The governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, announced Thursday that it will not apply for re -election next year, a movement that will trigger an open race to replace it in one of the most divided battle states of the nation.
In a video posted in X, Evers, 73, a Democrat, said he would not look for a third mandate so that he could spend more time with his family, while predicting that he would have won if he had run.
“For five decades, my family has sacrificed to give me the gift of the service. They are my world, and I must concentrate on doing all the things we enjoy and love together. That is why Wisconsin, I am announcing that I am not going to run for a third term,” he said. “I feel honored to be your governor. This is the best job I have had.”
“Would you win if it ran?” Evers added. “Of course, there is no doubt about that. But if I would win or not, I had never been part of my calculation about running again.”
Evers had said that he would announce if he would look for a third term after reaching a budget agreement with the Republicans in the state legislature, which occurred earlier this month.
Your decision to give up another offer is expected to result in competitive primaries for both parties. Wisconsin is one of the five states that President Donald Trump won last year, where a democrat controlled governorate is on the electoral ballot in 2026.
Several Democrats have expressed their public or private interest in running to be successful to Evers. They include state attorney general Josh Kaul, Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodríguez, the Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee County Executive, David Crowley and the mayor of Milwaukee, Cavalier Johnson.
Before Evers’s decision, some Wisconsin Democrats had expressed concern that a expensive and divisive primary could occur if it declined to run again.
“It would be a great field if it doesn’t run. That could be messy,” said a democratic operation familiar with the thought of NBC News earlier this month.
On the Republican side, two candidates have so far entered the race, and more could continue.
Josh Schoemann, the Washington County County Executive, an exurban area northwest of Milwaukee, and Bill Berrien, a Milwaukee manufacturing CEO, have launched campaigns.
The businessman Eric Hovde, who lost a career in the United States Senate in 2024 against Democrat Tammy Baldwin, and Tim Michels, who lost for Evers in 2022, are also weighing offers. And the American representative Tom Tiffany has not ruled out a career.
In a statement filed by his campaign, Berrien accused Evers of being “too scared to run in the failure of Madison’s Democrats” and promised to “spend the next 15 months ensuring that anyone that Madison’s liberals choose from their radical career politicians bank learn the same lesson.”
The decision of Evers also occurs in the midst of a broader movement within the Democratic Party to clear the way for new and younger voices, particularly following his experience with then President Joe Biden in the 2024 campaign.
Recent surveys showed that Wisconsin Democrats had supported Evers running again, even when the general electorate in the Swing state remained more divided.
A survey of the Law Faculty of the University of Marquette of the registered voters of Wisconsin published in June found that 83% of the Democrats said they supported Evers looking for a third mandate. That survey also found that 42% of all registered voters said they wanted Evers to run again, compared to 55% they said no.
In a statement, the president of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Devin Remiker, praised Evers as “one of the most successful governors in our history” whose “constant leadership has been fundamental to transform our state and advance.”
“While republican candidates are rushed to adopt the most extreme elements of their party and face another divisive and bitter primary battle, we will be prepared to hold them responsible and ensure that Wisconsin chooses a democratic governor in 2026,” Remiker added.
