2002Final results
2002 election for Wisconsin's 7th District
U.S. House · Wisconsin
David Obey (D) won with 64.2% of the vote, defeating Joe Rothbauer (R) by 28.4 points.
David ObeyDemocrat · winner
64.2%146,364
Joe RothbauerRepublican
35.8%81,518
227,955 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 2002
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.
David ObeyJoe Rothbauer
$957.7K
Raised by the campaign
$20.7K
$860.4K
Spent by the campaign
$19.9K
$219.1K
Cash on hand
$774
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2002.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2002