Wisconsin's 5th congressional district
Wisconsin's 5th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, covering most of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs. It presently covers all of Washington and Jefferson counties, most of Waukesha County, and portions of Dodge, Milwaukee and Walworth counties. It is currently represented by Republican Scott Fitzgerald.
Wisconsin's 5th congressional district | |||
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Wisconsin's 5th congressional district - since January 3, 2013. | |||
Representative |
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Area | 1,273.23 sq mi (3,297.7 km2) | ||
Distribution |
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Population (2019) | 733,314 | ||
Median household income | $77,386[1] | ||
Ethnicity | |||
Cook PVI | R+13[3] |
This is the most Republican district in Wisconsin. George W. Bush carried the district in 2004 with 63% of the vote. The 5th District was the only district in Wisconsin that John McCain won in 2008, giving 57.73% of the vote to McCain and 41.28% to Barack Obama.
Prior to the 2000 census (when Wisconsin lost a seat in Congress), the 5th District was a Milwaukee district, with vastly different boundaries and political history, represented often by Democrats or even Socialists. From 1983 to 2003, it covered the northern half of Milwaukee, including downtown, as well as some suburbs to the north. Meanwhile, most of the territory now in the 5th was part of the 9th District from 1965 to 2003.
After Wisconsin lost a district in the 2000 Census, all of Milwaukee was merged into the 4th District, while the old 9th essentially became the new 5th.
List of members representing the district
Member | Party | Years | Cong ress |
Electoral history | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
District created March 4, 1863 | |||||
Ezra Wheeler |
Democratic | March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 |
38th | Elected in 1862. Retired. |
1863 – 1873 [data unknown/missing] |
Philetus Sawyer |
Republican | March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1873 |
39th 40th 41st 42nd |
Elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Re-elected in 1868. Re-elected in 1870. Redistricted to the 6th district. | |
Charles A. Eldredge |
Democratic | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 |
43rd | Redistricted from the 4th district and re-elected in 1872. Lost renomination. |
1873 – 1883 [data unknown/missing] |
Samuel D. Burchard |
Democratic | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877 |
44th | Elected in 1874. Lost renomination. | |
Edward S. Bragg |
Democratic | March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1883 |
45th 46th 47th |
Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Redistricted to the 2nd district and lost renomination. |
1883 – 1893 [data unknown/missing] |
Joseph Rankin |
Democratic | March 4, 1883 – January 24, 1886 |
48th 49th |
Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Died. | |
Vacant | January 24, 1886 – March 8, 1886 |
49th | |||
Thomas R. Hudd |
Democratic | March 8, 1886 – March 3, 1889 |
49th 50th |
Elected to finish Rankin's term. Re-elected in 1886. Retired. | |
George H. Brickner |
Democratic | March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895 |
51st 52nd 53rd |
Elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Retired. | |
1893 – 1903 [data unknown/missing] | |||||
Samuel S. Barney |
Republican | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1903 |
54th 55th 56th 57th |
Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Retired. | |
William H. Stafford |
Republican | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911 |
58th 59th 60th 61st |
Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Lost renomination. |
1903 – 1913 [data unknown/missing] |
Victor L. Berger |
Socialist | March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913 |
62nd | Elected in 1910. Lost re-election. | |
William H. Stafford |
Republican | March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919 |
63rd 64th 65th |
Elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost re-election. |
1913 – 1933 [data unknown/missing] |
Vacant | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921 |
66th | Congress refused to seat Representative-elect Victor L. Berger. | ||
William H. Stafford |
Republican | March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1923 |
67th | Elected in 1920. Lost re-election. | |
Victor L. Berger |
Socialist | March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1929 |
68th 69th 70th |
Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Lost re-election. | |
William H. Stafford |
Republican | March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1933 |
71st 72nd |
Elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Lost renomination. | |
Thomas O'Malley |
Democratic | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939 |
73rd 74th 75th |
Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Lost re-election. |
1933 – 1943 [data unknown/missing] |
Lewis D. Thill | Republican | January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1943 |
76th 77th |
Elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Lost re-election. | |
Howard J. McMurray |
Democratic | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945 |
78th | Elected in 1942. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. |
1943 – 1953 [data unknown/missing] |
Andrew Biemiller |
Democratic | January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 |
79th | Elected in 1944. Lost re-election. | |
Charles J. Kersten |
Republican | January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 |
80th | Elected in 1946. Lost re-election. | |
Andrew Biemiller |
Democratic | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951 |
81st | Elected in 1948. Lost re-election. | |
Charles J. Kersten |
Republican | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1955 |
82nd 83rd |
Elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Lost re-election. | |
1953 – 1963 [data unknown/missing] | |||||
Henry S. Reuss |
Democratic | January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1983 |
84th 85th 86th 87th 88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th |
Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Retired. | |
1963 – 1973 [data unknown/missing] | |||||
1973 – 1983 [data unknown/missing] | |||||
Jim Moody |
Democratic | January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993 |
98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd |
Elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. |
1983 – 1993 [data unknown/missing] |
Tom Barrett |
Democratic | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003 |
103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th |
Elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Retired to run for Governor of Wisconsin. |
1993 – 2003 [data unknown/missing] |
Jim Sensenbrenner |
Republican | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2021 |
108th 109th 110th 111th 112th 113th 114th 115th 116th |
Redistricted from the 9th district and re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Retired. |
2003–2013 |
2013–present | |||||
Scott L. Fitzgerald |
Republican | January 3, 2021 – Present |
117th | Elected in 2020. |
Recent election results
2012
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (Incumbent) | 250,335 | 67.72 | |
Democratic | Dave Heaster | 118,478 | 32.05 | |
none | Scattering | 851 | 0.23 | |
Total votes | 369,664 | 100.0 |
2014
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Sensenbrenner (incumbent) | 231,160 | 69.5 | |
Democratic | Chris Rockwood | 101,190 | 30.4 | |
n/a | Write-ins | 476 | 0.1 | |
Total votes | 332,826 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
2016
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | James Sensenbrenner (incumbent) | 260,706 | 66.7 | |
Democratic | Khary Penebaker | 114,477 | 29.3 | |
Libertarian | John Arndt | 15,324 | 3.9 | |
n/a | Write-ins | 337 | 0.1 | |
Total votes | 390,844 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold |
2018
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Jim Sensenbrenner (incumbent) | 225,619 | 61.9 | |
Democratic | Tom Palzewicz | 138,385 | 38.0 | |
Democratic | Ramon Garcia (write-in) | 1 | 0.0 | |
n/a | Write-ins | 283 | 0.1 | |
Total votes | 364,288 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
2020
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Scott Fitzgerald | 265,434 | 60.1 | |
Democratic | Tom Palzewicz | 175,902 | 39.8 | |
Write-in | 263 | 0.1 | ||
Total votes | 441,599 | 100.0 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
References
- https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=55&cd=05
- https://censusreporter.org/profiles/50000US5505-congressional-district-5-wi/
- "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present