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.
Kaul (right) with Governor Tony Evers and U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin at a 2022 campaign event
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]
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]
▌2 Unknown (2 territories) An asterisk (*) indicates that the officeholder is serving in an acting capacity. State abbreviations link to position articles.
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