2016Final results
2016 election for Wisconsin's 8th District
U.S. House · Wisconsin
Mike Gallagher (R) won with 62.6% of the vote, defeating Tom Nelson (D) by 25.3 points.
Mike GallagherRepublican · winner
62.6%227,892
Tom NelsonDemocrat
37.3%135,682
Jerry Kobishop (wr-in)Democrat
0.0%2
363,780 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 4:52 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2016
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 4:52 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Tom NelsonMike Gallagher
$1.9M
Raised by the campaign
$2.8M
$1.8M
Spent by the campaign
$2.7M
$52K
Cash on hand
$61.8K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2016.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2016