Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has not indicated whether he intends to run for a third term, but a reelection campaign would be a gift to the GOP.
Democratic Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has not indicated whether he intends to run for a third term in 2026, but a potential reelection campaign would be a gift to the GOP.
The election will be an uphill battle for already-struggling Republicans in the dairy state, as the governor’s mansion tends to go to the party opposite the White House. The only exception to this rule in the past three decades was when Evers won reelection during the Biden presidency. Wisconsin had the narrowest margin of victory for Trump in 2024, while Senate candidate Eric Hovde narrowly lost his race on the same day. Moreover, a conservative state supreme court candidate was defeated by a ten-point landslide in April.
However, Evers could make the election a little easier for conservatives if he decides to run again. A poll from the Marquette Law School found that 55 percent of voters think the 73-year-old governor should retire, including 15 percent of Democrats. No Democrat has ever won a third term as Wisconsin governor, and Evers defeated the last Republican to attempt that feat. Despite this, many Wisconsin Democrats have publicly encouraged Evers to enter the race, such as party chairman Devin Remiker and Representative Mark Pocan.
Two Republicans have already announced gubernatorial campaigns. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann was the first to throw his hat into the ring in early May and has toured more than half of the counties in the state, though his biggest challenge will be building name recognition. He raised more than $420,000 in the first two months of the campaign.
Additionally, businessman Bill Berrien announced his candidacy last week with a video that compared his background to President Trump’s. However, the Princeton graduate and former Navy SEAL is already facing criticism from some conservatives for his previous advocacy for ranked-choice voting and hesitance to support Trump in 2020.
Berrien has placed a $400,000 ad buy, which a spokesman for Schoemann criticized in a statement to NR: “Money buys ads, but as we’ve seen far too often in Wisconsin it can’t buy wins. It takes hard work and authenticity to earn voters’ support, not just slick ads.”
Other Republicans are rumored to be mulling a run, including Hovde, Representative Tom Tiffany, and former gubernatorial nominee Tim Michels. Hovde told NR he has not decided whether he would run, but “it is nice that numerous people are supportive and encouraging me to enter the race.” Tiffany told NR he would decide whether to run for governor during the August recess. He said, “It’s obvious that under Tony Evers, Wisconsin is being dragged in the wrong direction, just like what we have seen in Illinois and Minnesota.”
Should Evers decide not to run, attorney general Josh Kaul is the man Republicans should most fear, as he has already won two statewide elections. Other potential candidates include Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and state Senator Kelda Roys.
Regardless of who the Democratic nominee is, Republicans must focus on running a campaign that can reach voters of all backgrounds. Wisconsin has a history of producing nationally recognized conservative leaders, including former governors Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker, so defeat is not inevitable.