Secretary of State Doug La Follette to retire, Gov. Tony Evers appoints Sarah Godlewski to post

MADISON - Doug La Follette, Wisconsin's Secretary of State and the longest serving statewide elected official in the nation, is retiring after holding the office for nearly five decades.

La Follette, 82, is leaving the post he has held onto through election cycles swept by Republicans and survived aggressive primary challenges by members of his own party. His departure comes two months into a new term he narrowly secured in November.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday he has appointed former state treasurer and unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski to replace La Follette and serve the remainder of his term.

La Follette was first elected as Secretary of State in 1974 and served a single term before mounting an unsuccessful challenge for lieutenant governor. He won the 1982 race for Secretary of State and has served continuously in the position.

"Serving the people of Wisconsin as Secretary of State has been the honor of my lifetime," La Follette said in an undated resignation letter to Evers. "After many years of frustration, I've decided I don't want to spend the next three and a half years trying to run an office without adequate resources and staffing levels."

"After decades of public service, I must now focus on my personal needs."

Before seeking re-election in 2022, La Follette said he initially planned to retire but felt compelled to run after Republican lawmakers and candidates for governor began floating proposals to overhaul how elections are run in Wisconsin − some including putting election oversight within the Secretary of State's Office.

In November, he defeated former state Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, a Republican from Clinton, by 7,442 votes, or about 0.29 of a percentage point.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu characterized the appointment of Godlewski as "denying Wisconsinites the chance to choose one of their statewide, elected office holders" and called on Evers to instead call a special election to replace La Follette.

“This suggests a pre-meditated action to award the power of incumbency to a partisan ally. It is an insult to voters of Wisconsin and our democratic process," LeMahieu said.

Loudenbeck also blasted the timing of La Follette's resignation and accused Evers of conspiring with La Follete and Godlewski.

"The 1.26 million people who voted for me during the November 2022 election should be outraged at the news that Secretary of State Doug La Follette has stepped down just three months after being sworn-in for yet another term after 40 years of doing nothing in that office," she said in a statement.

"In fact, the people who voted for LaFollette thinking he would fulfill his promised obligation should also be upset that the new Secretary of State has been appointed by Governor Evers and not chosen by the voters unless that was the idea all along."

Loudenbeck said though the appointment is legal, "this move coming so soon after the election raises questions once again about the tactics used by those in power who will do anything to keep that power."

A spokeswoman for Evers did not immediately respond to Loudenbeck's accusations.

Lawmakers curtailed the office of secretary of state

During his tenure, lawmakers have reduced La Follette's office to a small room in the basement of the state Capitol with two positions and a budget of less than $250,000 per year. The office keeps the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin.

Evers said in a statement he was appointing Godlewski because of her familiarity with the office, which has virtually no duties but is a member of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, which Godlewski served on as state Treasurer between 2019 and 2023.

“Secretary of State La Follette’s retirement after more than 40 years of state service leaves an incredibly important role to fill, and I want to thank him for his years of dedication to the people of Wisconsin throughout his long career,” Evers said in a statement.

“In a critical position that has seen no turnover in decades, maintaining continuity with a leader who’s prepared and committed to fulfilling this office’s constitutional obligations could not be more important—and there’s no one more uniquely qualified or better suited for the job than Sarah.”

Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Doug La Follette to retire as secretary of state; Evers taps Godlewski