| State: | Wisconsin |
| District Number: | 5 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 |
| Representative: | Scott Fitzgerald |
| Party: | Republican |
| Residence: | Clyman |
| English Area: | 1,273.23 |
| Percent Urban: | 84.79 |
| Percent Rural: | 15.21 |
| Population: | 741,842 |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Median Income: | $89,947[1] |
| Percent White: | 85.9 |
| Percent Black: | 1.6 |
| Percent Asian: | 2.9 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 3.1 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 5.9 |
| Percent Other Race: | 0.5 |
| Cpvi: | R+14[2] |
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.
With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of R+14, it is the most Republican district in Wisconsin.[2] 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.
For most of the 20th century, the 5th District was a Milwaukee-based district. It had vastly different boundaries from the current 5th, as well as a dramatically different 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.
| Year | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Gore 65 - 31% | |
| 2004 | Bush 63 - 36% | |
| 2008 | McCain 57 - 41% | |
| 2012 | Romney 61 - 38% | |
| 2016 | Trump 57 - 37% | |
| 2020 | Trump 56 - 41% |
| County | Seat | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Dodge | Juneau | 89,313 | |
| 55 | Jefferson | Jefferson | 84,943 | |
| 79 | Milwaukee | Milwaukee | 928,059 | |
| 101 | Walworth | Elkhorn | 106,799 | |
| 131 | Washington | West Bend | 137,175 | |
| 133 | Waukesha | Waukesha | 408,756 |
Clyman, Horicon, Hustisford, Iron Ridge, Juneau, Lowell, Neosho, Reeseville, and Watertown (Dodge County side).
Fort Atkinson, Jefferson, Johnson Creek, Lake Mills, Palmyra, Sullivan, Waterloo, Watertown, and Whitewater (Jefferson County side).
Greenfield and West Allis (half).
Germantown, Hartford, Kewaskum, Newburg, Richfield, Slinger, and West Bend.
Big Bend, Brookfield, Butler, Delafield, Chenequa, Douesman, Eagle, Elm Grove, Hartland, Lac La Belle, Lannon, Menomonee Falls, Merton, Mukwonago, Nashotah, New Berlin, North Prairie, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Summit, Sussex, Vernon, Wales, and Waukesha.
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | District | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District established March 4, 1863 | ||||||||
| align=left | Ezra Wheeler | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1865 | Elected in 1862. Retired. | Brown, Calumet, Door,, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marquette, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, & Winnebago counties | ||
| align=left | Philetus Sawyer | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1873 | Elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Re-elected in 1868. Re-elected in 1870. Redistricted to the . | |||
| align=left | Charles A. Eldredge | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1872. Lost renomination. | Dodge, Manitowoc, & Sheboygan counties | ||
| align=left | Samuel D. Burchard | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877 | Elected in 1874. Lost renomination. | |||
| align=left | Edward S. Bragg | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1883 | Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Redistricted to the and lost renomination. | |||
| align=left | Joseph Rankin | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1883 – January 24, 1886 | Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Died. | Brown, Calumet, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Ozaukee, & Sheboygan counties | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | January 24, 1886 – March 8, 1886 | ||||||
| align=left | Thomas R. Hudd | Democratic | nowrap | March 8, 1886 – March 3, 1889 | Elected to finish Rankin's term. Re-elected in 1886. Retired. | |||
George H. Brickner | Democratic | March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1895 | Elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Re-elected in 1892. Retired. | |||||
| Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Washington, & Waukesha counties & | ||||||||
| align=left | Samuel S. Barney | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1903 | Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Retired. | |||
| align=left | William H. Stafford | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911 | Elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Lost renomination. | Waukesha County & | ||
| align=left | Victor L. Berger | Socialist | nowrap | March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913 | Elected in 1910. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | William H. Stafford | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919 | Elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Lost re-election. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1921 | Congress refused to seat Representative-elect Victor L. Berger. | |||||
| align=left | William H. Stafford | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1923 | Elected in 1920. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Victor L. Berger | Socialist | nowrap | March 4, 1923 – March 3, 1929 | Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | William H. Stafford | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1929 – March 3, 1933 | Elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Lost renomination. | |||
| align=left | Thomas O'Malley | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939 | Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Lewis D. Thill | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1943 | Elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Howard J. McMurray | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1945 | Elected in 1942. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | |||
| align=left | Andrew Biemiller | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947 | Elected in 1944. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Charles J. Kersten | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 | Elected in 1946. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Andrew Biemiller | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951 | Elected in 1948. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Charles J. Kersten | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1955 | Elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Lost re-election. | |||
Henry S. Reuss | Democratic | January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1983 | 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. | |||||
| align=left | Jim Moody | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993 | 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. | |||
| align=left | Tom Barrett | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003 | 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. | |||
Jim Sensenbrenner | Republican | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2021 | Redistricted from the 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 | ||||
| 2013–2023 | ||||||||
Scott L. Fitzgerald | Republican | January 3, 2021 – present | Elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. | |||||
| 2023–present | ||||||||
| Year | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002[3] | Republican | 191,224 | 86.13% | Ind. | 29,567 | 13.32% | 222,012 | 161,657 | ||||
| 2004[4] | Republican | 271,153 | 66.57% | Dem. | 129,384 | 31.77% | 407,291 | 141,769 | ||||
| Lib. | 6,549 | 1.61% | ||||||||||
| 2006[5] | Republican | 194,669 | 61.76% | Dem. | 112,451 | 35.68% | 315,180 | 82,218 | ||||
| Grn. | 4,432 | 1.41% | ||||||||||
| Ind. | 3,525 | 1.12% | ||||||||||
| 2008[6] | Republican | 275,271 | 79.58% | Ind. | 69,715 | 20.15% | 345,899 | 205,556 | ||||
| 2010[7] | Republican | 229,642 | 69.32% | Dem. | 90,634 | 27.36% | 331,258 | 139,008 | ||||
| Ind. | 10,813 | 3.26% | ||||||||||
| Year | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012[8] | Republican | 250,335 | 67.72% | Dem. | 118,478 | 32.05% | 369,664 | 131,857 | |||||
| 2014[9] | Republican | 231,160 | 69.45% | Dem. | 101,190 | 30.40% | 332,826 | 129,970 | |||||
| 2016[10] | Republican | 260,706 | 69.45% | Dem. | 114,477 | 29.29% | 390,844 | 146,229 | |||||
| Lib. | 15,324 | 3.92% | |||||||||||
| 2018[11] | Republican | 225,619 | 61.93% | Dem. | 138,385 | 37.99% | 364,288 | 87,234 | |||||
| 2020[12] | Republican | 265,434 | 60.11% | Dem. | 175,902 | 39.83% | 441,599 | 89,532 | |||||