(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Democrat Gov. Tony Evers will not be running for re-election in 2026.
That leaves Whitefish Bay Resident Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, both Republicans, as the two candidates who have announced they are running for the seat.
Schoemann led U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, WI-7th Congressional, in a straw poll at the Republican Party of Wisconsin convention in May. Tiffany has not announced if he is running in the race.
“So, would I win if I ran a sixth time?” Evers said in his announcement. “Of course, no question about that. But whether I would in or not has never been part of my calculus about running again.”
It is not clear yet who will run on the Democratic side of the race but Democratic Governors Association Chair Laura Kelly said that it believes the next governor will also be a Democrat.
“No matter who emerges from the Republican primary, one thing is certain: they will be too extreme for Wisconsin, in stark contrast with the strong, results-focused leadership in the governor’s office that Wisconsinites have enjoyed over the last six years,” Kelly said. “The DGA looks forward to protecting Governor Evers’ historic legacy and keeping this office in Democratic hands.”
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley told WISN that he would consider a run if Evers announced he would not run.
Berrien, meanwhile, said he believes Evers didn’t run because the state is ready for a change.
“Tony Evers is too scared to run on the Madison Democrats’ record of failure,” Berrien said in a statement. “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.”
