The Brief
Gov. Tony Evers is shaking up the 2026 ballot after he announced last week that he will not be running for reelection.
Evers said he went back and forth and finally made his decision the day before he announced.
He also noted that right now, he is not endorsing in the 2026 race to replace him.
MILWAUKEE - 2026: You decide.
Evers makes a choice
What we know
Gov. Tony Evers is shaking up the 2026 ballot after he announced last week that he will not be running for reelection.
The governor of the purple state visited Purple Door Ice Cream in Milwaukee on Monday, July 28. Evers answered questions for the first time since his announcement.
Evers said he went back and forth and finally made his decision the day before he announced.
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"That was a hard one. I thought about it a lot and didn’t make up my mind until, I’d say, the day before I made the announcement," he said. "It was just difficult. I have a family, and my great spouse Kathy. It’s hard to be part of that family if you’re governor."
He also noted that right now, he is not endorsing in the 2026 race to replace him.
"I’ll never say never, but I want to make sure who the rest of the candidates are, before I even make that decision," Evers said. "If there’s somebody who really needs support and I want them to win, I might get in."
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s campaign posted her launch video on July 17, a week before Evers bowed out. However, it was posted privately, and finally went public on Friday.
Evers said he let her know the day of his announcement.
"It was just at the same time I let my cabinet members know, the day of," Evers said. "So the idea from what you said that there was already done the day before or whatever, you’ll have to ask her why that happened."
So, FOX6 News asked.
A Rodriguez campaign spokesperson replied:
"Governors are supposed to be prepared for anything. Sara was ready to hit the ground running if Governor Evers decided not to seek re-election. The video was uploaded in advance because she and her team were prepared. Sara was informed of the governor's decision the day of his announcement."
Race to 2026
Big picture view
The marathon to election day 2026 starts with a sprint.
"Instead of the situation with an incumbent who already has the name recognition, against the challenger who has to build that up, here we’re going to see two sides starting at equal levels of obscurity and their campaigns will introduce themselves first and foremost," Marquette Law School Poll Director Charles Franklin said.
"Organizing behind the scenes takes an enormous amount of time and effort. And fundraising takes time and effort," University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor Emeritus Mordecai Lee said. "So, I think for the candidates, the sooner they get going, the better it is for them, although that’s no guarantee they will win the primary."
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Rodriguez reportedly shot several versions of the announcement video, including one if Evers decided to run again.
In Wisconsin, the governor and lieutenant governor candidates run by themselves in the primary, and then whoever the party voters pick are joined together for the general election.
Evers said he is not afraid of being a lame duck. He said there are many legislative things he and Republican Legislature leaders are willing to talk about.
Other names in the hat
Dig deeper
Republicans Bill Berrien and Josh Schoemann have also launched their campaigns.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said he will run, although the official launch will be later.
Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes told FOX6 he is considering a run, as are State Sen. Kelda Roys and State Sen. Chris Larson. Attorney General Josh Kaul said he has no comment on whether he will run.
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents Wisconsin's 7th District, told FOX6 News the odds of him running are "probably better than 50/50."
The Source
The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
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