Alberta Darling

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Alberta Darling
Alberta Darling at Ann Romney rally.JPG
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 8th district
Assumed office
January 4, 1993
Preceded byJoseph Czarnezki
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 10th district
In office
May 15, 1990 – January 4, 1993
Preceded byBetty Jo Nelsen
Succeeded byAnnette Polly Williams
Personal details
Born (1944-04-28) April 28, 1944 (age 77)
Hammond, Indiana
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
William Darling
​
​
(m. 1967; died 2015)​
Children2
ResidenceRiver Hills, Wisconsin
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (B.S.)
ProfessionTeacher, Marketing Director
WebsiteOfficial website

Alberta Darling (born April 28, 1944) is an American politician who is currently a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 8th District since 1993. Darling's constituency includes many of the municipalities directly north and northwest of Milwaukee and part of the City of Milwaukee. Before her election to the Senate, she served in the Wisconsin Assembly, representing the 10th district from 1990 to 1993, and was a teacher and marketing director before being elected to public office. Darling is a Republican.

Personal life and education[]

Darling was born in Hammond, Indiana, and raised in Peoria, Illinois, where she graduated from Richwoods High School. She attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 1966. After graduating from UW-Madison, she moved to Milwaukee and did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, from 1972 to 1974.[1]

Prior to her election to the legislature, Darling taught high school English in Milwaukee and was the marketing and business development director for the Milwaukee Art Museum.[2]

Darling met her husband, Dr. William "Bill" Darling, during their time at UW-Madison. The two married in 1967, and up until his death in the spring of 2015, Bill was a respected ear, nose and throat surgeon in southeast Wisconsin. Darling and her husband have two children and three grandchildren. She is a longtime resident of River Hills, Wisconsin, which she represents in the Senate.[3][4]

Wisconsin State Legislature[]

Darling first joined the Wisconsin State Legislature by winning a special election in 1990 for the 10th district, defeating Rick Graber in the primary. She served the remainder of the term and a full two-year term in the State Assembly before being elected in 1992 to the state Senate, a seat she has held ever since. Darling faced a contentious election in 2008, though she fended off a challenge from State Representative Sheldon Wasserman by a mere percentage point and would go unopposed in the next two regular election cycles in 2012 and 2016. In 2020, Darling faced a challenge from Neal Plotkin, a sales representative and substitute teacher from Glendale. The race was heavily targeted by Democrats amidst eroding support for Republicans in suburban districts, and Darling was outspent as Plotkin was boosted by a significant edge in outside spending.[5] However, Darling won re-election by eight percentage points (a margin nearly identical to the 2011 recall) as she garnered split-ticket support among Joe Biden voters to secure a comfortable win despite a razor thin 167 vote margin in the presidential election in her district.[6][7] Throughout her tenure in the Legislature, Darling has earned a reputation as a fiscal conservative with moderate views on some issues.[8] She endorsed Ted Cruz over Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary.[9]

From 2000 to 2021, she served on the influential Joint Finance Committee (responsible for the state budget) and notably served as the longtime Senate co-chair. Her six sessions chairing the committee is tied for most in state history.[10] As of the 2021-2023 legislative session, Darling currently chairs the Committee on Education, serves as the Vice-Chair of the Committee on Elections, Election Process Reform and Ethics and also serves on the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, the Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems, and the Joint Legislative Council. She is also a member of the Wisconsin State Fair Park Board and the Wisconsin Center District.[11]

Senator Darling during committee

2011 recall[]

Darling was one of nine Senators (six Republicans and three Democrats) to face a recall election effort in 2011 following the enactment of 2011 Wisconsin Act 10. On March 2, 2011 the "Committee to Recall Darling" officially registered with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board[12] and on April 20, 2011, the recall campaigns announced that they had gathered nearly 30,000 signatures - enough to trigger a recall election. The 8th Senate District was considered a heavy target for Democrats and outside spending,[13] yet Darling would defeat Democratic challenger Sandy Pasch by a larger margin than she had won in 2008; 54 percent to 46 percent.[14] The election was notably the last race to be called with the balance of the Senate and the ultimate fate of Republican reforms at stake, and received national coverage on election night as a result.[15]

Electoral history[]

Wisconsin Assembly (1990)[]

Wisconsin Assembly, 10th District Special Election, 1990[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, April 3, 1990
Republican Alberta Darling 6,403 50.33%
Republican Timothy D. Lawless 4,481 35.22%
Republican Richard W. Graber 1,839 14.45%
Total votes '12,723' '100.0%'
General Election, May 1, 1990
Republican Alberta Darling 668 100.0%
Total votes '668' '100.0%'
Republican hold
Wisconsin Assembly, 10th District Election, 1990[16]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, September 11, 1990
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 2,498 57.97%
Democratic William R. Boyd 1,811 42.03%
Total votes '4,309' '100.0%'
General Election, November 6, 1990
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 12,572 73.25%
Democratic William R. Boyd 4,591 26.75%
Total votes '17,163' '100.0%'
Republican hold

Wisconsin Senate (1992-2016)[]

Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 1992[17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, September 8, 1992
Democratic William C. Whitten 14,859 62.84%
Republican Alberta Darling 8,788 37.16%
Total votes '23,647' '100.0%'
General Election, November 3, 1992
Republican Alberta Darling 55,130 67.41%
Democratic William C. Whitten 26,656 32.59%
Total votes '81,786' '100.0%'
Republican gain from Democratic
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 1996[18]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, September 10, 1996
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 5,925 43.10%
Democratic Randy Nash 5,476 39.84%
Democratic Dave Tatarowicz 2,301 16.74%
Constitution Tim Gallert 44 0.32%
Total votes '13,746' '100.0%'
General Election, November 5, 1996
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 45,244 58.78%
Democratic Randy Nash 29,728 38.62%
Constitution Tim Gallert 2,003 2.60%
Total votes '76,975' '100.0%' -5.88%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, September 12, 2000[19]
Democratic Sara Lee Johann 2,909 52.76%
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 2,574 46.68%
Write-ins 31 0.56%
Total votes '5,514' '100.0%'
General Election, November 7, 2000[20]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 57,041 65.88%
Democratic Sara Lee Johann 29,396 33.95%
Write-ins 144 0.17%
Total votes '86,581' '100.0%' +12.47%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, September 14, 2004[21]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 15,690 62.16%
Democratic Jennifer Morales 9,405 37.26%
Write-ins 146 0.58%
Total votes '5,514' '100.0%'
General Election, November 2, 2004[22]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 55,731 56.94%
Democratic Jennifer Morales 42,048 42.96%
Write-ins 100 0.10%
Total votes '97,879' '100.0%' +13.04%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, September 9, 2008[23]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 12,493 58.63%
Democratic Sheldon Wasserman 8,711 40.88%
Write-ins 106 0.50%
Total votes '21,310' '100.0%'
General Election, November 4, 2008[24]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 50,125 50.46%
Democratic Sheldon Wasserman 49,118 49.45%
Write-ins 85 0.09%
Total votes '99,328' '100.0%' +1.48%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Recall Election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, July 12, 2011[25]
Democratic Sandy Pasch 21,657 64.13%
Democratic Gladys Huber 11,865 35.14%
Write-ins 246 0.73%
Total votes '33,768' '100.0%'
General Election, August 9, 2011[26]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 39,449 53.62%
Democratic Sandy Pasch 34,071 46.31%
Write-ins 56 0.08%
Total votes '73,576' '100.0%' -25.93%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, August 14, 2012[27]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 26,295 98.41%
Write-ins 426 1.59%
Total votes '33,768' '100.0%'
General Election, November 6, 2012[28]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 76,402 95.58%
Write-ins 3,532 4.42%
Total votes '79,934' '100.0%' +8.64%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 2016
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, August 9, 2016[29]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 8,565 96.12%
Write-ins 346 3.88%
Total votes '8,911' '100.0%'
General Election, November 8, 2016[30]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 77,331 95.51%
Write-ins 3,635 4.49%
Total votes '80,966' '100.0%' +1.29%
Republican hold
Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Primary Election, August 11, 2020[31]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 16,172 99.54%
Write-ins 74 0.46%
Total votes '16,246' '100.0%'
Democratic Neal Plotkin 17,569 99.92%
Write-ins 14 0.08%
Total votes '17,583' '100.0%'
General Election, November 3, 2020[32]
Republican Alberta Darling (incumbent) 64,906 54.24%
Democratic Neal Plotkin 54,693 45.7%
Write-ins 67 0.06%
Total votes '119,666' '100.0%'
Republican hold

References[]

  1. ^ Senator Alberta Darling (WI) Project VoteSmart. Accessed June 6, 2011
  2. ^ "Who's who on the Joint Finance Committee Archived 2013-02-10 at archive.today". Wausau Daily Herald, April 7, 2011. Accessed June 6, 2011
  3. ^ "About Alberta".
  4. ^ "Darling remembered as caring doctor, supportive husband".
  5. ^ https://www.wispolitics.com/2020/201030report/
  6. ^ "AP: Alberta Darling projected to keep District 8 seat". 4 November 2020.
  7. ^ ""District-level look at presidential results highlights Wisconsin's political shifts"". Wisconsin Newspaper Association. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  8. ^ Giroux, Gregory. "GOP Delegation: Wisconsin". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  9. ^ Megerian, Chris (2 April 2016). "Republican loyalists skeptical of Donald Trump in Milwaukee". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  10. ^ https://www.wispolitics.com/2020/201030report/
  11. ^ "Senator Alberta Darling". Wisconsin State Legislature. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Committee to Recall Darling". Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. March 9, 2011. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  13. ^ "Democrats fall short in Wisconsin recall elections". NBC News.
  14. ^ Barbour, Clay and Mary Spicuzza. "Republicans hold off Dems in recalls, win enough seats to keep majority in Senate". Wisconsin State Journal, August 10, 2011.
  15. ^ "Democrats fall short in Wisconsin recall elections". NBC News.
  16. ^ a b Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1991-1992 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 899, 915. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  17. ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1993-1994 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 900, 919. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  18. ^ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. "Elections in Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin 1997-1998 Blue Book (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 888, 889. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  19. ^ Results of Fall Primary Election - 09/12/2000 (PDF) (Report). p. 11. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  20. ^ Results of Fall General Election - 11/07/2000 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. p. 6. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  21. ^ Results of Fall Primary Election - 09/14/2004 (PDF) (Report). p. 12. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  22. ^ Results of Fall General Election - 11/02/2004 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. p. 7. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  23. ^ Results of Fall Primary Election - 09/09/2008 (PDF) (Report). p. 9. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  24. ^ Results of Fall General Election - 11/04/2008 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. p. 6. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  25. ^ Canvass Results for 2011 Primary Recall Election State Senate 8 - 7/12/2011 (PDF) (Report). p. 1. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  26. ^ Canvass Results for 2011 Recall Election State Senate 8 - 8/9/2011 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. p. 1. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  27. ^ Canvass Results for 2012 Partisan Primary (PDF) (Report). p. 7. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  28. ^ Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. p. 5. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  29. ^ Canvass Results for 2016 Partisan Primary (PDF) (Report). pp. 8, 9. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  30. ^ Canvass Results for 2016 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. p. 6. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  31. ^ Canvass Results for 2020 Partisan Primary (PDF) (Report). p. 6. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  32. ^ Canvass Results for 2020 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. p. 4. Retrieved December 18, 2021.

External links[]

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