2025 Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction election

The 2025 Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction election was a state-wide election held on April 1, 2025, to elect the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin for a four-year term. The incumbent superintendent, Jill Underly, was elected to her second four-year term, defeating education consultant Brittany Kinser.^[1]

2025 Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction election

← 2021 April 1, 2025 2029 →

Candidate Jill Underly Brittany Kinser Popular vote 1,148,427 1,022,489 Percentage 52.71% 46.93%

County results Congressional district results Underly:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Kinser:      50–60%      60–70%

Superintendent before election Jill Underly Elected Superintendent Jill Underly

Although the election is technically nonpartisan, Underly received support from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and Kinser received support from the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Underly won the election with roughly 53% of the vote. Turnout was unusually high for a spring election in Wisconsin, driven by the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election on the same ballot.

Underly and Kinser advanced to the general election as the top two vote-getters in the February 18, 2025, nonpartisan primary. Sauk County superintendent Jeff Wright was eliminated in the primary.

Primary election

Primary election ballot in with the race for superintendent of public instruction

Candidates

While Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction elections are officially nonpartisan, media outlets have identified Jill Underly and Jeff Wright as Democratic-aligned candidates, and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin endorsed Underly.^[2] Brittany Kinser's campaign was supported by the Republican Party of Wisconsin, though she described herself as both a moderate and a Blue Dog Democrat.^[3][4]

Advanced

• Brittany Kinser, education consultant^[5]
• Jill Underly, incumbent superintendent (2021–present)^[6]

Eliminated in primary

Jeff Wright was eliminated in the primary

• Jeff Wright, Sauk Prairie School District superintendent and former Democratic candidate for State Assembly in 2016 and 2018^[7]

Endorsements

Brittany Kinser

Organizations

• CFC Action Fund^[8]

Jill Underly

U.S. representatives

• Gwen Moore, U.S. representative from WI-04 (2005–present)^[9]

State legislators

• LaTonya Johnson, state senator from the 6th district (2017–present)^[10]
• Kelda Roys, state senator from the 26th district (2021–present)^[11]
• Jeff Smith, state senator from the 31st district (2019–present)^[12]

Political parties

• Democratic Party of Wisconsin^[6]

Labor unions

• Wisconsin AFL-CIO^[13]

Jeff Wright

State legislators

• Dale Schultz, former state senator for the 17th district (1991–2015)^[14]

Labor unions

• Association of Wisconsin School Administrators^[15]
• Wisconsin Education Association Council PAC^[16]

Primary county results:

  Underly

•   Underly—30–40%
•   Underly—40–50%
•   Underly—50–60%

  Kinser

•   Kinser—30–40%
•   Kinser—40–50%
•   Kinser—50–60%

  Wright

•   Wright—30–40%
•   Wright—40–50%
•   Wright—50–60%

Results

Nonpartisan primary^[17]

Candidate		Votes	%
Jill Underly (incumbent)		177,626	37.90%
Brittany Kinser		161,636	34.49%
Jeff Wright		128,292	27.38%
Write-in		1,055	0.23%
Total votes		468,609	100.0%

General election

Post-primary endorsements

Brittany Kinser

State officials

• Tommy Thompson, former Governor of Wisconsin (1987–2001) and former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (2001–2005)^[18]

Local officials

• Dave Cieslewicz, former mayor of Madison (2003–2011)^[19]

Individuals

• Kaleem Caire, CEO of One City Schools^[20]
• Howard Fuller, civil rights activist and former Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools (1991-1995)^[21]

Organizations

• Associated Builders and Contractors^[22]
• Democrats for Education Reform^[23]

Newspapers

• Wisconsin State Journal^[24]

Jill Underly

Labor unions

• Wisconsin Education Association Council (National Education Association affiliate)^[25]

Newspapers and other media

• The Cap Times^[26]
• The Shepherd Express^[27]

Polling

Pollster	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Jill Underly	Brittany Kinser	Undecided
RMG Research (R)[28][A]	February 25–28, 2025	800 (RV)	± 3.5%	20%	22%	58%

Results

2025 Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction election^[29]

Candidate		Votes	%
Jill Underly (incumbent)		1,148,427	52.71%
Brittany Kinser		1,022,489	46.93%
Adrianne Melby (write-in)		348	0.02%
Write-in		7,305	0.34%
Total votes		2,178,569	100.00%

By congressional district

Underly won four of eight congressional districts, including two that were represented by Republicans.^[30]

District	Underly	Kinser	Representative
1st	50%	49%	Bryan Steil
2nd	74%	26%	Mark Pocan
3rd	53%	47%	Derrick Van Orden
4th	71%	28%	Gwen Moore
5th	40%	59%	Scott L. Fitzgerald
6th	45%	55%	Glenn Grothman
7th	43%	56%	Tom Tiffany
8th	47%	53%	Tony Wied

See also

• 2025 Wisconsin elections

Notes

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsored by the Napolitan Institute