Wisconsin's 1st congressional district explained

State:	Wisconsin
District Number:	1
Image Caption:	Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative:	Bryan Steil
Party:	Republican
Residence:	Janesville
English Area:	1,679.95
Percent Urban:	84.13
Percent Rural:	15.87
Population:	729,535^[1]
Population Year:	2022
Median Income:	$71,781^[2]
Ethnicity Ref:	^[3]
Percent White:	74.2
Percent Black:	6.5
Percent Asian:	2.0
Percent More Than One Race:	4.0
Percent Hispanic:	12.7
Percent Other Race:	0.6
Cpvi:	R+3^[4]

Wisconsin's 1st congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southeastern Wisconsin, covering Kenosha County, Racine County, and most of Walworth County, as well as portions of Rock County and Milwaukee County. The district's current Representative is Republican Bryan Steil.

Among the district's previous representatives are U.S. Secretary of Defense Les Aspin and Speaker of the House and 2012 Vice Presidential-nominee Paul Ryan.

A slightly Republican-leaning district, it was carried by George W. Bush in 2004 with 53%; the district voted for Barack Obama over John McCain in 2008, 51.40–47.45% and the district voted for Mitt Romney over Barack Obama in 2012, 52.12%–47.88%.^[5] It stayed Republican in 2016, with a plurality of voters polling for Donald Trump.^[6]

Counties and municipalities within the district

	County	Seat	Population
59	Kenosha	Kenosha	168,732
79	Milwaukee	Milwaukee	928,059
101	Racine	Racine	196,896
101	Rock	Janesville	164,381
101	Walworth	Elkhorn	106,799

Kenosha County

Brighton, Bristol, Genoa City, Kenosha, Paddock Lake, Paris, Pleasant Prairie, Randall, Salem Lakes, Somers, Twin Lakes, and Wheatland

Milwaukee County

Cudahy, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee, and St. Francis.

Racine County

Burlington, Caledonia, Dover, Elmwood, Mount Pleasant, North Bay, Norway, Racine, Raymond, Rochester, Sturtevant, Union Grove, Wateford, Wind Point, and Yorkville.

Rock

Beloit, Bradford, Center, Clinton, Janesville, La Prairie, Milton (most), and Turtle (most).

Walworth

Bloomfield, Darien, Delavan, Elkhorn, Geneva, Genoa City, Fontana-on-Geneva Lake, Lake Geneva, Sharon, Whitewater (Walworth County side), and Williams Bay.

Recent election results from statewide races

Currently, it is a swing district that leans Republican, although it was redrawn to be more Democratic-leaning in 2022.

Year	Office	Results
2000	President	Al Gore 49% – George W. Bush 47%
2004	President	George W. Bush 54% – John Kerry 46%
2008	President	Barack Obama 51% – John McCain 48%
2012	President	Mitt Romney 52% – Barack Obama 47%
2014	Governor	Scott Walker 58.25 – Mary Burke 40.73%
Rowspan=2	2016	President	Donald Trump 48.2% – Hillary Clinton 45.5% ^[7]
Senate	Ron Johnson 51.3% – Russ Feingold 45.7% ^[8]
Rowspan=2	2018	Governor	Scott Walker 54.13% – Tony Evers 43.75%
Senate	Leah Vukmir 50.3% – Tammy Baldwin 49.6% ^[9]
Rowspan=1	2020	President	Donald Trump 50.1% – Joe Biden 48.1% ^[10]
Rowspan=2	2022	Governor	Tim Michels 49.5% – Tony Evers 49.3%
Senate	Ron Johnson 52% – Mandela Barnes 48%
2023		Janet Protasiewicz 53% – Daniel Kelly 47%

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District
District established June 5, 1848
align=left	William Pitt Lynde		Democratic	nowrap	June 5, 1848 – March 3, 1849		Elected to the short term in 1848. Lost re-election.	Green, Jefferson, Milwaukee, Racine, Rock, Walworth, & Waukesha counties
align=left	Charles Durkee		Free Soil	nowrap	March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853		Elected to the regular term in 1848. Re-elected in 1850. Retired.	Milwaukee, Racine, Walworth, & Waukesha counties (& Kenosha—created in 1850 from Racine)
align=left	Daniel Wells Jr.		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1857		Elected in 1852. Re-elected in 1854. Retired.
align=left	John F. Potter		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1863		Elected in 1856. Re-elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860. Lost re-election.
align=left	James S. Brown		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865		Elected in 1862. Withdrew from re-election.	Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, Walworth, & Waukesha counties
align=left	Halbert E. Paine		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1871		Elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Re-elected in 1868. Retired.
align=left	Alexander Mitchell		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873		Elected in 1870. Redistricted to the .
align=left	Charles G. Williams		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1883		Elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Lost re-election.	Kenosha, Racine, Rock, Walworth, & Waukesha counties
align=left	John Winans		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885		Elected in 1882. Retired to run for mayor of Janesville.	Jefferson, Kenosha, Racine, Rock, & Walworth counties
align=left	Lucien B. Caswell		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891		Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Lost renomination.
align=left	Clinton Babbitt		Democratic	nowrap	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893		Elected in 1890. Lost re-election.
Henry Allen Cooper	Republican	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1919		Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost renomination and lost re-election as an independent.	Green, Kenosha, Lafayette, Racine, Rock, & Walworth counties
					Green, Kenosha, Lafayette, Racine, Rock, & Walworth counties
					Kenosha, Racine, Rock, Walworth, & Waukesha counties
align=left	Clifford E. Randall		Republican	nowrap		March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921		Elected in 1918. Lost renomination.
align=left	Henry Allen Cooper		Republican	nowrap		March 4, 1921 – March 1, 1931		Elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930 but died before next term began.
Vacant		nowrap	March 1, 1931 – October 13, 1931
align=left	Thomas Ryum Amlie		Republican	nowrap		October 13, 1931 – March 3, 1933		Elected to finish Cooper's term. Lost renomination.
align=left	George Washington Blanchard		Republican	nowrap	March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935		Elected in 1932. Renominated but withdrew prior to election.	Green, Kenosha, Racine, Rock, & Walworth counties
align=left	Thomas Ryum Amlie		Progressive	nowrap	January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1939		Elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
align=left	Stephen Bolles		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1939 – July 8, 1941		Elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Died.
Vacant		nowrap	July 8, 1941 – August 29, 1941
align=left	Lawrence H. Smith		Republican	nowrap	August 29, 1941 – January 22, 1958		Elected to finish Bolles's term. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Died.
Vacant		nowrap	January 22, 1958 – January 3, 1959
align=left	Gerald T. Flynn		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961		Elected in 1958. Lost re-election.
align=left	Henry C. Schadeberg		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1965		Elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Lost re-election.
align=left	Lynn E. Stalbaum		Democratic	nowrap	January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1967		Elected in 1964. Lost re-election.	Kenosha, Racine, Rock, & Walworth counties
align=left	Henry C. Schadeberg		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971		Elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Lost re-election.
Les Aspin	Democratic	January 3, 1971 – January 20, 1993		Elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Defense.
					Kenosha, Racine, Rock, & Walworth counties &
					Kenosha, Racine, Rock, & Walworth counties &
Vacant		nowrap	January 20, 1993 – May 4, 1993			1993–2003
align=left	Peter W. Barca		Democratic		nowrap		May 4, 1993 – January 3, 1995	Elected to finish Aspin's term. Lost re-election.
align=left	Mark Neumann		Republican	nowrap	January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1999			Elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Retired to run for U.S. senator.
Paul Ryan	Republican	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2019		Elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. 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. Retired.
2003–2013
2013–2023
2013–2023	Bryan Steil	Republican	January 3, 2019 – present		Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022.
2023–present					Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022.

Electoral history

2002 district boundaries (2002 - 2011)

Year							Total	Plurality
2002^[11]	Republican	140,176	67.19%	Dem.	63,895	30.63%	208,613	76,281
2002^[11]	Republican	140,176	67.19%	Lib.	4,406	2.11%	208,613	76,281
2004^[12]	Republican	233,372	65.37%	Dem.	116,250	32.57%	356,976	117,122
				Ind.	4,252	1.19%
				Lib.	2,936	0.82%
2006^[13]	Republican	161,320	62.63%	Dem.	95,761	37.17%	257,596	65,559
2008^[14]	Republican	231,009	63.97%	Dem.	125,268	34.69%	361,107	105,741
2008^[14]	Republican	231,009	63.97%	Lib.	4,606	1.28%	361,107	105,741
2010^[15]	Republican	179,819	68.21%	Dem.	79,363	30.10%	263,627	100,456
2010^[15]	Republican	179,819	68.21%	Lib.	4,311	1.64%	263,627	100,456

2011 district boundaries (2012 - 2021)

Year							Total	Plurality
2012^[16]	Republican	200,423	54.90%	Dem.	158,414	43.39%	365,058	42,009
2012^[16]	Republican	200,423	54.90%	Ind.	6,054	1.66%	365,058	42,009
2014^[17]	Republican	182,316	63.27%	Dem.	105,552	36.63%	288,170	76,764
2014^[17]	Republican	182,316	63.27%	Ind.	29	0.01%	288,170	76,764
2016^[18]	Republican	230,072	64.95%	Dem.	107,003	30.21%	354,245	123,069
				Ind.	9,429	2.66%
				Lib.	7,486	2.11%
2018^[19]	Republican	177,492	54.56%	Dem.	137,508	42.27%	325,317	39,984
				Ind.	10,006	3.08%
				Ind.	7	0.00%
2020^[20]	Republican	238,271	59.31%	Dem.	163,170	40.61%	401,754	75,101

2022 district boundaries (2022 - 2031)

Year	Date	Elected				Defeated				Total	Plurality
2022^[21]			Republican	162,610	54.05%		Dem.	135,825	45.14%	300,867	26,785
2022^[21]			Republican	162,610	54.05%		Ind.	2,247	0.75%	300,867	26,785

References

Book: Martis, Kenneth C. . The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress . Macmillan Publishing Company . 1989 . New York.
Book: Martis, Kenneth C. . The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts . Macmillan Publishing Company . 1982 . New York.
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

42.6953°N -88.0464°W

Notes and References

Web site: My Congressional District . October 6, 2023 . U.S. Census Bureau.
Web site: Center for New Media & Promotion (CNMP) . US Census Bureau . My Congressional District . www.census.gov.
Web site: Census profile: Congressional District 1, WI . Census Reporter.
Web site: 2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List. 2023-01-10. Cook Political Report. en.
Web site: Presidential Canvass Results .
News: White working-class voters flipped Wisconsin red . en . June 29, 2018.
Web site: Dra 2020 .
Web site: Dra 2020 .
Web site: Dra 2020 .
Web site: Dra 2020 .
Results of Fall General Election - 11/05/2002 . Wisconsin State Elections Board . December 2, 2002 . 3 . March 5, 2022 .
Results of Fall General Election - 11/02/2004 . Wisconsin State Elections Board . December 1, 2004 . 2 . March 5, 2022 .
Results of Fall General Election - 11/07/2006 . December 5, 2006 . Wisconsin State Elections Board . 3 . March 5, 2022 .
Results of Fall General Election - 11/04/2008 . Wisconsin State Elections Board . December 1, 2008 . 2 . March 5, 2022 .
2010 Fall General Election Results Summary . . December 1, 2010 . 3 . March 5, 2022 .
Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election - 11/6/2012 . December 26, 2012 . . 2 . March 5, 2022 .
Canvass Results for 2014 General Election - 11/4/2014 . . November 26, 2014 . 3 . March 5, 2022 .
Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 . . December 22, 2016 . 3 . March 5, 2022 .
Canvass Results for 2018 General Election - 11/6/2018 . . February 22, 2019 . 3 . March 5, 2022 .
Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 . . November 18, 2020 . 2 . March 5, 2022 .
Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 . November 30, 2022 . . 2 . April 21, 2024 .