Summary
Current Position: Attorney General since 2019
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2022 Attorney General
We need an AG who is a leader when it comes to fighting crime and getting justice for Wisconsinites, who seriously and even-handedly enforces our environmental and consumer-protection laws, and who is independent and a watchdog.
Josh has spent much of his career working to keep families safe and to protect the right to vote.
Josh served as a federal prosecutor in Baltimore, one of America’s most violent cities. There, Josh worked closely with law enforcement on complex investigations and saw the impact that crime can have. He prosecuted murderers, gang members, and drug traffickers, taking dangerous criminals off the street and making communities more secure.
Source: Campaign page
OnAir Post: Josh Kaul
About
Source: Campaign page
When Josh came home to Wisconsin to raise a family, he took on a new challenge: protecting our right to vote. In recent years, state legislatures around the country have made it more difficult to vote in a variety of ways—from reducing early voting to eliminating options for registering to vote. Josh has gone to court to fight back against these laws that restrict access to the ballot box.
Josh grew up in Oshkosh and Fond du Lac, where he attended public schools. He played fullback on his high school football team and first base on the baseball team. Josh’s mom, Peg Lautenschlager, spent much of her career working as a prosecutor, and his step-dad, Bill Rippl, was a police officer.
Josh went to college at Yale, where he met his wife, Lindsey. He majored in history and economics and graduated with honors. He then attended Stanford Law School, where he served as President of the Stanford Law Review.
Josh began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Michael Boudin, who was then the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. After his clerkship, Josh worked for Jenner & Block in Washington, D.C.
Josh and Lindsey are the proud parents of two young boys, Simon and Henry.
Web
Campaign Site, Government Page, LinkedIn, YouTube, Wikipedia
Politics
Source: none
Wikipedia
Joshua Lautenschlager Kaul (born 1980 or 1981)[1] is an American lawyer serving as the 45th attorney general of Wisconsin since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he had worked as a federal prosecutor in Baltimore, Maryland, and in private practice before being elected attorney general. Kaul is the son of Peg Lautenschlager, the 42nd attorney general of Wisconsin and the first chair of the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.
Early life and education
Kaul is the son of Peg Lautenschlager, an attorney and politician, and Kashmiri Pandit immigrant Raj Kaul. His stepfather, Bill Rippl, worked as a police officer. He was raised in Oshkosh and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.[2] Kaul graduated from Yale University as a double major in history and economics. He earned his Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.[2] While a student at Stanford, he served as president of the Stanford Law Review.
Career
Kaul clerked for Michael Boudin in the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals.[3] From 2007 through 2010, he worked for the law firm Jenner & Block, and worked as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's office in Baltimore through 2014.[4]
In 2014, Kaul moved back to Wisconsin and joined the Madison, Wisconsin office of the law firm Perkins Coie.[5]
Attorney General of Wisconsin
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In the 2018 elections, Kaul ran for Attorney General of Wisconsin and defeated the Republican incumbent Brad Schimel. Kaul won by a small margin of just over 17,000 votes, but Schimel decided not to seek a recount and conceded defeat on November 19. Kaul became the state's first Democratic Attorney General since his mother's term in office.[6][7] Kaul was reelected in 2022, defeating Republican Eric Toney.[8]
On June 4, 2024, Kaul announced he was bringing felony forgery charges against three operatives of Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign who were involved in the plot to produce fraudulent electoral college votes from Wisconsin. Those charged included Kenneth Chesebro, a Wisconsin native and the alleged architect of the national fraudulent elector plot, Jim Troupis, a former Wisconsin circuit court judge who represented Trump in 2020 litigation, and Mike Roman, a Trump campaign aide and former White House staffer.[9]
After governor Tony Evers announced in 2025 that he would not run for a third term as governor, Kaul contemplated a run to succeed him as governor. Instead, however, Kaul announced in October 2025 that he would not run for governor, and would instead seek a third term as attorney general of Wisconsin in the 2026 election.[10]
Personal life
Kaul met his wife, Lindsey, at Yale. They have two sons.[2][11]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Josh Kaul | 1,305,902 | 49.41% | +4.02pp | |
| Republican | Brad Schimel (incumbent) | 1,288,712 | 48.76% | −2.78pp | |
| Constitution | Terry Larson | 47,038 | 1.78% | ||
| Write-in | 1,199 | 0.05% | |||
| Plurality | 17,190 | 0.65% | |||
| Total votes | 2,642,851 | 100.0% | +12.45% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Josh Kaul (incumbent) | 1,333,369 | 50.64% | +1.23pp | |
| Republican | Eric Toney | 1,298,369 | 49.31% | +0.55pp | |
| Write-in | 1,539 | 0.06% | +0.01pp | ||
| Plurality | 35,000 | 1.33% | |||
| Total votes | 2,633,277 | 100.0% | +0.36% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
References
- ^ Schulte, Laura (September 13, 2022). "What you need to know about Josh Kaul, the Democratic Wisconsin attorney general running for another term in 2022". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c Zientara, Bob (April 25, 2018). "Attorney General candidate has family ties to Barron | Free News". news-shield.com. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ "Candidate Q&A: Attorney general | Government & Politics". wiscnews.com. October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ "In attorney general contest, Brad Schimel and Josh Kaul draw sharp contrasts | State-and-regional". wiscnews.com. October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ "Wedge Issues: Josh Kaul talks public service, family, spreadable cheese | Politics and Elections". madison.com. September 14, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ Wolfe, Morgan (November 7, 2018). "WI Attorney General race neck and neck". www.nbc15.com.
- ^ Republican Attorney General Schimel Concedes to Josh Kaul. US News. November 19, 2018
- ^ "Josh Kaul defeats Eric Toney to win second term as Wisconsin attorney general in 2022 midterm election".
- ^ Beck, Molly (June 4, 2024). "Wisconsin AG Josh Kaul charges former Trump associates in fake elector scheme". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Shawn (October 7, 2025). "Josh Kaul won't run for governor, will seek reelection as attorney general". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ "Meet Josh – Josh Kaul for Attorney General". Josh Kaul. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ "Canvass Results for 2018 General Election" (PDF). November 6, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 14, 2018.
External links
- Wisconsin Attorney General's Office
- Campaign website
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Josh Kaul at IMDb
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