Candidates For Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer
Green, Libertarian and Constitution parties join the Democratic and Republican parties in fielding candidates.
Hans Christian Heg Statue at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Photo by Mariiana Tzotcheva.
Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 8 to decide a number of statewide races, including attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer.
See candidates for other races via the link at the bottom of this article.
Want to see what’s on your ballot and where to vote? Visit MyVote Wisconsin to see your polling place and access a sample ballot.
Below you’ll find basic information copied verbatim from candidate campaign materials and a link to any available campaign resources. If you click on their name you’ll be brought to any stories written about the candidate. Candidate names are listed in the order they appear on the ballot.
Attorney General
Josh Kaul – Democratic
Josh Kaul took office as Attorney General in January 2019. His administration has fought crime, protected our natural resources, and defended our rights, taking on tough issues and getting results. He has consistently fought for the best interests of Wisconsinites, with a track record that shows that he’ll work with anyone and stand up to anyone.
Much of Josh’s career before he was elected Attorney General was spent working to keep families safe and to protect the right to vote.
Josh served as a federal prosecutor in Baltimore, one of America’s most violent cities. There, Josh worked closely with law enforcement on complex investigations and saw the impact that crime can have. He prosecuted murderers, gang members, and drug traffickers, taking dangerous criminals off the street and making communities more secure.
When Josh came home to Wisconsin to raise a family, he took on a new challenge: protecting our right to vote. He went to court to fight back against laws that restrict access to the ballot box.
Josh grew up in Oshkosh and Fond du Lac, where he attended public schools. He played fullback on his high school football team and first base on the baseball team. Josh’s mom, Peg Lautenschlager, spent much of her career working as a prosecutor, and his step-dad, Bill Rippl, was a police officer.
Josh went to college at Yale, where he met his wife, Lindsey. He majored in history and economics and graduated with honors. He then attended Stanford Law School, where he served as President of the Stanford Law Review.
Josh began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Michael Boudin, who was then the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. After his clerkship, Josh worked for Jenner & Block in Washington, D.C.
Josh and Lindsey are the proud parents of two boys, Simon (age 8) and Henry (age 5).
Eric Toney – Republican
Eric Toney is dedicated to the safety and security of Wisconsin families. A tough and proven prosecutor, Eric was first elected Fond du Lac County District Attorney after a contested Republican primary election in 2012. Eric has successfully prosecuted crimes as varied as homicide, sexual assault, domestic violence, drug trafficking, financial crimes, and racketeering. Eric is serving in his 9th year as the Fond du Lac County District Attorney.
As Wisconsin’s next Attorney General, Eric will restore the Department of Justice’s mission to fight crime, support law enforcement, protect families, and enforce the law.
Eric Toney is dedicated to the safety and security of Wisconsin families. Eric has been serving as the Fond du Lac County District Attorney since January 7, 2013 and has successfully prosecuted homicides, sexual assaults, drug trafficking, domestic violence, financial crimes, and racketeering.
An experienced attorney and prosecutor, Eric has appeared in courts across Wisconsin including appearing in Fond du Lac, Marinette, Brown, Manitowoc, Outagamie, Calumet, Winnebago, Sheboygan, Dodge, Washington, Richland, Juneau, Milwaukee, and Racine counties.
Eric helped establish a drug treatment court in Fond du Lac County and recognizes that our state needs to take an “all of the above” approach toward dealing with the ongoing methamphetamine and opioid epidemics that has raged in Wisconsin. Eric has seen firsthand the important work that is done in Fond du Lac’s drug treatment court and recognizes that incarceration is only one part of the solution in fighting the drug epidemic.
Born at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac, Eric grew up in a law enforcement family. His father retired after over 30 years as a law enforcement officer. Eric knows firsthand the dedication, sacrifice and commitment of our men and women who take an oath to serve and protect as well as the sacrifices family members of law enforcement officers make day in and day out.
Upon graduation from Fond du Lac High School, Eric earned his undergraduate degree from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, with a double major in History and Political Science. He then graduated from Law School at Hamline University where he focused on criminal law and received a certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution.
During each of his summers as a law student, Eric returned home to Fond du Lac to intern in the District Attorney’s Office where he was inspired to spend his career in criminal law.
As District Attorney, Eric, and other Fond du Lac County officials, led the fight to ensure communities throughout Wisconsin are no longer a dumping ground for violent sex offenders mandated to be released from the Sand Ridge Treatment facility. Instead, these violent sex offenders, if ordered released by a judge, must be returned to their county of residence and not wherever the Department of Health Services choses to place them.
As District Attorney, Eric worked with local community leaders and together they created Fond du Lac County’s first ever Drug Court. Eric and others later formed an Opioid Coalition to combat the opioid epidemic Fond du Lac has been experiencing. Eric served as chair of the coalition, helping guide the coalition’s merger with Drug Free Communities of Fond du Lac County.
Eric is the President-Elect of the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association (WDAA) and has served in a variety of leadership positions in the WDAA including Chairman of the Legislative Committee as well as Chairman of the Communications Committee. He is also a former Secretary/Treasurer of the Association.
During the pandemic Eric helped provide pandemic guidance to local officials, local law enforcement, and district attorneys throughout Wisconsin. Eric helped coordinate with regional district attorneys to form a unified approach to dismissing safer at home charges. In August of 2020 Eric advised local officials that Governor Tony Evers exceeded his executive authority by unlawfully extending the public health emergency, beyond 60 days. This unlawful executive overreach meant the mask mandate could not be enforced. On March 31, 2021 the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that the Governor’s subsequent public health emergency declarations were an unlawful extension of the original public health emergency.
During Eric’s tenure as District Attorney he has led county wide law enforcement trainings for local law enforcement officers in Fond du Lac County. Eric has also consistently provided guidance to law enforcement on complex criminal investigations to help ensure his community remains safe.
Eric volunteers in the community as a judge and trainer for Teen Court. He is also a board member of the ASTOP (sexual assault survivor advocacy non-profit) and the Fond du Lac Running Club.
Eric also volunteers with Drug Free Communities of Fond du Lac County and Fond du Lac County’s Health 20/20 Committee and serves on the subcommittee for Alcohol Use and Abuse.
Eric is also a proud member of the Fond du Lac County and Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Associations. Eric is also a member of the Federalist Society, Life Time Member of the NRA, a former executive board member of the Fond du Lac County Republican Party, and is a Badger Boys State alum.
Throughout his life, Eric has been an avid competitor. He began running competitively in middle school. Eric served as Captain of his high school and collegiate track and cross country teams. He enjoys spending time with his family and his dog Patton, rooting for the Packers and Badgers, attending sporting events, reading, spending time with his friends, and running. Eric has completed seven full marathons and is a proud owner of the Green Bay Packers.
Secretary of State
Doug La Follette – Democratic
Doug made his first run for office in 1970 in the Democratic primary bid seeking to represent Wisconsin in Congress. He served a term as a state senator from 1972—1974 for Kenosha, during which time he authored legislation which provided family planning care to women for the first time in Wisconsin’s history. He was then elected Secretary of State and has served in that office for 44 years.
Throughout his years of public service he has fought against the corrupting influence of big money on politics. He has rejected high-spending campaign tactics and has followed the path of the great Wisconsin Senator Bill Proxmire, who depended on his relationship with the people to get elected.
Doug has deep environmental roots in this state. He started Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, now Clean Wisconsin, and has been fighting for local, renewable energy since the 1970’s. He helped the late Gaylord Nelson organize the first Earth Day in 1970 and was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the Assistant Director to the Mid-American Solar Energy Complex.
Doug La Follette earned his Ph.D in organic chemistry from Columbia University and went on to teach as an Assistant Professor of chemistry and ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Amy Loudenbeck – Republican
Representative Amy Loudenbeck and her husband Matt live on a farmette in rural south central Wisconsin. Prior to moving to Rock County, they lived in Walworth County where they met while serving on the local volunteer fire department.
Amy graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1991 with degrees in Political Science and International Relations. After graduation, she developed an interest in and aptitude for environmental project management and regulatory compliance. She worked for a variety of clients in three states helping businesses navigate the complex regulatory process while protecting human health and the environment. Amy became a Certified Wisconsin Firefighter in 1998, and in 1999 earned the credential of Certified Hazardous Materials Manager. She traded in her hardhat and a lot of time away from home for a local opportunity at the Greater Beloit Chamber where she worked from 2003 until 2010, serving as Government Relations Director, Vice President, and Interim President.
Rep. Loudenbeck was first elected to the Wisconsin state Assembly in 2010. She ran as a problem solver, not a partisan activist. Twelve years later Amy has earned a reputation for being an honest, trusted and respected leader. She has a strong work ethic and enjoys taking on complex challenges, offering solid solutions and achieving real results.
Amy has been a member of the Legislature’s powerful Joint Committee on Finance for the past eight years and has served as the Vice Co-Chair of that committee for the past four years. She also serves as Chairman of the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board and is a member of the State Fair Park Board. Amy enjoys public policy immensely and loves a good challenge.
Rep. Loudenbeck’s relationships with fellow legislators span both sides of the political aisle and cover all corners of Wisconsin. Amy has a strong record of accomplishments and is proud to have authored numerous bills with bipartisan supportthat were signed into law by Governor Walker and Governor Evers.
One of Rep. Loudenbeck’s career highlights was attending the White House Summit on Human Trafficking in January of 2020 and serving on a panel during the Summit to share her work to combat human trafficking in Wisconsin.
Amy knows there is always more work to do and remains steadfast in her willingness to offer her ideas, experience and can-do attitude to proactively address the challenges facing the great state of Wisconsin.
Neil Harmon – Libertarian
Bio requested
Sharyl McFarland – Wisconsin Green Party
Sharyl McFarland is a Milwaukee organizer who has spent decades working for social justice and human rights. Her advocacy work addresses problems common in Wisconsin and across the United States, including voter suppression, racial inequalities, mass incarceration, homelessness, rights for immigrants, poverty, the lack of adequate transportation, healthcare, and more.
Sharyl worked extensively in an attempt to shut down MSDF (Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility). The facility opened in October 2001 and holds 1,040 inmates at medium security. She shared her family’s story of mistreatment and misman- agement of the facility. Her son, who was 17 at the time, served three weeks at the facility before being sent to the House of Corrections.
“We need to talk about what’s going on,” she said. “We cannot help our community if people are keeping everything bottled inside because they feel ashamed, they feel nobody will help them, they feel nobody will listen. I’m listening, there’s other people listening and we really need … to hold people accountable for what they are doing.”
State Treasurer
Aaron Richardson – Democratic
Aaron is the 5th generation of his family to live in Fitchburg, WI. He loves this state and looks forward to making it even better as the next Treasurer for the state of Wisconsin.
Aaron currently serves as the Mayor of Fitchburg, and previously served on the city council and on the Fitchburg Parks and Recreation Committee before that. He has had the opportunity to do many great things for Fitchburg, leading of the most diverse and fastest growing communities in the state. He is currently pushing to make Fitchburg a Gold Medal Bike Friendly Community.
Aaron is a proud graduate of UW-Green Bay and has an MBA from UW-Whitewater. He worked for 16 years in marketing at various companies. Aaron currently works for the Oregon School District in the tech department, helping students and teachers navigate technology. One of his favorite things to do is coach his nephew’s basketball team. This past winter marked his 6th year coaching youth basketball. In his free time, Aaron is out on the many bike trails in the state, golfing, playing board games, paddleboarding, beekeeping and much more.
John Leiber – Republican
John’s hometown is Racine, Wisconsin, where his family ties go back four generations. He’s lived his entire adult life right here in Wisconsin, and has served as President of his local Park and Recreation commission and as a commissioner for his local Housing Authority.
John has been interested in grassroots activism for a long time, volunteering on his first campaign twenty years ago. Since then, he has worked hard to get conservatives elected in different roles, including as a campaign manager and as a board member of his local Republican party.
John holds a BA in History from UW-Parkside and earned a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He’s a practicing attorney in Madison, and he and his wife, Diane, live in Cottage Grove. They have three adult children.
Andrew Zuelke – Constitution
Bio requested
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More about the 2022 Fall Election Guide
- Vote Tuesday: 2nd District Common Council Race - Urban Milwaukee - Nov 7th, 2022
- Vote Tuesday: Milwaukee Candidates for Wisconsin State Senate - Urban Milwaukee - Nov 5th, 2022
- Vote Tuesday: Milwaukee Candidates For State Assembly - Urban Milwaukee - Nov 5th, 2022
- Vote Tuesday: Candidates For U.S. Senate - Urban Milwaukee - Nov 4th, 2022
- Vote Tuesday: Candidates For Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer - Urban Milwaukee - Nov 4th, 2022
- Vote Tuesday: Candidates For Governor and Lieutenant Governor - Urban Milwaukee - Nov 4th, 2022
Read more about 2022 Fall Election Guide here
