Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers won’t seek re-election, setting stage for open 2026 race
Pictured above (from left) Gov. Tony Evers and potential Democratic candidates Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, County Executive David Crowley; and Republican candidates Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann.
Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, announced Thursday, July 24, 2025 that he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating the first open race for governor in the battleground state in 16 years.
It will be Wisconsin’s highest profile race next year, as Democrats also angle to take control of the Legislature, thanks to redrawn election maps that are friendlier to the party. They are also targeting two congressional districts as Democrats nationwide try to retake the US House of Representatives.
The Legislature has been under Republican control since 2011, and some Democrats had hoped that Evers, 73, would run for a third term to give him a chance to potentially work with a Democratic-controlled one.
In a video announcing his decision, Evers said he was “damn proud” of working 50 years in public service. But he said it was time to focus on his family.
“For five decades, my family has sacrificed to give me the gift of service,” Evers said. “They’re my world and I owe it to them to focus on doing all the things we enjoy and love doing together.”
First two Democrats and Republicans enter governor race
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley both entered the 2026 race to be the Democratic candidate for the state’s next governor after Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday that he would not be running for re-election.
The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association issued support for Rodriguez immediately, saying “as a nurse, a mom and lieutenant governor, Sara has spent her life putting people first—fighting for affordable health care, protecting reproductive freedom, and delivering real results for working families across Wisconsin.”
Crowley, meanwhile, told reporters he was taking steps toward entering the race and that “time is of the essence” in entering the race.
Rodriguez pointed to her time as a nurse, saying she is a public health policy expert, small business owner and problem-solver for the state’s top office in her announcement.
“We are in a precarious moment in our history and we need leaders who will stand up for Wisconsin, who understand the challenges facing families here and who believe deeply in our ability to build a stronger future for our children,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “That’s why as a Wisconsinite, a daughter of a veteran and union member, a mom and your Lieutenant Governor, I’m proud to be announcing my campaign for Governor,”
Whitefish Bay resident Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, both Republicans, were the first two candidates to announce they are running for the seat.
“Sara Rodriguez is the very embodiment of Tony Evers and the Madison Democrats’ failed record over the last six years,” Berrien said in a Friday statement. “Wisconsin cannot afford to have a continuation of the Evers’ policies that kept us stuck in reverse. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Sara Rodriguez or another one of the radical left Democrats that decide to enter this race, one thing is for certain: I plan to win.”
