Wisconsin Democratic Governor Tony Evers announced in July that he would not be seeking reelection in 2026. Evers has served as the Dairy State's 46th governor after beating Governor Scott Walker on November 6, 2018. Prior to that, Evers served as the Superintendent of Public Instruction after being elected in April, 2009.
In a statement announcing his retirement, Evers said, "For five decades, my family has sacrificed to give me the gift of service. They’re my world and I owe it to them to focus on doing all the things we enjoy and love doing together.” He also said he was "damn proud" of his 50-year political career.
Current Lt. Governor, Sara Rodriguez has already declared her intention to run for the governorship, vowing to expand Medicaid in the state, increase school spending, and protect "reproductive rights." Carthage College student Zachary Roper is also running, saying Wisconsin "is ready for new leadership — leadership that listens, leads with courage and delivers real results."
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has now formally joined the race.
Milwaukee County executive David Crowley launches Wisconsin gubernatorial bid https://t.co/H58PFbstyG
— POLITICO (@politico) September 9, 2025
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley jumped into the race to replace retiring Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday, joining what’s expected to be a crowded Democratic primary in the battleground state of Wisconsin.
The 39-year-old former state legislator said he planned to lean on his record in public office, including cutting property taxes, to demonstrate he’s “the only candidate in this race that not only has legislative experience, but also has experience running a government.”
“The issues we’ve led on here, in Milwaukee County, I want to be able to scale those up to touch every community across the state,” he said in an interview Monday night.
Crowley is the latest entrant into the primary to replace Evers, who opted this summer against running for a third term. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez announced her bid to replace him in July. Attorney General Josh Kaul, state Sen. Kelda Roys, state Rep. Francesca Hong and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes are considered potential candidates by Democratic operatives in the state.
Evers' tenure as governor was not without controversy. In 2023, Evers abused his line-item veto power to change the text of school funding, making it possible for districts to raise taxes by $325 per student, per year, until 2425. The original text limited the increase to the 2024-2025 school year. Evers crossed out the zero in "2025" and added the four. The State Supreme Court upheld that veto.
More recently, Evers pushed to change the language of state administrative rules to erase the terms "mother" and "father" and instead replace "mother" with "inseminated person" or "person who gave birth" while "father" would be changed to "other parent."
Wisconsin is a battleground state that President Trump won by less than a percentage point in 2024. The gubernatorial race will take place next November, along with another election for the State Supreme Court, which currently has a 4-3 liberal majority. Justice Rebecca Bradley recently announced she would not be seeking reelection, leaving open a critical seat for conservatives.