Democrat Xiong elected state treasurer, defeating Republican incumbent

Democratic candidate Yee Leng Xiong was elected the next Wisconsin state treasurer Tuesday, edging out Republican incumbent John Leiber. 

With 98% of the votes counted, AP called the race at 12:40 a.m. Wednesday.  Xiong led with just under 52% of the vote to just over 48% for Leiber.

Leiber had been the only Republican to win statewide office, other than Sen. Ron Johnson, in Wisconsin’s 2022 election.

The state treasurer is a relatively low-visibility office, but is included in the Wisconsin Constitution. An amendment that would have eliminated the office failed in 2018.

Besides signing state checks (technically done by machine), the primary duty of the treasurer is serving with the secretary of state and the attorney general on the state Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.

In his reelection campaign, Leiber emphasized focusing on the job of treasurer as it was outlined in the state constitution and statutes. He prided himself on not expanding the duties of the office and instead simply focusing on the job of treasurer as it was outlined in the state constitution and statutes.

Xiong campaigned saying he would seek to act as a watchdog over state finances, serving as “an independent voice for taxpayers and to make sure Wisconsin’s money is managed responsibly, transparently, and in the public interest.”

He cited his experience as a member of the Marathon County Board as well as a local school board treasurer. 

A Wausau native and the son of Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia, Xiong is the first person of Hmong descent to hold statewide office in Wisconsin.