For the first time since 2010, Wisconsin will head into a gubernatorial election without an incumbent on the ballot, as Gov. Tony Evers confirmed earlier this summer that he will not seek a third term. The decision sets the stage for an open race in one of five states with a democratic-controlled governorship that President Donald Trump won last November.
The Aug. 11, 2026 primaries are expected to whittle down a crowded and competitive field. While this race could signal a shift in political leadership for democrats, a party looking to maintain power after a 3.4% win in the 2022 election, for Republicans, it marks a steep uphill climb in a state that has leaned increasingly blue in non-presidential years.
Rodriguez jumps in, Crowley expected and a generational shift among Democrats
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez became the first major Democrat to announce her candidacy earlier this month. As a former state representative, nurse and healthcare executive, Rodriguez is considered a rising star within the party especially after flipping a historically Republican-leaning suburban Milwaukee district and running alongside Evers in 2022.
Rodriguez’s campaign focuses on health care workforce development, reversing restrictions on public sector unions under Act 10, expanding Medicaid, legalizing marijuana and increasing funding for K-12 public schools while easing property tax pressure. If elected, she would be Wisconsin’s first woman governor.
Rodriguez’s fast rise mirrors national trends where lieutenant governors in Virginia and Missouri are frontrunners for their own general elections after winning their primaries. Rodriguez’s cross-sector experience gives her a strong foundation heading into the primary.
Ryan Strand, an army veteran and beer vendor at American Family Field who formerly worked for Workers United, a labor union, launched his campaign as a Democrat on Aug. 14, hoping to “improve” the working class, back the police and enact “common sense” environmental policies.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is also expected to enter the race. As the first Black executive in the county’s history, Crowley holds significant support in Milwaukee, where turnout will be essential to any Democratic victory.
Other potential candidates include Attorney General Josh Kaul, who has held office since 2019 but has faced criticism for a perceived lack of urgency in prosecuting false electors following the 2020 election, Ben Wikler, former chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and Sen. Kelda Roys D-Madison, a progressive with a solid base in Dane County.
Republicans face a headwind — and a thin bench
Two Republicans have formally declared: Josh Schoemann, a Washington County Executive, and Bill Berrien, a manufacturing CEO and former Navy SEAL.
Schoemann, 43, previously served in the Army National Guard and as a county administrator. He is campaigning on dismantling or reforming the Wisconsin Elections Commission, opposing “woke overreach” in public education, cutting government bureaucracy and offering tax relief to families and retirees.
Berrien, 56, is CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision in New Berlin, Wisconsin. His campaign emphasizes revitalizing manufacturing, defending the state’s 20-week abortion law, reducing taxes and working with law enforcement to carry out deportations.
Other names reportedly considering a run include U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Tomahawk and current senate president, and Eric Hovde, a businessman and former U.S. Senate candidate.
