OPEN SEASON

Dem Governor Won’t Seek Reelection in Key Swing State

Tony Evers has been Governor of Wisconsin since 2019.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers will not seek reelection, leaving an open spot for Republicans to secure one of the country’s battleground states.

Evers, 73, announced on X Thursday afternoon that he would not run for a third term as the state’s governor.

In his announcement video, Evers, who took office in 2019, said he was taking a step back to spend more time with his wife, Kathy Evers, their three children and nine grandchildren.

“They are my world, and I owe it to them to focus on all the things we enjoy and love doing together,” said Evers.

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Though hugely popular within his party, Evers often publicly clashed with the state’s Republican-majority legislature, and with the president.

In April, state Republicans accused the governor of defying the law when he released a memo to state employees about how to navigate interactions with ICE agents at the workplace amid escalating raids.

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When asked if he would seek another term earlier this year, Evers said he was delaying the decision until he could reach a budget deal with Republicans in Wisconsin’s state House. The budget was finalized in early July.

Evers said in his announcement Thursday that he had “no question” that he would win if he had chosen to run again. However, the field for other Democratic candidates is less certain.

Wisconsin has not had an open gubernatorial race—one in which the incumbent is not seeking reelection—since 2010.

In that time, the state has shifted from a Democratic stronghold to a battleground for national elections. Though Obama won Wisconsin with a significant lead in 2012, Trump secured narrow victories in 2016 and 2024, losing to Biden in 2020.

Even Wisconsin’s senate seats are split: it has one Republican senator, Ron Johnson, and one Democrat, Tammy Baldwin.

In 2026, the gubernatorial primary field will likely be crowded for both parties. Two Republicans have already announced candidacies. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, who leads one of Wisconsin’s most heavily Republican counties, launched his candidacy in late April.

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Bill Berrien, a Milwaukee businessman and retired Navy SEAL, entered the primary in early July with a video likening himself to President Trump and vowing to “shake up Madison like he’s shaking up DC.”

In response to Evers’ retirement news, Berrien wrote in a press release, “Tony Evers is too scared to run on the Madison Democrats’ record of failure.”

Republican House Representative Tom Tiffany, a Trump ally, has said he would make a decision about running for governor after July, but teased a potential run on X last week.

Meanwhile, no Democrats have officially announced their candidacies, but several in Wisconsin’s state government may be considering a run.

Evers’ Lieutenant Governor, Sara Rodriguez, his Secretary of State, Sarah Godlewski, and his Attorney General, Josh Kaul, are all considered potential frontrunners, Politico reports.

Two Milwaukee officials, County Executive David Crowley and Mayor Cavalier Johnson, have also considered entering the race, NBC News reports.

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That would make a notably young lineup of candidates in a party that has received intense criticism for clinging to older incumbents.

Rodriguez, the eldest of this group, is 49, while Johnson, the youngest, is only 38. If elected next year, either Crowley, 39, or Johnson could become the youngest governor in the country.

Without formally entering the race, several contenders have already taken to social media to thank Governor Evers for his service to Wisconsin.

In a press release, Secretary Godlewski thanked Evers for being a “steady hand and a true public servant” who “governed with compassion and common sense.”

When asked if Mayor Johnson would enter the race, a spokesperson told The Daily Beast, “Today is Governor Evers’ day. Mayor Johnson will have more to say about a potential candidacy in the coming days.”

Meanwhile, Representative Tiffany thanked Governor Evers in a press release, but added, “He leaves behind a legacy of decline… Wisconsinites deserve better. It’s time we change course before we end up like Minnesota and Illinois.“

The Daily Beast has contacted the contenders for comment.

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