Republican nominee conceded defeat Monday in her bid to unseat Democrat incumbent Doug La Follette for the position of secretary of state in Wisconsin.
Loudenbeck went on to say that she had no regrets on how her campaign was run and expressed gratitude to her family, team, and supporters.
La Follette first assumed the office of Secretary of State from 1975 to 1979, after previously being elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1972 until 1974. In 1978, La Follette stepped down from his position to mount a failed run for lieutenant governor. He was then elected Secretary of State a second time in 1982 and has since served 10 consecutive terms.
Although La Follette declared victory last Thursday, Loudenbeck did not concede at that point, with the contest remaining too close to call.
Most of the secretary of state’s duties have been peeled away since La Follette began his tenure. Following the 2020 election, some Republicans sought to convert the office into an election oversight position.
Loudenbeck campaigned on shifting oversight of Wisconsin elections from the bipartisan state elections commission to the secretary of state. This model would be similar to what is used by 38 other states. La Follette countered by questioning whether Loudenbeck would seek to use this position to ensure Donald Trump wins Wisconsin in 2024.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Loudenbeck repeatedly declined to explain how much control over elections she wants or how she thinks elections should be administered.
“The legislature should explore a wide range of policy options to utilize this constitutional office that is directly accountable to voters,” Loudenbeck said, “and look at what other states are doing and talk about restoring some traditional responsibilities, including election oversight, if appropriate, to the office.”
