Walter J. Kohler Jr. Republican Walter J. Kohler Jr. Republican The 1954 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1954.

Incumbent Republican Governor Walter J. Kohler Jr. defeated Democratic nominee William Proxmire in a rematch of the 1952 election with 51.45% of the vote.

Primary elections were held on September 14, 1954.

[1] Proxmire was the first Democrat since George W. Peck in 1904 to win Florence County.

By voting for Proxmire, Rusk County backed the losing candidate for the first time since its establishment in 1901.