47.85%		4,186		47.70%		307		3.50%		45		0.51%		39		0.44%		13		0.15%		8,776
	Manitowoc		11,802		49.26%		9,523		39.75%		2,319		9.68%		152		0.63%		164		0.68%		2,279		9.51%		23,960
	Marathon		13,265		47.41%		12,414		44.37%		1,928		6.89%		232		0.83%		141		0.50%		851		3.04%		27,980
	Marinette		5,870		51.24%		5,226		45.62%		234		2.04%		84		0.73%		41		0.36%		644		5.62%		11,455
	Marquette		1,211		35.40%		2,106		61.56%		59		1.72%		34		0.99%		11		0.32%		-895		-26.16%		3,421
	Menominee		472		83.10%		63		11.09%		11		1.94%		10		1.76%		12		2.11%		409		72.01%		568
	Milwaukee		141,383		62.86%		69,989		31.12%		6,403		2.85%		5,228		2.32%		1,910		0.85%		71,394		31.74%		224,913
	Monroe		3,234		40.52%		4,594		57.56%		119		1.49%		26		0.33%		8		0.10%		-1,360		-17.04%		7,981
	Oconto		3,458		44.89%		3,876		50.31%		284		3.69%		56		0.73%		30		0.39%		-418		-5.43%		7,704
	Oneida		3,661		46.70%		3,786		48.29%		280		3.57%		93		1.19%		20		0.26%		-125		-1.59%		7,840
	Outagamie		16,494		53.01%		13,417		43.12%		866		2.78%		197		0.63%		141		0.45%		3,077		9.89%		31,115
	Ozaukee		8,791		48.74%		8,393		46.53%		553		3.07%		234		1.30%		66		0.37%		398		2.21%		18,037
	Pepin		1,272		63.95%		661		33.23%		40		2.01%		9		0.45%		7		0.35%		611		30.72%		1,989
	Pierce		5,048		61.31%		2,969		36.06%		108		1.31%		43		0.52%		66		0.80%		2,079		25.25%		8,234
	Polk		5,380		64.07%		2,879		34.29%		89		1.06%		19		0.23%		30		0.36%		2,501		29.78%		8,397
	Portage		8,185		63.01%		3,962		30.50%		396		3.05%		296		2.28%		150		1.15%		4,223		32.51%		12,989
	Price		2,309		52.42%		1,912		43.41%		137		3.11%		30		0.68%		17		0.39%		397		9.01%		4,405
	Racine		23,999		59.48%		15,215		37.71%		562		1.39%		432		1.07%		140		0.35%		8,784		21.77%		40,348
	Richland		1,844		35.08%		3,344		63.61%		31		0.59%		15		0.29%		23		0.44%		-1,500		-28.53%		5,257
	Rock		17,077		52.92%		14,415		44.67%		472		1.46%		161		0.50%		144		0.45%		2,662		8.25%		32,269
	Rusk		2,780		58.11%		1,817		37.98%		138		2.88%		34		0.71%		15		0.31%		963		20.13%		4,784
	Sauk		3,919		36.13%		6,626		61.09%		86		0.79%		37		0.34%		178		1.64%		-2,707		-24.96%		10,846
	Sawyer		1,808		51.89%		1,584		45.46%		47		1.35%		30		0.86%		15		0.43%		224		6.43%		3,484
	Shawano		3,353		39.41%		4,685		55.07%		419		4.93%		41		0.48%		9		0.11%		-1,332		-15.66%		8,507
	Sheboygan		18,951		59.98%		11,988		37.94%		407		1.29%		170		0.54%		81		0.26%		6,963		22.04%		31,597
	St. Croix		6,260		64.85%		3,191		33.06%		124		1.28%		43		0.45%		35		0.36%		3,069		31.79%		9,653
	Taylor		2,422		54.00%		1,743		38.86%		216		4.82%		62		1.38%		42		0.94%		679		15.14%		4,485
	Trempealeau		3,787		54.92%		2,983		43.26%		100		1.45%		10		0.15%		15		0.22%		804		11.66%		6,895
	Vernon		3,160		41.49%		4,339		56.96%		76		1.00%		21		0.28%		21		0.28%		-1,179		-15.48%		7,617
	Vilas		2,054		39.36%		2,948		56.50%		143		2.74%		49		0.94%		24		0.46%		-894		-17.13%		5,218
	Walworth		7,109		44.74%		8,377		52.72%		169		1.06%		158		0.99%		77		0.48%		-1,268		-7.98%		15,890
	Washburn		2,298		60.54%		1,400		36.88%		57		1.50%		22		0.58%		19		0.50%		898		23.66%		3,796
	Washington		9,799		54.84%		7,382		41.32%		401		2.24%		240		1.34%		45		0.25%		2,417		13.53%		17,867
	Waukesha		33,630		52.01%		28,030		43.35%		1,863		2.88%		66		0.10%		1,067		1.65%		5,600		8.66%		64,656
	Waupaca		3,542		36.50%		5,815		59.92%		257		2.65%		68		0.70%		22		0.23%		-2,273		-23.42%		9,704
	Waushara		1,487		34.11%		2,660		61.01%		162		3.72%		47		1.08%		4		0.09%		-1,173		-26.90%		4,360
	Winnebago		16,068		44.56%		17,908		49.66%		1,422		3.94%		439		1.22%		224		0.62%		1,840		5.10%		36,061
	Wood		8,833		47.95%		7,722		41.92%		1,698		9.22%		100		0.54%		67		0.36%		1,111		6.03%		18,420
Total	628,639	53.19%	497,195	42.06%	33,528	2.84%	12,203	1.03%	10,411	0.88%	131,444	11.12%	1,181,976

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

• Crawford
• Outagamie
• Ozaukee
• Sawyer
• Waukesha

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Adams
• Jackson
• Kewaunee
• Oconto
• Oneida

Notes and References

1. Book: Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, Wisconsin Legislature . 2015 . Wisconsin Blue Book 2015-2016 . Madison, Wisconsin . Wisconsin Department of Administration . 699–701 . 978-0-9752820-7-6.