Former member of Congress · last served 112th Congress

Herb Kohl

DEMOCRAT U.S. Senator · WisconsinSenate 1989–2013

Herbert Kohl was a Democratic U.S. senator from Wisconsin, first elected to Congress in 1989, who voted with most Democrats on 94% of the 112th Congress’s yes/no votes and sponsored 5 bills that became law (101st–112th Congress).

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350Bills & resolutions sponsored101st–112th Congress (excludes amendments)

30Passed a chamberof 350 bills & resolutions sponsored

5Became law4 substantive + 0 ceremonial + 1 private · 101st–112th Congress

15Broke with partyof 250 yes/no votes, 112th (6.0%)

1Missed votesof 251 roll calls, 112th (0.4%)

—Pork: own shareFY2024 earmarks: not in office

How we count: “Broke with party” is a yes/no roll call where the member voted against most of their own party on that vote (party as recorded; even splits not counted). “Pork: own share” splits each earmark shared by several members evenly among them.

5 most recent votes

YeaOn Passage of the Bill — American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012
Jan 1, 2013 · Bill Passed
YeaOn the Nomination — Nomination vote
Dec 30, 2012 · Nomination Confirmed
YeaOn the Nomination — Nomination vote
Dec 30, 2012 · Nomination Confirmed
YeaOn Passage of the Bill — Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013
Dec 28, 2012 · Bill Passed
NayOn the Amendment — Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013
Dec 28, 2012 · Amendment Rejected

5 most recent bills

S.J.Res. 44 A joint resolution granting the consent of Congress to the State and Province Emergency Management Assistance Memorandum of Understanding.
Jan 14, 2013 · Became Public Law No: 112-282.
S. 3604 Improving Dementia Care Treatment for Older Adults Act of 2012
Sep 20, 2012 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
S.Res. 553 A resolution designating September 22, 2012, as "National Falls Prevention Awareness Day" to raise awareness and encourage the prevention of falls among older…
Sep 12, 2012 · Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6287; text as passed…
S. 3427 A bill to permanently extend the employer-provided child care credit under section 45F of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
Jul 24, 2012 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
S. 3389 Protecting American Trade Secrets and Innovation Act of 2012
Jul 17, 2012 · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5086-5087)

Top bills sponsored

S. 1147 (111th) PACT Act
Became law
S. 993 (101st) Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989
Became law
S. 118 (111th) Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of 2010
Became law
S. 1683 (101st) A bill for the relief of Paula Grzyb.
Became law
S.J.Res. 321 (102nd) A joint resolution designating the week beginning March 21, 1993, as "National Endometriosis Awareness Week".
Passed a chamber
S.J.Res. 192 (103rd) A joint resolution to designate October 1994 as "Crime Prevention Month".
Passed a chamber
S. 1233 (107th) Product Packaging Protection Act of 2002
Passed a chamber
S. 1371 (105th) Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act of 1997
Passed a chamber

Laws first, then bills that passed a chamber, were reported from committee, or drew the most cosponsors.

Elections Sen. Kohl has won

Sen. Kohl has won 4 U.S. Senate elections (1988, 1994, 2000, 2006). Of the contested races, margins ran from 4.5 to 37.9 points.

Democratic winRepublican winseat changed partyunopposed

Elections won4 in the data (1976–2024); losses are not listed

Closest win: 4.5 points1988, WI Senate

Won an open seat or took one from the other party1 of 4 elections (open seat or changed party)

Seat history, Wisconsin Senate (class 1)Winners in regular elections, most recent three: William Proxmire (D) 1976–1982 → Herb Kohl (D) 1988–2006 → Tammy Baldwin (D) 2012–2024.

Full election history for this seat →

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab, U.S. House V15 / U.S. Senate V8 (CC0), retrieved 2026-10-18; winners matched to member records by seat and term. Results run through the 2024 elections; nothing from 2026 is shown until it is certified. A margin is a fact about one election, never a score of how well a member represents anyone, and PORKER does not rank members by it.

How has Wisconsin done while Sen. Kohl served?

2005 to 2012 in Wisconsin: typical household income was down 8% after inflation, the share of people below the poverty line was up 3.0 points, and the share of workers looking for a job was up 1.1 points.

Typical household income · after inflation

Wisconsin: $76.1K in 2005 → $70.1K in 2012

Wisconsin down 8%U.S. down 6%

Share of people below the poverty line

Wisconsin: 10.2% in 2005 → 13.2% in 2012

Wisconsin up 3.0 pointsU.S. up 2.6 points

Share of workers looking for a job

Wisconsin: 6.2% in 2005 → 7.3% in 2012

Wisconsin up 1.1 pointsU.S. up 2.5 points

Each mini chart has its own scale, fitted to its lines (it does not start at zero), so compare the numbers, not the heights. Oxblood = state, grey = U.S.

While they served, not because of them. This shows what happened in Wisconsin during Kohl’s time representing it (1989 to 2013). It does not say what the member did or caused. It is not a score, and PORKER never ranks members on it.

Survey years start at 2005. The yearly estimates for Wisconsin begin in 2005, so 1989 to 2004 are not shown. No 2020 yearly estimate exists.

See the full 20-year record →Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates (tables B19013, B17001, B23001) and BLS CPI-U-RS for inflation, retrieved October 18, 2026. “About the same” means the change is inside the 90% margins of error. Who held the seat: Congress.gov member service records, year level.

Official records on bills this member sponsored

112th Congress. What Congress.gov lists for the 46 bills sponsored.

Record	Bills	Source
Bills sponsored	46	Source: Congress.gov member record, PORKER copy of October 26, 2026 ↗ See them →
With a CBO cost estimate listed	7	See the 7 →
With a committee report listed	3	See the 3 →
With a Congress.gov note	2	See the 2 →

Evidence

How counted: Bills where this member is the lead (first-listed) sponsor in the 112th Congress, read from the stored Congress.gov bill records
Fields: cboCostEstimates, committeeReports, constitutionalAuthorityStatementText, notes
PORKER copy refreshed: October 26, 2026 (nightly)

Read this first. These are counts of records Congress.gov lists. Many bills never get a CBO estimate or a report, so a zero is not a mark against a member. We never show this as a score.

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Data as of Oct 26, 2026 · latest recorded Senate vote Sep 30, 2026 · Sources: Congress.gov, Senate.gov, House Clerk, Appropriations Committee earmark tables. PORKER is non-partisan.