BREAKING: Democrat Governor In Battleground State Will Not Seek Re-Election

Wisconsin’s 2026 gubernatorial election just became extremely intriguing after Democrat Gov. Tony Evers announced he will not seek re-election.

Evers said on Thursday he will not seek a third term as governor.

“That’s why, Wisconsin, I’m announcing I will not be running for a third term,” Evers said in a video message posted to X.

Check it out:

A love letter from me to Kathy and my family—and to you, Wisconsin. pic.twitter.com/VDcztZ6JPy

— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) July 24, 2025

Wisconsin, one of the nation’s most competitive battleground states, immediately becomes one of the most high-profile gubernatorial elections next year.

The Associated Press provided further info:

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. Sarah Rodriguez, state Sen. Kelda Roys, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.

Several X users noted this could be a golden opportunity for Republicans to flip Wisconsin’s gubernatorial seat to red.

BREAKING: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) will NOT be seeking a third term.

Massive opportunity to flip this office into Republican control! pic.twitter.com/eUNdLMQ56a

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) July 24, 2025

BREAKING: Wisconsin Democrat Governor Tony Evers will not seek reelection

TIME TO FLIP IT RED pic.twitter.com/JRFd8U0qMh

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 24, 2025

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has more:

Before entering the world of statewide politics, Evers worked as a school teacher, a principal, and a district superintendent, among other jobs in K-12 education. In his later campaigns, he dubbed himself the “education governor” and put his ties to public schools at the center of his time in office, at one point issuing a partial veto to a state budget that provided funding increases to schools for 400 years.

The veto triggered lawsuits from Republican lawmakers who drafted the budget — the latest in the string of public brawls with the GOP-controlled state Legislature that defined Evers’ tenure as governor.

Weeks before Evers was sworn in as governor in 2019, Republican lawmakers set the tone for this era of divided governor when they and former GOP Gov. Scott Walker passed laws to weaken Evers’ authority.

Over the eight years Evers has been in office, GOP lawmakers made history in their fights with Evers through firing appointed cabinet members and refusing to confirm other appointees.

The clashes hit a peak in 2020 when Republican legislative leaders went to court to halt executive orders issued by Evers that closed businesses and mandated masks to combat the coronavirus pandemic, and sought to overturn Wisconsin’s presidential election result by drafting phony elector paperwork to send to Congress on Jan. 6, 2021.

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In seeking reelection in 2022, Evers said the pandemic measures that divided the state were worth the strife.

“We saved lives. We saved thousands of lives by doing that. That’s worth it — that is worth it. I’ll take all the criticism coming,” Evers said of his decision to issue “safer-at-home” orders.

Evers was also dogged during the 2022 reelection by accusations from Republicans of mishandling riots in Kenosha in 2020 after a police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times. The officer was not criminally charged.