In another major win out of the swing state of Wisconsin, Democratic Governor Tony Evers announced that he will not be seeking re-election, a jaw-dropping surprise of an announcement that has pushed the race from “lean Democrat” into being a toss-up, something that could help Republicans push Wisconsin into firmly being a red state.
As background, though Wisconsin has long been a Democratic state given the history of unions and like traditionally pro-Democrat organizations in the region, it went red for President Trump in 2024, with his message of reindustrialization, tariffs, and immigration enforcement winning with the state’s voters.
So, the state is now a swing state and of critical importance for Republicans as they struggle to keep the “Blue Wall” of the Rust Belt broken as the states drift red in the hope that the MAGA movement can help bring industry back and bring them back to prosperity. The Wisconsin gubernatorial race, now that Gov. Evers is gone, has now turned into such a race.
Gov. Evers announced his decision to drop out in a video released on Thursday, July 24. He began, “I began my run for governor as a proud Plymouth progressive, and that’s still who I am today. I’m a science teacher at heart who ended up running for office and winning five straight statewide elections. So would I win if I ran a sixth time? Of course. No question about that.”
Continuing, the governor explained that his family has supported him in his political aspirations for decades, and he thinks it is now time for him to retire and focus on them. Commenting on their sacrifices, he said, “For five decades, my family has sacrificed to give me the gift of service.”
He then noted that he wants to give back some time to them and focus on spending time with them rather than running for a third term, which he could because there are not gubernatorial term limits in Wisconsin. he said, “They’re my world, and I owe it to them to focus on doing all the things we enjoy and love doing together. It’s why, Wisconsin, I’m announcing that I will not be running for a third term.”
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez jumped into the race nearly immediately, releasing a video in which she said, “We are in a precarious moment in our history and we need leaders who will stand up for Wisconsin, who understand the challenges facing families here and who believe deeply in our ability to build a stronger future for our children.”
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Currently running on the Republican side of the race, are a Washington County Executive named Josh Schoemann and a manufacturing executive and former Navy SEAL named Bill Berrier. Both men had declared their campaigns for the Republican candidacy before Evers made his announcement, and now whoever wins the primary has a much better shot at success in the gubernatorial race.
Watch Evers here:
Republicans quickly took to cheering the news. Eric Daugherty, for example, wrote, “🚨 BREAKING: Democrat Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers DECLINES to run for reelection in 2026. Leaving the seat OPEN for when Republicans try to take it next year. MAKE IT COUNT, GOP!” Election polls seemed to show a similar view, as the race went from being a “lean Democrat” one to essentially a toss-up, which is great news for Republicans in the Rust Belt.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video