The governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, announced Thursday that he would not present himself to the re -election of next year, a decision that will trigger a wide open race to replace him in one of the most closely divided battlefields in the country.
In a Video published on XEvers, 73, a democrat, said that he would not look for a third term so that he could spend more time with his family, while predicting that he would have won if he had run.
“For five decades, my family has sacrificed itself to give me the gift of the service. They are my world, and I have to focus on everything we love and like to do together. This is why, Wisconsin, I announce that I will not run for a third term,” he said. “I am humiliated to be your governor. This is the best job I have ever had.”
“Would I win if I ran?” Evers added. “Of course, there is no doubt about it. But if I would win or not, I have never been part of my calculation on running.”
Ears said he would announce That he was looking for a third term after having concluded a budgetary agreement with the Republicans in the state legislature, which occurred earlier this month.
His decision to give up another offer should lead to competitive primaries for both parties. The Wisconsin is one of the five United States, the President of States, Donald Trump, won last year when a Democrat controlled governor was on the ballot in 2026.
Several Democrats have publicly expressed their interest in running to succeed Evers. They understand the attorney general of the State Josh Kaul, Lieutenant-Governor Sara Rodriguez, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, the director of the county of Milwaukee, David Crowley and the mayor of Milwaukee, Cavalier Johnson.
Before Evers’ decision, some Wisconsin Democrats had expressed their concern that an expensive and divided primary could occur if he refused to present themselves again.
“It would be a big domain if he did not run. It could become disorderly ”, a democratic agent familiar with the thought of Evers told NBC News earlier this month.
On the republican side, two candidates have so far entered the race, and others could follow.
Josh Schoemann, the county executive of the County of Washington, an exuban area northwest of Milwaukee, and Bill Berrien, a CEO of the manufacture of Milwaukee, both launched campaigns.
The businessman Eric Hovde, who narrowly lost a race for the American Senate in 2024 with the Democrat Tammy Baldwin, and Tim Michels, who lost against Evers in 2022, are also Weighing bids. And the American representative Tom Tiffany did not exclude A race.
Evers’s decision also comes in the midst of a broader movement within the Democratic Party to open the way to new and younger voices, in particular after their experience with the president of the time, Joe Biden, in the 2024 campaign.
Recent surveys have shown that Wisconsin Democrats had largely argued that Evers were working again, even if the general electorate of the Swing State has remained more divided.
A Survey of the Faculty of Law of Marquette University Voters registered by Wisconsin released in June revealed that 83% of Democrats said they had supported Evers in search of a third term. This survey also revealed that 42% of all registered voters said they wanted Evers to end again, against 55% who said they did not do so.
