2000Final results
2000 election for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin
U.S. Senate · Wisconsin
Herb Kohl (D) won with 61.5% of the vote, defeating John Gillespie (R) by 24.5 points.
Herb KohlDemocrat · winner
61.5%1,563,238
John GillespieRepublican
37.0%940,744
Tim PetersonLibertarian
0.8%21,348
Eugene A. HemIndependent
0.4%9,555
Robert R. RaymondConstitution
0.2%4,296
2,540,083 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 2000
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.
Herb KohlJohn Gillespie
$5M
Raised by the campaign
$584.9K
$5M
Spent by the campaign
$582.2K
$1.7K
Cash on hand
$2.7K
Other candidates' campaigns: Tim Peterson $43.9K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2000.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2000
The candidates
Herb Kohl (D)John Gillespie (R)
Also on the ballot: Tim Peterson (Libertarian), 0.8%; Eugene A. Hem (Independent), 0.4%; Robert R. Raymond (Constitution), 0.2%