Tiffany defeats Zunker

2020 SPRING ELECTION RESULTS

Senator sweeps west county municipalities in Tuesday balloting

State senator Tom Tiffany, a Minocqua Republican, beat Democratic challenger Tricia Zunker, Wausau, to win a Seventh District congressional seat by a doubledigit margin on Tuesday.

Tiffany carried 17 out of 21 counties across the sprawling, largely rural northern Wisconsin district and, locally, swept all municipalities across western Marathon County with up to as much as 80 percent support in some townships.

In election night remarks, Tiffany said he was ready and able to get to work in the nation’s capital. “Throughout this campaign, one thing was made resoundingly clear: the people of our district want …someone who will work with President Trump to get our families safely through these rough times and back to prosperity,” he said. “That has always been my promise to you and I am ready to hit the ground running on day one.”

Zunker, for her part, claimed to have cracked open the Republican base in northern Wisconsin and endangered President Donald Trump’s chances of winning Wisconsin, a key battleground state, come the November general election.

“This wasn’t the result we hoped for, but I’m proud of the campaign we ran,” Zunker told supporters Tuesday night. “We showed what can be done, and we laid the groundwork for this seat to turn blue in November.”

Tiffany beat Zunker by a 57 to 42 percent margin, 109,594 to 81,955. This is what Tiffany called a “decisive victory” but represents a smaller margin of victory than what now resigned congressman Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Weston) enjoyed over challenger Margaret Engebretson in 2018. In that race, Duffy beat Engebretson by a 60 to 39 percent margin, 194,061 to 124,307.

Tuesday’s special election determined who will represent the Seventh District in Washingon, D.C. for the balance of Duffy’s unexpired term this year.

Tiffany will need to return to the campaign trail in advance of the November election to run for a new twoyear term.