Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced on Thursday that he will not seek a third term leading the Badger State.
Evers, 73, said he wants to spend more time with his family after a five-decade career in politics.
“For five decades, my family has sacrificed to give me the gift of service. They’re my world, and I owe it to them to focus on doing all the things we enjoy and love doing together. It’s why, Wisconsin, I’m announcing that I will not be running for a third term,” Evers said. “I’m so humbled to be your governor. This is the best job I ever had.”
Evers predicted he would have won had he chosen to run again. His current term ends on January 4, 2027. Wisconsin will have an open gubernatorial race in 2026.
A love letter from me to Kathy and my family—and to you, Wisconsin. pic.twitter.com/VDcztZ6JPy
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) July 24, 2025
“I’m a science teacher at heart who ending up running for office and winning five straight statewide elections. So would I win if I ran a sixth time? Of course,” Evers said. “No question about that. But whether I’d win or not has never been part of my calculus about running again.”
Wisconsin was a swing state in the 2024 presidential election. President Donald Trump won the state by about 30,000 votes. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) won her re-election bid against Republican challenger Eric Hovde by a similar margin.
Multiple Democrats are considering running to replace Evers, NBC News reported, including Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Attorney General Josh Kaul, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
Two Republican candidates have entered the race so far, the outlet said. Washington County Executive Joe Schoemann and manufacturing CEO Bill Berrien have launched campaigns. Hovde is considering running, as are U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and businessman Tim Michels, who lost to Evers in 2022.
Berrien released a statement responding to Evers’ announcement, saying the governor is afraid of losing.
“Tony Evers is too scared to run on the Madison Democrats’ record of failure,” Berrien said. “I’m going to spend the next 15 months making sure whoever the Madison liberals pick from their bench of radical career politicians learns the same lesson.”
Republicans criticized Evers in 2023, when the governor vetoed a bill that would have protected children from irreversible transgender surgeries and hormone procedures, The Daily Wire reported at the time. The bill had passed the Republican-controlled state legislature.
“While the governor’s veto of this legislation is certainly not surprising, it serves as a stark reminder of just how out of touch with reality Governor Evers is,” former Republican state Sen. Duey Stroebel said at the time. “Protecting children from invasive and irreversible medical interventions is the right thing to do from both a scientific and ethical standpoint.”
In his veto message, Evers emphasized his commitment to LGBT causes, saying the bill would have made Wisconsin less safe.
“This type of legislation, and the rhetoric beget by pursuing it, harms LGBTQ people and kids’ mental health, emboldens anti-LGBTQ hate and violence, and threatens the safety and dignity of LGBTQ Wisconsinites,” Evers said. “I will veto any bill that makes Wisconsin a less safe, less inclusive, and less welcoming place for LGBTQ people and kids.”
The governor has also blocked conservative-backed bills on voting, abortion, and gun rights.