Evan Goyke
Evan Goyke | |
|---|---|
| City Attorney of Milwaukee | |
| Assumed office April 16, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Tearman Spencer |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 18th district | |
| In office January 7, 2013 – January 6, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Tamara Grigsby |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Arney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 24, 1982 Neenah, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Parent |
|
| Residence | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Alma mater | St. John's University (BA) Marquette University (JD) |
| Profession | Lawyer, politician |
| Website | Official website |
Evan Goyke (born November 24, 1982) is an American lawyer, academic, and Democratic politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is the city attorney of Milwaukee, since April 2024, and previously represented western Milwaukee for six terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, from 2013 to 2025.
His father, Gary Goyke, was a member of the Wisconsin Senate in the 1970s and 1980s.
Early life and education
Goyke was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, the son of former state senator Gary Goyke. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from St. John's University and a Juris Doctor from the Marquette University Law School.
Career
After graduating from law school, Goyke worked as an attorney in the Milwaukee office of the State Public Defender. He also became an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Marquette University Law School, where he has worked on the Milwaukee Street Law Project, in which Marquette second- and third-year law students participate in a weekly seminar; go on to teach an "introduction to law" course at local high schools; and finally conduct a citywide mock trial competition.[1]
When incumbent Grigsby was forced to decline re-nomination in the wake of her cancer problems, this heavily-Democratic district saw an eight-way primary election. Goyke faced seven opponents in the crowded Democratic primary field. His opponents included Jarett Fields, an employee of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and brother of Democratic incumbent Jason Fields of the neighboring 11th District.[2] With 1,637 votes out of 4,399 (more than twice that of Fields, his nearest competitor), he achieved a plurality of 37.2%.[3] In the November general election, he faced only Libertarian Melba Morris-Page, winning with 16,245 to Morris-Page's 2,133.[4] Goyke went on to win re-election five times in this Assembly district.
In the 2024 Spring election, Goyke was elected city attorney of Milwaukee with 63% of the vote. He defeated incumbent Tearman Spencer, whose one term as city attorney was plagued by scandal and controversy. Goyke took office April 16; he announced that he would not run for re-election to the State Assembly but would serve out the remainder of the 2023–2024 term.[5] He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Margaret Arney.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Assembly (2012–2022)
| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Primary[6] | Aug. 14 | Evan Goyke | Democratic | 1,637 | 37.11% | Jarett Fields | Dem. | 808 | 18.32% | 4,411 | 829 |
| Lashawndra Vernon | Dem. | 639 | 14.49% | |||||||||
| James Dieter | Dem. | 355 | 8.05% | |||||||||
| Andrew Parker | Dem. | 335 | 7.59% | |||||||||
| Ty Jackson | Dem. | 317 | 7.19% | |||||||||
| Michael L. Glabere | Dem. | 169 | 3.83% | |||||||||
| Lisa Erin Brown | Dem. | 139 | 3.15% | |||||||||
| General[7] | Nov. 6 | Evan Goyke | Democratic | 16,276 | 87.93% | Melba Morris-Page | Ind. | 2,140 | 11.56% | 18,510 | 14,136 | |
| 2014 | General[8] | Nov. 4 | Evan Goyke (inc) | Democratic | 16,522 | 98.50% | --unopposed-- | 16,773 | 16,271 | |||
| 2016 | General[9] | Nov. 8 | Evan Goyke (inc) | Democratic | 18,006 | 98.87% | 18,212 | 17,800 | ||||
| 2018 | General[10] | Nov. 6 | Evan Goyke (inc) | Democratic | 17,426 | 98.99% | 17,603 | 17,249 | ||||
| 2020 | General[11] | Nov. 3 | Evan Goyke (inc) | Democratic | 18,775 | 99.00% | 18,964 | 18,586 | ||||
| 2022 | General[12] | Nov. 8 | Evan Goyke (inc) | Democratic | 17,306 | 98.45% | 17,863 | 17,034 | ||||
Milwaukee City Attorney (2024)
References
- ^ "Evan Goyke biography". Marquette University Law School. Archived from the original on September 4, 2011. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
- ^ Bauter, Alison (August 14, 2012). "Goyke takes Rep. Tamara Grigsby's open Assembly seat in eight-way primary". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ Wisconsin Department of Elections - Official Primary Results
- ^ "Nov. 6 general election results: Assembly Dist. 18" JSonline November 7, 2012
- ^ "Evan Goyke elected Milwaukee city attorney, finishing Assembly term". WITI (TV). April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2012 Partisan Primary - 8/14/2012 (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. August 28, 2012. pp. 22–23. Retrieved May 18, 2025 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election - 11/6/2012 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. December 26, 2012. p. 12. Retrieved May 18, 2025 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2014 General Election - 11/4/2014 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. November 26, 2014. p. 13. Retrieved May 18, 2025 – via Wisconsin Elections Commission.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 22, 2016. pp. 12–13. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2018 General Election - 11/6/2018 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. February 22, 2019. p. 14. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2020 General Election - 11/3/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 18, 2020. p. 12. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 30, 2022. p. 12. Retrieved May 18, 2025.