1980Final results
1980 election for Wisconsin's 2nd District
U.S. House · Wisconsin
Robert Kastenmeier (D) won with 54.0% of the vote, defeating James A. Wright (R) by 8.6 points.
Robert KastenmeierDemocrat · winner
54.0%142,037
James A. WrightRepublican
45.4%119,514
Leslie Graves KeyLibertarian
0.6%1,582
263,138 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Robert KastenmeierJames A. Wright
$196.9K
Raised by the campaign
$294.2K
$184.1K
Spent by the campaign
$292.3K
$0
Cash on hand
$0
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1980.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1980