Wisconsin’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul announced Tuesday that he will not run for governor, opting instead to seek a third term as the state’s top law enforcement official.
The governor’s race is wide open after Democratic incumbent Tony Evers, 73, announced this summer that he won’t seek reelection. The race will be the highest-profile contest on the ballot, but it has even greater significance this cycle as Democrats look to hold the office and take control of the Legislature for the first time since 2010.
More than half a dozen Democrats have announced plans to run in the August primary. Kaul would have been the de facto front-runner had he joined, given his large base of support and two statewide election victories.
The most prominent candidates in the Democratic primary scramble include Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, state Rep. Francesca Hong and former Wisconsin Economic Development Commission leader Missy Hughes. Former lieutenant governor and 2022 U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes said Tuesday in the wake of Kaul’s decision that he’s “strongly considering” entering the race.
The most notable Republicans running are U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann.
Kaul said in an interview Tuesday that he seriously considered running for governor but was worried the job would take him away from his two sons, ages 8 and 11. The state also needs leaders willing to push back against President Donald Trump’s administration, he said.
“It’s vitally important that we have folks who are going to stand up and protect our freedoms and rule of law,” he said.
Kaul is nearly three-quarters of the way through his second term. He defeated incumbent Republican Brad Schimel in 2018 and held off a challenge from Republican Eric Toney, Fond du Lac County’s district attorney, to win a second term in 2022.
Toney is expected to run for attorney general again in 2026. Asked for comment on the race Tuesday following Kaul’s announcement, he said only that he was focused on a homicide trial.
Kaul has been an advocate for liberal causes as attorney general. He has repeatedly called on Republican legislators to enact gun safety measures, to no avail. He successfully persuaded the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court to strike down the state’s abortion ban this year. Kaul has launched an investigation into clergy sex abuse in Wisconsin and has worked to expedite testing of sexual assault evidence kits.
Kaul also has worked to create multiple legal obstacles for Trump.
Last year, he filed felony charges against two attorneys and an aide who helped submit false papers to Congress claiming that Trump had won Wisconsin in 2020. Democrat Joe Biden won the state by less than a percentage point. The case Kaul brought against the fake electors is still pending.
Kaul has also joined more than two dozen multistate lawsuits challenging edicts from the current Trump administration. The filings challenge an array of proposals, including dismantling the federal volunteer agency AmeriCorps, withholding federal education funding from the states and capping research grant funding.
Republicans tried to curtail Kaul’s powers ahead of his first term, passing legislation in a lame duck session before he took office that required the Legislature’s GOP-controlled finance committee to approve any court settlements his office might broker. Kaul fought the statutes all the way to the state Supreme Court and ultimately won a ruling in June that the legislation was unconstitutional.
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The former state economic development director for Wisconsin, who previously worked as an executive at a dairy cooperative, announced Monday that she is running for governor as a Democrat, promising to reject “divisive politics.”
Missy Hughes joins an already crowded field of Democrats for the open seat in the battleground state. The primary is just under 11 months away. There are two prominent announced Republican candidates.
Hughes, an attorney, is pitching herself as “not a politician,” even though she spent the past six years leading the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation as part of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers administration. She quit that job on Sept. 19.
Evers is not seeking a third term and has not endorsed anyone in the governor’s race.
Prior to taking on the state economic development job, Hughes worked for 17 years at Organic Valley, a dairy cooperative that began in 1988 and consists of more than 1,600 family farms in 34 states and over 900 employees.
Hughes said as governor she would push for higher wages, improving public schools, affordable and accessible child care and health care and affordable housing.
“I’m not a politician, and that’s the point,” Hughes said in a statement. “To create a prosperous economy for the future in all 72 counties, we need a leader who knows what it takes to create jobs, support workers, and attract businesses – and who rejects divisive politics that leaves so many behind.”
Other Democrats in the race include Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez; Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley; state Sen. Kelda Roys; and state Rep. Francesca Hong. Others considering getting in include Attorney General Josh Kaul and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup.This story is published in partnership with The Associated Press.
The former head of the state's economic development agency is running for governor as a Democrat, saying her business experience sets her apart from the field.
Former WEDC CEO Missy Hughes launched her campaign Monday to seek the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin governor. (Hughes campaign photo)
Missy Hughes, Wisconsin’s former top economic development official, says she offers a distinctive choice in the 2026 Democratic primary for governor — an effective non-politician with a strong economic track record.
“Listen, I’m not a politician. I’m different than other folks you’ve seen run for governor. That’s the point,” Hughes says in herlaunch video released Monday morning.
Hughes, a lawyer who served as Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) CEO and secretary for six years, becomes the seventh Democrat to join the field for the party’s nomination after Gov. Tony Evers announced in July that he will not seek a third term in 2026.
“I think right now, there’s a moment where we’re looking for a Democrat who understands the economy, who understands how to build the economy, who understands how to move Wisconsin forward, and so I happen to have the chance to meet that moment,” Hughes told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview Monday.
“As governor, I’ll create a Main Street economy that includes you and works for you,” Hughes says in the launch video. “Where we strengthen our Main Streets, make sure Wisconsinites have higher wages and housing they can afford, our families have child care and health care that doesn’t break the bank, and our public schools prepare our kids for the future.”
Hughes was an executive for 17 years at Organic Valley before Evers appointed her to lead the WEDC. In her campaign video, she says that the cooperative, which markets organic dairy products sourced from more than 1,800 farms across the U.S., topped $1 billion in revenue during her tenure.
She took the reins at the WEDC Oct. 1, 2019, where she headed Wisconsin’s negotiations with major employers expanding their operations or relocating to the state. She resigned Sept. 19, 10 days before launching her campaign.
During her tenure at the agency, “major companies like Milwaukee Tool, Microsoft, Eli Lilly, Kikkoman and more committed to invest over $10 billion and create 45,000 good-paying jobs across Wisconsin,” the Hughes campaign stated in a debut email.
Hughes also raised the department’s profile insmall business and local community economic development. The WEDC oversaw many of the state’s COVID-19 relief programs, which focused heavily on small business recovery from the short but sharp economic hit brought on by the pandemic.
Among the highest profile efforts was theMain Street Bounceback, which directed $10,000 grants to more than 9,500 small businesses across Wisconsin.
The WEDC is also the lead state agency involved in Wisconsin’s successful application for federal support to establish a technology hub centered on the state’sbiohealth sector.
Hughes is the second Democrat with an Evers administration background to seek the party’s nomination in the August 2026 primary. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez was the first to enter the race, declaring her candidacy less than 24 hours after Evers announced he was not running.
Other declared hopefuls are Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison). Milwaukee factory worker and baseball stadium beer vendor Ryan Strnad and former state Rep. Brett Hulsey are also seeking the nomination.
Hughes told the Wisconsin Examiner that economic concerns and how she’s addressed them in her career are central to her case.
“I think the economy is something that Wisconsinites think about day to day,” Hughes said. “No matter what, we know that folks are going to be thinking about those issues, those kitchen table issues that are really important to how they live their lives every day.”
Her campaign message that she’s “not a politician” aims to convey “that I’m in it to serve the people of Wisconsin and to support them as they go through their daily lives trying to make ends meet and have a little bit of fun at the same time,” Hughes said.
“I’m not someone who has spent a career working in politics and working to shout louder than the person standing next to me,” she said. From working with farmers to community economic development projects, “my job has always been about having economic impact and helping people to succeed.”
While centering an economic message, her campaign has also nodded broadly to themes of personal freedom and democracy that have been the foremost concerns of some voters.
In the video, over shots of the White House and then a gleaming urban office tower, Hughes says, “I’m not going to go looking for a fight, but I’ll stand up to anyone, from the White House to Wall Street, who comes after your rights or tries to make your life harder.”
Hughes reiterated that message in the interview, adding that she believes it’s possible to cut through political polarization.
“Certainly, folks are talking about what rights are on the table, how we’re interacting with each other and either supporting our rights or taking them away,” she said.
From her home community near Viroqua in Southwestern Wisconsin to her travels around the state, Hughes said people are yearning for greater harmony.
“Everyone is just so exhausted by the division and the ongoing fighting and they want someone who says, ‘Let’s come to the table. Let’s find common ground,’” Hughes said.
“I feel like there’s a complete path to victory that involves making sure that we’re building a strong economy, and at the same time, we’re bringing people together so they can talk about their differences, and they can work on projects and have an impact together.”
One of the candidates in the GOP primary for Wisconsin governor has dropped out of the race, days after it was reported that he once followed several authors of sexually explicit essays on social media.
A fierce loyalist of President Donald Trump who represents a broad swath of Wisconsin’s rural north woods in Congress entered the governor’s race in the battleground state on Tuesday, shaking up the Republican primary.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany becomes the front-runner over the two other announced Republican candidates who have less name recognition and support from key conservative donors.
Tiffany announced his bid for governor on “The Dan O’Donnell Show,” describing the decision as a “great challenge but also a great opportunity.”
“I have the experience both in the private sector and the public sector to be able to work from day one,” he said, when asked what differentiates him from the two other Republicans in the race.
“I give us the best chance to win in 2026,” he said.
The governor’s race is open for the first time in 16 years after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers decided against seeking a third term. Numerous Democrats are running, but there is no clear front-runner, and Evers hasn’t endorsed anyone.
Tiffany’s launch did not come with an immediate endorsement from Trump, which will be key in the GOP primary in August 2026.
But Tiffany has the inside track given his longtime support of the president. Another GOP candidate, businessman Bill Berrien, has faced fierce criticism on conservative talk radio after he backed former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in the 2024 primary and said in August 2020 that he hadn’t decided whether to support Trump.
The third Republican in the race, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, has also tried to court Trump voters. He represents a suburban Milwaukee county that Trump won with 67% of the vote in 2024.
Reacting to Tiffany’s announcement, Schoemann said he looked forward to a primary “focused on ideas and winning back the governor’s office.”
Even if he lands a Trump endorsement, Tiffany faces hurdles. In the past 36 years, gubernatorial candidates who were the same party as the president in a midterm election have lost every time, except for Evers in 2022.
Tiffany has cruised to victory in the vast 7th Congressional District — which covers nearly 19,000 square miles encompassing all or part of 20 counties. Tiffany won a special election in 2020 after the resignation of Sean Duffy, who is now Trump’s transportation secretary. Tiffany won that race by 14 points and has won reelection by more than 20 points in each of his three reelections.
But candidates from deep-red rural northern Wisconsin have struggled to win statewide elections, largely because of the huge number of Democratic voters in the state’s two largest cities, Milwaukee and Madison.
Prior to being elected to Congress, Tiffany served just over seven years in the state Legislature. During his tenure, he was a close ally of then-Gov. Scott Walker and voted to pass a law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers.
Tiffany also voted in favor of legalizing concealed carry and angered environmentalists by trying to repeal a state mining moratorium to clear the way for an open-pit mine in northern Wisconsin.
In Congress, Tiffany has upset animal rights activists with his push to take the gray wolf off the endangered species list, which would open the door to wolf hunting seasons.
In 2020, Tiffany voted against accepting the electoral college votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania as part of an effort to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s win. He was one of just 14 Republican House members in 2021 who voted against making Juneteenth a national holiday.
Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Devin Remiker called Tiffany a “bought and paid for stooge,” highlighting his support for Trump’s tariffs, his push to ban abortions around six weeks of pregnancy and his opposition to raising the minimum wage.
“We’re going to show Wisconsinites what a fraud he is and defeat him next November,” Remiker said.
Tiffany, 67, was born on a dairy farm and ran a tourist boat business for 20 years. He has played up his rural Wisconsin roots in past campaigns, which included ads featuring his elderly mother and one in which he slings cow manure to make a point about how he would work with Trump to clean up Washington.
The most prominent Democratic candidates for governor are Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez; Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley; state Sen. Kelda Roys and state Rep. Francesca Hong. Others considering getting in include Attorney General Josh Kaul, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and former state economic development director Missy Hughes.
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup.This story is published in partnership with The Associated Press.
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has officially entered Wisconsin's 2026 race for governor, joining a field of GOP candidates hoping to win back control of the executive branch, held by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers since 2019.
State Rep. Francesca Hong sits for a photo in her office in the Capitol in 2022. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)
State Rep. Francesca Hong, a Madison Democratic Socialist, chef and bartender, is joining the growing Democratic field for governor — saying she hopes to be a relatable candidate who can bring working class people together to foster a government that works for them.
Hong launched her campaign with a 90-second ad shot in the kitchen of L’Etoile, a high-end restaurant across from the Capitol in Madison and in the dining area of the adjacent restaurant Graze. Hong points towards the Capitol, which is labeled in the ad “MAGA-controlled Legislature,” and says that “a lot of people in that building don’t get why it’s so hard to get by right now.”
“Working hard doesn’t mean you can always keep up. One wrong step can lay you out flat. This is by design,” Hong says.
Hong told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview that she is running because she sees the current moment as ripe for a “movement” for “building working class power,” as “more and more people are realizing that the system is rigged.”
“It’s about politics rooted in care — where we care for ourselves, our children, our small businesses and our workers. The movement requires building coalitions, meeting folks where they are, honoring and receiving all different types of talents and treasures and time that people are willing to give to engage with others. It’s happening, and it needs to happen faster here in Wisconsin.”
Hong said she feels a sense of urgency because of the direction the Trump administration and Republicans are taking.
“We have an authoritarian regime that endorses mass suffering, gutting food from children and gutting health care from working people and dismantling public education and programs,” Hong said. “It’s irresponsible to be thinking about incrementalism as a way to make this moment. I think it’s unrealistic to rely on incremental policy, and what working class people are demanding is that they have their needs met… Wisconsinites, they f-ing hustle, and they deserve a governor who is going to be working as hard as they are.”
Four other Democratic candidates are already in the open race, including State Sen. Kelda Roys of Madison, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Mukwonago beer vendor Ryan Strnad.
Two Republican candidates have entered the race on the GOP side so far: Whitefish Bay manufacturer Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has said he will make a decision about entering the race by the end of the month.
Hong was first elected to the state Assembly in 2020, becoming the first Asian American to serve in the body. At 36, she is the youngest candidate to join the race so far.
Gov. Tony Evers’ decision not to seek a third term opened the way for a competitive primary. “I think that this is probably the only time where someone like me can run for governor and win,” Hong said.
She acknowledged that her campaign will be different in style and substance from more traditional campaigns. “I think there’s going to be some skepticism that’s going to come from the establishment folks in political circles about some of the campaign strategies we may lean on, especially when it comes to creative digital,” she said.
Hong formerly owned Morris Ramen, a restaurant in downtown Madison she opened with Matt Morris and restaurateur Shinji Muramoto in 2016 and closed last year. She currently bartends and picks up shifts at another restaurant every once in a while. She is also a single mother who rents her home in Madison.
“It’s going to sound corny, but I really love this state,” Hong said. “It’s where I have failed and succeeded. When it comes to my culinary career or winning an election and being sent to the Capitol. It’s where George [her son] was born. It’s my parents’ home. They’ve lived here longer than anywhere else, and the state has given me and my family a lot.”
She says she began considering running for governor after the recent state budget process.
Hong voted against the budget and called on other Democrats to do the same because it made no increases in general state aid to Wisconsin’s public schools. During her time in the Legislature, Hong has also been a champion for providing school breakfasts and lunches to all students free of charge.
This session Hong joined the Legislative Socialist Caucus. She said she identifies as a Democratic Socialist.
“That means I’m dedicated to building working class power where everyone has their basic needs met to be able to take care of themselves and the people that they love and their neighbors and somebody that they don’t know,” Hong said.
Her campaign comes at a moment when other Democratic Socialists are running high-profile campaigns across the country. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has been traveling the country on a “Fight Oligarchy Tour” that made stops in Wisconsin. In New York City, state Rep. Zohran Mamdani recently won the Democratic nomination for mayor.
Hong said Mamdani’s message resonated with her.
“Mamdani has showed us that meeting voters where they are, building a diverse, multi-generational, multi-faith, multi-racial and multi-ethnic coalition is how you build trust with voters,” Hong said, adding that she appreciates his focus on “affordability and concrete ways that government can do its job and be a force of good.”
The policies that she has proposed in the Legislature have been “practical,” Hong said.
Hong was a leading sponsor on a state law that requires schools teach Hmong and Asian American history. Hong, the daughter of Korean immigrants, also helped launch the state’s first Legislative Asian Caucus alongside two of her new colleagues this session and has authored resolutions to proclaim 2025 as the year of the snake and celebrate 50 years of Hmong, Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese people residing in Wisconsin.
This session, she has also coauthored a resolution to declare that Wisconsin have an Economic Bill of Rights and a bill to prohibit state employees’ cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in public buildings without a warrant.
“We can make better possible when there are universal policies that support working class people — universal child care, guaranteed paid leave, fully funded public schools, access to capital for small businesses and investing heavily in a care infrastructure where we can take care of our seniors,” Hong said. “Regardless of political identity, these types of social insurance programs are designed to ensure that working class people can not only get by, but be able to take care of themselves and their families in the ways that they see fit.”
Hong said it is “imperative” that Democrats flip the state Assembly and Senate to make progress towards those policies. New legislative maps adopted in 2024 brought that goal into sight for Democrats for the first time in many years.
Hong said she is going to do everything she can to support candidates running for the Assembly and to help flip districts currently represented by Republicans. The Wisconsin Legislature has been led by Republicans since 2010.
This will be Hong’s first time running for statewide office. Hong said she is anticipating an array of challenges for her campaign. She said she will continue putting in a lot of hours as a state lawmaker, and she may not be able to pick up as many shifts at Gamma Ray, the Madison bar she works at.
Hong said she is also committed to meeting people where they are in a wide variety of places, including bowling alleys and pro wrestling matches and the rodeo. She said those are the places where people might be willing to share their stories.
Hong recalled stopping at a bar in Chippewa Falls. She said she got her usual Miller High Life, while two men next to her had a Miller Lite light and a regular Miller Lite. She said she made a comment along the lines of “you might as well just be drinking water at that point” and it led to a conversation about concerns one of the men had about hospital access in a part of the state grappling with recent hospitals closings.
“He was worried that his elderly mother, who was almost 90 and still drives herself to the hospital… she’s not going to get the care she needs,” Hong said. “That is real. Health care is very real for folks, health insurance is too expensive. We have policies that are going to help make health insurance cheaper, both for small businesses and for workers.
Hong hopes she can give people the sense that “there’s somebody in their corner,” and show them that she “can be a strong messenger for helping people realize that together we can make better possible.”
A Democratic state lawmaker who is promising to be a “wild card” joined Wisconsin’s open race for governor on Wednesday, saying she will focus on a progressive agenda to benefit the working class.
State Rep. Francesca Hong, who lives in the liberal capital city of Madison, is embracing her outsider status. In addition to serving in the state Assembly, Hong works as a bartender, dishwasher and line cook. As a single mother struggling with finding affordable housing, she said she is uniquely relatable as a candidate.
“I like considering myself the wild card,” Hong said. “Our campaign is going to look at strategies and movement building, making sure we are being creative when it comes to our digital strategies.”
Part of her goal will be to expand the electorate to include voters who haven’t been engaged in past elections, she said.
Hong, 36, joins a field that doesn’t have a clear front-runner. Other announced Democratic candidates including Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and state Sen. Kelda Roys. Additional Democrats are considering getting in, including Attorney General Josh Kaul.
On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee business owner Bill Berrien are the only announced candidates. Other Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering running.
The race to replace Gov. Tony Evers, who is retiring after two terms, is open with no incumbent running for the first time since 2010.
Hong is the most outspoken Democrat to join the field. She is known to use profanity when trying to make a point, especially on social media.
Hong is one of four Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly who also are members of the Socialist Caucus.
“We’re meeting a moment that requires a movement and not an establishment candidate,” she said.
She promised to make working class people the center of her campaign while embracing progressive policies. That includes backing universal child care, paid leave, lower health care costs, improving wages for in-home health care workers and adequately funding public schools.
Like other Democrats in the race, Hong is highly critical of President Donald Trump’s administration and policies.
“It’s important to refer to the administration not as an administration but authoritarians who aim to increase mass suffering and harm working class families across the state,” Hong said. “A lot of communities are scared for their families, for their communities, how they’re going to continue to make ends meet when they’re worried about health care and salaries.”
Hong was elected to the state Assembly in 2020 and ran unopposed in both 2022 and 2024.
The Democratic primary is 11 months away in August 2026, and the general election will follow in November.
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup.This story is published in partnership with The Associated Press.
A Wisconsin state senator who came in third in the Democratic primary for governor in 2018 is running again, saying in her campaign launch video that “extremists” like President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk are putting the nation’s democracy at risk.
Kelda Roys, an attorney and small business owner who represents the liberal capital city of Madison in the state Senate, launched her campaign on Monday.
“We are in the fight of our lives for our democracy and our kids’ future,” Roys says in her campaign launch video. It shows people protesting along with images of Trump and Musk.
The two other highest-profile announced Democratic candidates are Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Several other Democrats are expected to join the race in coming days.
On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, 43, and suburban Milwaukee business owner Bill Berrien, 56, are the only announced candidates. Other Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering running.
Roys, 46, served in the state Assembly from 2009 until 2013. Roys ran for an open congressional seat in 2012, but was defeated by a fellow state lawmaker, Mark Pocan, by 50 points. She was elected to the state Senate in 2020.
As a lawmaker, Roys has been an outspoken defender of abortion rights and for union rights. In her launch video, Roys highlights her opposition to then-Gov. Scott Walker’s law that effectively ended collective bargaining for public workers in 2011.
“With everything on the line, Wisconsin needs a governor who’s been training for this moment her whole career and knows how to deliver,” she said.
Roys said she would work to improve public schools, make health care more affordable and create quality jobs.
The race to replace Gov. Tony Evers, who is retiring after two terms, is open with no incumbent running for the first time since 2010. Roys lost to Evers in the 2018 gubernatorial primary, coming in third out of eight candidates behind him and Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup.This story is published in partnership with The Associated Press.
Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order Monday requiring insurance companies to continue covering COVID-19 vaccines as changes out of federal health agencies have restricted eligibility for the shots.
Gov. Tim Walz speaks after the end of the special session in June Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
Gov. Tim Walz made it clear he intends to run for an unprecedented third, four-year term in front of a group of a 100 or so Democratic donors Tuesday, according to two people who were there.
In his speech at the Iron Ranger bar in St. Paul, Walz said something to the effect of “you’re all here making contributions, and you probably know I’m not going to run off to Mexico with your money, so look out for an announcement,” according to a source who attended the fundraiser and whose account was confirmed by another person there.
“He made it clear he is moving in that direction,” said a person in attendance.
The Reformer spoke to four people who were at the fundraiser or who have spoken to Walz about his plans in recent days. They were granted anonymity because they were not authorized by their employers to speak publicly.
Walz has also told several people privately but definitively that he will run again, and he will make a campaign announcement next week.
A Walz spokesman declined to comment.
A DFL source who was at the event said Walz was thrown off by the June killing of Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was a friend and governing partner. But the recent mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, where schoolchildren were gathered for a celebratory Mass, “lit a fire in him” because he wants to provide leadership during another vulnerable moment in Minnesota history.
Despite the advantages of incumbency, a robust fundraising operation and his own natural political skills, winning a third term won’t be easy.
Walz would have to defend a lengthy record, during which he’s governed during some of the state’s worst crises: The pandemic and resulting academic declines; the murder of George Floyd and the uprising and rioting that followed; a spike in crime that has since subsided; emerging fiscal instability; and, finally, the political violence that took the life of Hortman and her husband Mark and badly wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.
Another crisis has been state government’s own making: A wave of fraud in public programs is sure to be a centerpiece of the Republican campaign against him.
Rep. Kristin Robbins, a Republican candidate for governor from Maple Grove and currently chair of the Minnesota House’s fraud prevention committee, said Walz has allowed rampant fraud in his own agencies.
“A third Walz term would be a disaster, and I’m stepping up to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Robbins said in a statement to the Reformer. “I am committed to stopping the fraud, restoring fiscal responsibility and bringing back common-sense leadership so the state works for Minnesotans, not against them.”
Scott Jensen, the 2022 GOP nominee for governor, and Kendall Qualls, an army veteran and health care executive, are also running as GOP candidates. In a statement, Qualls said, “Walz’s first two terms as governor have been nothing but a failure.”
Recent polling suggests that Walz remains popular with Minnesotans, but they are less pleased with the idea of him running for a third term. A June KSTP poll found that only 43% of Minnesotans surveyed say he should run again.
Despite Walz’s challenges, he has also enjoyed the highest of highs: A surprisingly easy 2022 reelection and a Democratic-Farmer-Labor trifecta that resulted in a bevy of legislative victories, from free school meals to drivers licenses for undocumented people, legal marijuana to huge investments in transportation and housing. He parlayed that record and a few high-profile national media appearances to emerge as Kamala Harris’ surprising pick to be her vice presidential nominee.
A national media and public speaking tour earlier this year fueled speculation about a 2028 presidential run, but he’s already said he won’t run if he wins a third term.
The last time Minnesota voters were faced with a governor seeking a third term, they rejected Iron Range Democrat Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1990.
This story was originally produced by Minnesota Reformer, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley launched his campaign for governor Tuesday morning, saying that his story is “Wisconsin’s story” and he wants to work to address the “affordability crisis” that many Wisconsinites are facing.
Crowley had already said he was planning to enter the race just a day after Gov. Tony Evers announced he wouldn’t be running for a third term in 2026. Evers’ decision not to run has created the first open race for governor in 16 years.
In a campaign ad, Crowley, 39, highlighted his difficulties in his childhood and his journey to becoming the youngest and first Black person to serve as Milwaukee county executive.
“I didn’t grow up in the halls of power. I grew up here and here and here,” Crowley said as photos of his previous homes flashed on screen, “Evicted three times as a kid, having to pick up yourself and everything you own off the curb, it’ll break you or it’ll make you.”
The field for the Democratic primary is still shaping up. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez was the first to launch her campaign, following Evers’ announcement. State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) has also said she is “very likely” to enter the race. Others considering joining the fray include former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Attorney General Josh Kaul and state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison).
The primary election is just under a year away.
Crowley said in an interview that Evers has served as a “great, steady, calm strength” that the state has needed over the last decade and he “knew that we were going to need some experienced executive leadership to take over” and someone “who’s going to fight for Wisconsinites all across this state.”
Crowley was elected to be Milwaukee County executive in 2020. He highlighted the fact that he has managed the state’s largest county, including its $1.4 billion budget, guiding it through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crowley also represented Milwaukee in the state Assembly from 2017 to June of 2020.
“I didn’t want any child to go through that,” he said of his struggles with poverty and eviction in his early life, “so I became a community organizer. I went on to serve in the state Assembly, where I saw what happens when extremists had total control, and I’d had enough,” Crowley says in a new campaign ad. “At 33, I returned home elected to lead the largest county in Wisconsin, helping create thousands of new jobs, cutting our carbon emissions in half, balancing the budget, all while delivering the largest property tax cut in our history and convincing Madison to return more money right back to every local community across the state. But the progress we’ve made isn’t nearly enough.”
Crowley told the Wisconsin Examiner in an interview that his experience in the Legislature combined with his executive experience set himself apart from other potential candidates. He said he knew on Day One he “would hit the ground running to be able to move our entire state forward.”
Crowley will have to run and win statewide, something he hasn’t done before, before he can accomplish that.
Asked about challenges Democrats could face in competing statewide in 2026, Crowley said it’s important to recognize people’s frustrations with the Democratic party, especially nationally. He said he has shared the frustrations.
“We haven’t had a cohesive national message that we could get around that would help energize our base and get folks out,” Crowley said.
Crowley noted that his experience isn’t just with the city of Milwaukee — the county itself is made up of 19 municipalities with varying needs.
‘When we talk about the issues that we have focused on — balancing the budget, being able to cut taxes, tackling the opioid epidemic, expanding access to mental health services — these aren’t partisan issues. These aren’t rural or suburban or urban issues. These are issues that are affecting every community,” Crowley said. “My goal is to go and talk to all communities, to let them know that I’m not only willing to listen but am willing to allow those voices on the ground, at the grassroots level, to be able to be part of the solution.”
Crowley said that he has helped deliver for communities outside of Milwaukee County. He takes credit for leading on Act 12, a 2023 bipartisan law that overhauled local government funding in Wisconsin, boosting state payments for communities across the state and provided Milwaukee with the ability to raise its sales tax.
Crowley said that Act 12 was “definitely historic in nature” — providing funding that communities were able to invest in fire and safety, roads, infrastructure and public services — and gave Milwaukee County and other communities a “bit of reprieve,” but it “didn’t fix all our problems.”
“We’ve had a Republican-controlled Legislature for the better of more than 15 years, and so [Evers has] had to work across the aisle, and this is what divided government looks like,” Crowley said when asked if he would’ve done anything different in recent budget negotiations, which left many Democrats dissatisfied. “It’s not the sexiest or the prettiest, but it means that you have to find compromises… I want to make sure that we continue to do what’s right, but also know that there’s more that we can do for working families.”
Crowley said that’s why it’s important that Democrats pick up seats in the state Legislature in 2026 in addition to keeping control of the governor’s office. Democrats are two seats away from flipping the Senate and five seats away from flipping the Assembly. To do so, Crowley said they cannot “continue to defend the status quo.”
“We have to look forward. We have to talk about the new vision of what Wisconsin needs to look like,” Crowley said. “What fully funded public schools really means? What does it mean to support families who are in need of child care across this state, and making sure that they have access not to just affordable housing, but we need attainable housing that is available for folks at all different income levels.”
Crowley said these issues are all at the root of helping address the “affordability crisis.”
“People are getting less even if they are making more money, and they need a little bit of relief,” Crowley said. “They’re struggling — trying to figure out how they’re going to put food on the table, how they’re going to keep up with rent or their mortgage, and I know exactly what that’s like. I had two loving parents, who had their own issues and struggled to put food on the table.”
On education, Crowley noted that Wisconsin used to provide about two-thirds of the funding that school districts needed.
“We at least need to revisit that and figure out how we can get back to that level,” Crowley said.
Child care was one of Evers’ top issues during the most recent state budget negotiations and he secured $110 million in state funding for direct payments to child care providers. That program will sunset in June 2026.
Asked whether he would take a similar approach to funding for child care centers, Crowley said that the state should “look at the public-private partnerships when it comes down to funding anything and everything.”
“As it relates to the services that we’ve provided in Milwaukee County, we can have limited resources, but based off of the partnerships that we have created, we’ve been able to move the needle on many of the programs and services that we offer,” Crowley said. “How do we bring the child care providers into the fold and help them come up with ideas that we need in order to fund them, and I do think that businesses can play a role.”
On affordable housing, Crowley said that the state needs to work to cut down on bureaucracy and “red tape”.
“There’s a lot of bureaucracy, even if the state wanted to invest in both affordable and attainable housing. You have to wait for local approval, and I think both sides of the aisle understand that we can’t wait for the bureaucrats, and we need to cut the red tape with a type of housing that communities are looking for.”
Crowley added that “what works in Milwaukee may not work in La Crosse, may not work in Wausau, may not work in Green Bay” and that he wants to ensure that the state is listening to people in their communities about what is best.
Crowley added that there’s “going to be time for us to talk about specific policies,” but he is planning on using “the next couple of weeks, next couple of months, to hear directly from those who are impacted and see what solutions they want to see brought to the table.”
Crowley added that it would take working with the Legislature to get these things done.
“I absolutely think that one of the things that we have lost in politics is the art of compromise,” Crowley said. “Now, compromising means that you’re finding ways to bring results, and that’s what voters care about. They care about the results, not necessarily the process, but compromising doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re giving up our values to get to a place.”
Crowley said he would commit to having office hours to work with legislators and hear their ideas “no matter what side of the aisle or what letter is behind their name.” He said this type of communication also needs to extend to every community across the state.
“The issues affecting communities — there isn’t a cookie cutter solution to them, and there’s no one size fits all solution to the issues that are affecting all of our communities,” Crowley said.
In his campaign video, Crowley also took aim at President Donald Trump.
“With costs shooting up, we’re all getting less, even if you’re making more. And Donald Trump’s chaos and cruelty means that the Wisconsin that we cherish will perish unless we unite and fight back,” Crowley said.
Trump will likely be a major factor in the race for governor in Wisconsin, especially in the Republican primary where the field is also still taking shape, but all of the candidates who have announced so far have closely aligned themselves with Trump.
Crowley said he doesn’t doubt Trump and other national Republican groups will try to “put their thumb on the scale for their particular candidate.”
“We’re going to run a tight grassroots campaign crisscrossing to every community across this state, letting them know my vision, and I want folks to know whether you’re Democrat, Independent or Republican, there’s a place in this campaign for you, because I’m looking to be the governor for all of us,” Crowley said.
On the Republican side, Whitefish Bay manufacturer Bill Berrien and Washington Co. Executive Josh Schoemann have officially launched their campaigns. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who has spoken to President Donald Trump about running according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has said he plans to announce a decision by the end of the month.
In a statement, Berrien called Crowley’s campaign launch “another career politician” jumping into the race.
“After years of failed leadership from bureaucrats like David Crowley and Tony Evers, Wisconsinites are ready for a builder to take the reins and lead our state to a bright and prosperous future,” Berrien said. “It doesn’t matter who the Democrats nominate — I plan to beat them.”
Crowley said he isn’t worried about “which Republican” he faces in a general election.
“My fear is any Republican who has the potential of winning this race, and that’s why I’m entering this race now, because we have to unify our party. We have to bring new voices to the table. We have to bring independents back into the fold and build a broad coalition that’s not only going to help me become the next governor, but that’s going to help us win the Senate and the Assembly moving forward.”
The top-elected official in Milwaukee County, who rose out of poverty in one of the state’s poorest neighborhoods, launched a bid for Wisconsin governor on Tuesday, saying his background and experience in office make him uniquely prepared for the job.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley joins the battleground state’s Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez as the two highest-profile Democratic candidates in the 2026 race to replace Gov. Tony Evers, who is retiring after two terms. The race is open with no incumbent running for the first time since 2010.
Crowley, 39, is vying to become the state’s first Black governor, while Rodriguez would be the first woman elected to the post. There are two announced Republicans, with several others in both parties considering getting in.
The primary is 11 months away in August.
Crowley told The Associated Press in an interview Monday that he wants to be a “governor for all of us,” focusing on lowering costs for families, affordable health care and housing and fully funding public schools.
“I understand the experiences of what many families are going through,” Crowley said. “It’s really about showing up for people and that’s what people want.”
Crowley grew up in the 53206 ZIP code, which a 2013 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee study found was the most incarcerated ZIP code in the country, with a majority of men who lived there having spent time behind bars. The area is also known for high rates of poverty, a high concentration of vacant lots and poor health care.
Crowley leans into his background in his launch video, highlighting how his family was once homeless in Milwaukee but he rose to become a community organizer and was elected to the state Assembly in 2016 at age 30. He served until the middle of 2020, when he was elected as executive of Milwaukee County, the state’s largest county. He was the first Black person to hold that job and also the youngest at age 33.
Three years ago, Crowley started pursuing a college degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and graduated in December, all while serving as county executive.
“My upbringing has really given me the guiding principles of how I govern,” Crowley said. “That’s why I stress being the governor for all of us. I know what it’s like to struggle. I know what it’s like to be poor.”
Rodriguez tried to contrast herself with Crowley in a statement reacting to his candidacy, saying that she brings “a proven record of delivering results across all 72 counties.” Rodriguez, unlike Crowley, has won a statewide election. She won the 2022 primary for lieutenant governor.
Both Crowley and Rodriguez have also targeted President Donald Trump early in the governor’s race. In his launch video, Crowley said that Trump’s “chaos and cruelty means that the Wisconsin that we cherish will perish unless we unite and fight back.”
Rodriguez called Trump a “maniac” in her launch video.
Democrats are hoping to hold on to the governor’s office as they also eye flipping majority control of the state Legislature, which Republicans have held since 2011.
Crowley is one of several younger Democratic candidates looking at replacing Evers, who is 73.
Rodriguez is 50, and another likely candidate, state Sen. Kelda Roys, is 46. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is also mulling a bid, is 38. Attorney General Josh Kaul, 44, is also considering a run.
On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, 43, and suburban Milwaukee businessman Bill Berrien, 56, are the only announced candidates. Others, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering running.
Tiffany has indicated that he will announce his decision later this month. Felzkowski said last week that she would not run if Tiffany gets into the race and she was undecided about a bid if he declined.
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup.This story is published in partnership with The Associated Press.
Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, announced Thursday that he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating the first open race for governor in the battleground state in 16 years.
It will be Wisconsin’s highest-profile race next year as Democrats also angle to take control of the Legislature thanks to redrawn election maps that are friendlier to the party. They are also targeting two congressional districts as Democrats nationwide try to retake the House.
The Legislature has been under Republican control since 2011, and some Democrats had hoped that Evers, 73, would run for a third term to give him a chance to potentially work with a Democratic-controlled one.
In a video announcing his decision, Evers said he was “damn proud” of working 50 years in public service. But he said it was time to focus on his family.
“For five decades, my family has sacrificed to give me the gift of service,” Evers said. “They’re my world and I owe it to them to focus on doing all the things we enjoy and love doing together.”
Possible candidates
The open race is sure to attract several Democratic and Republican candidates. Democrats mentioned as potential candidates include Attorney General Josh Kaul, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, state Sen. Kelda Roys, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee businessman Bill Berrien are running as Republicans. Others, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering it.
Berrien, in a statement reacting to Evers’ decision, said the governor was “too scared to run” on a “record of failure.”
“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,” Berrien said.
Tiffany said in a statement that Evers “leaves behind a legacy of decline” and “it’s time we change course.” But he stopped short of saying whether he would run.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, chair of the Democratic Governors Association, said whichever Republican wins the primary will be “too extreme for Wisconsin,” and she pledged to keep the office under Democratic control.
The last open race for governor was in 2010, when Democratic incumbent Jim Doyle, similar to Evers, opted not to seek a third term. Republican Scott Walker won that year and served two terms before Evers defeated him in 2018.
The only Wisconsin governor to be elected to a third four-year term was Republican Tommy Thompson, who served from 1987 to 2001. He resigned midway through his fourth term.
Evers won his first race by just over 1 percentage point in 2018. He won reelection by just over 3 points in 2022.
Before being elected governor, Evers worked for 10 years as state superintendent of public instruction after a career as a teacher and school administrator.
Evers often clashes with Republicans
Evers has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump’s administration, and his tenure has been marked by his often contentious relationship with the Legislature.
Before Evers even took office, Republicans convened a lame-duck session to pass a package of laws to weaken his power.
Evers angered Republicans during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when he ordered schools and nonessential businesses to close, issued a statewide mask mandate and tried, unsuccessfully, to delay the state’s April presidential primary.
Republicans broke with tradition to reject 21 Evers appointees. They also blocked many of his proposals, including expanding Medicaid, legalizing marijuana and spending more on child care, K-12 schools and higher education.
Evers used his broad veto powers to stop Republicans from enacting a wide range of conservative priorities, including making voting requirements more strict, expanding gun rights, growing the private school voucher program and making abortions more difficult to obtain.
But Evers did work with Republicans to pass the most recent state budget, which included $1.5 billion in tax cuts prioritized by the GOP and more funding for both K-12 special education and the Universities of Wisconsin. Evers also worked with Republicans to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee and funnel more money to local governments.
Evers pushed for the redrawing of Wisconsin’s legislative boundary lines, which the state Supreme Court ordered after liberal justices gained a majority in 2023.
The maps drawn by Republicans, which had been in place for more than a decade, were widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country. The new maps drawn by Evers are more favorable to Democrats and helped them pick up seats in last November’s election. Democrats are optimistic that they can win control of at least one legislative chamber next year.
Evers waited until after he signed the state budget before making his retirement announcement.
Evers positioned himself as a folksy governor who would sprinkle the occasional mild swear word into his comments and other Midwestern colloquialisms such as “holy mackerel” and “folks.” His mild-mannered demeanor stood in stark contrast to Trump and other political firebrands.
“I think he is the most quintessential Wisconsin politician I’ve ever seen,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who has been in elected office since 1991.
After winning reelection in 2022, Evers noted that he is frequently described as boring, but said: “As it turns out, boring wins.”
Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup.This story is published in partnership with The Associated Press.
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