The 1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1942.
Incumbent Republican Governor Julius P. Heil was defeated by Progressive nominee Orland S. Loomis in a rematch of the 1940 election with 49.65% of the vote. As of 2023, this is the last time Waupaca and Dodge counties did not vote for the Republican candidate for governor. Primary elections were held on September 15, 1942.
Loomis died of a heart attack on December 7, 1942, a month before he was to take office. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Lieutenant Governor Walter Samuel Goodland would serve Orland Loomis's term as governor.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Julius P. Heil, incumbent governor
Eliminated in primary
- Milton T. Murray, state senator
- James K. Robinson, dentist, unsuccessful candidate for Progressive nomination for lieutenant governor in 1936 and unsuccessful candidate for Republican nomination for governor in 1940
Progressive primary
Nominee
- Orland S. Loomis, former Attorney General of Wisconsin (1937–1939) and nominee for governor in 1940
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- William C. Sullivan, dentist, former mayor of Kaukauna
Eliminated in primary
- Raymond J. Cannon, former U.S. Representative
- Joseph H. Conlin, concert singer
- Stanley Z. Fajkowski, former tavern keeper
- Gustav J. Keller, Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin in 1940
- Albert J. Wilde, real estate broker
Nominee
- Frank P. Zeidler, former county surveyor, member of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors
Other party nominations
- Fred Basset Blair, Independent Communist, Communist nominee for governor in 1932 and 1940
- Georgia Cozzini, Independent Socialist Labor
General election
Results by county
Shawano County voted for the losing candidate for the first time since 1879 while Lafayette County and Price County voted for the losing candidate for the first time since 1892.
Counties that flipped from Republican to Progressive
- Brown
- Chippewa
- Clark
- Dodge
- Door
- Green
- Jefferson
- La Crosse
- Langlade
- Manitowoc
- Marathon
- Oconto
- Ozaukee
- Pierce
- Racine
- Richland
- Rock
- Rusk
- St. Croix
- Taylor
- Vilas
- Waukesha
- Waupaca
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Progressive
Counties that flipped from Progressive to Republican
Aftermath
State ex rel. Martin v. Heil
Following the certification of Loomis' election to the governor's office, he had begun holding necessary budget hearings, meeting with advisors and doing other duties tasked to the governor-elect. On December 7, 1942, He died suddenly of a heart attack a month before he was to take office.
In response to Loomis' death, both Heil and Goodland filed suit with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, with both arguing they were entitled to hold the office Loomis was elected to. Heil and many Republican leaders in the state argued that he should continue to serve as governor after the expiration of his term until a successor could be appointed or elected. Goodland on the other hand argued that as the lieutenant governor-elect, he was entitled to act as governor under the laws of Wisconsin at the time.
On December 29, the court reached a unanimous 6-0 decision. In an opinion authored by justice John D. Wickhem, the court ruled that Goodland would serve as acting governor for the duration of Loomis' term.