1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

The 1942 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1942.

Incumbent Republican Governor Julius P. Heil was defeated by Progressive nominee Orland S. Loomis in a rematch of the 1940 election with 49.65% of the vote. As of 2023, this is the last time Waupaca and Dodge counties did not vote for the Republican candidate for governor. Primary elections were held on September 15, 1942.

Loomis died of a heart attack on December 7, 1942, a month before he was to take office. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that Lieutenant Governor Walter Samuel Goodland would serve Orland Loomis's term as governor, overriding the view of Governor Julius Heil that he should continue in office.

Nominee

 * Julius P. Heil, incumbent governor

Eliminated in primary

 * Milton T. Murray, state senator
 * James K. Robinson, dentist, unsuccessful candidate for Progressive nomination for lieutenant governor in 1936 and unsuccessful candidate for Republican nomination for governor in 1940

Nominee

 * William C. Sullivan, dentist, former mayor of Kaukauna

Eliminated in primary

 * Raymond J. Cannon, former U.S. Representative
 * Joseph H. Conlin, concert singer
 * Stanley Z. Fajkowski, former tavern keeper
 * Gustav J. Keller, Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Wisconsin in 1940
 * Albert J. Wilde, real estate broker

Nominee

 * Orland S. Loomis, former Attorney General of Wisconsin and nominee for governor in 1940

Nominee

 * Frank P. Zeidler, former county surveyor, member of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors

Other party nominations

 * Fred B. Blair, Independent Communist, Communist nominee for governor in 1932 and 1940
 * Georgia Cozzini, Independent Socialist Labor