Waukesha County is moving swiftly to fill the vacancy left by the death of County Executive Paul Farrow, who died July 7 at age 61 after a public and courageous battle with cancer.
Under Wisconsin law, County Board Chairman Jim Heinrich immediately assumed the role of Acting County Executive. The County Board held a special meeting Friday at noon to set the special election calendar.
- Interim County Executive appointment by July 28
- Primary (if three or more candidates file) will take place on November 17
- Special election: December 15
That places a potential nonpartisan primary just two weeks after what will likely be a high-turnout partisan midterm general election on November 3, and the special election only six weeks later, slightly over a week before Christmas. County officials acknowledge the awkward timing but say state law leaves them little flexibility.
The winner of the December 15 contest will finish Farrow’s term and almost certainly immediately file to run for the regular April 2027 election. Heinrich has said he wants an interim who continues Farrow’s record of fiscal restraint, low taxes, and public safety — priorities that made Waukesha one of Wisconsin’s most reliably well-run Republican counties.
Voters will now face three separate ballots in a six-week span this fall, before electing a County Executive to a full term a few months later.
