Democratic Gov. Tony Evers won’t seek third term in battleground Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced Thursday that he won’t seek a third term, setting off a scramble to replace the two-term Democrat in the battleground state’s first open race for governor 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 Statehouse.

In a video announcing his decision, Evers said he was “damn proud” of working for 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. Potential Democratic 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.

In a statement reacting to Evers’ decision, Berrien said the governor is “too scared to run” on a “record of failure.”

But on a Zoom call with reporters, he said Evers’ decision not to run didn’t change how he would approach his campaign “at all.”

“We have a vision and a mission of where we need to take Wisconsin,” Berrien said from his car in between campaign stops.

Schoemann also said Evers’ exit wouldn’t change his strategy.

“It’s a wide open race, no doubt,” he said,

Tiffany said in a statement that Evers “leaves behind a legacy of decline” and that “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.

Walker appeared to tease a possible run, posting an image of a “Make Wisconsin Great Again” hat that noted President Donald Trump was both the 45th and 47th president. The post originally included a winking face emoji, indicating that he was joking, but Walker later deleted the emoji.

Walker did not reply to a text message seeking comment.

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 education after a career as a teacher and school administrator.

Evers often clashes with Republicans

Evers has drawn the ire of 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 University 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.

The folksy governor

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 the 1990s.

After winning reelection in 2022, Evers noted that he is frequently described as boring, but said: “As it turns out, boring wins.”

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This story was updated to correct the spelling of Sara Rodriguez’s first name, that Republicans fought with Evers over expanding Medicaid, not Medicare, and that Thompson took office in 1987, not 1986.

Scott Bauer, The Associated Press