Gov. Evers won’t seek third term

MADISON, Wis (CIVIC MEDIA) – Will he or won’t he? After weeks of speculation, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers confirmed Thursday he will not seek a third term. 

“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,” Evers said in a prerecorded video statement posted to his social media.

Evers has marked a legacy as “the education governor,” centering public education in public policy after taking control of the executive. In the last budget cycle in 2023, Evers wielded his partial veto pen to secure funding increases for schools for the next 400 years. The former state superintendent of public instruction had an earlier career as a teacher, principal, and district superintendent. He even declared 2025 “The Year of the Kid.” 

Evers’ tenure is a marked contrast to that of his predecessor, former Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican who also served two terms. Evers’ election marked a shift away from Wisconsin politics being overshadowed by Walker’s signature policy: Stripping rights away from public-sector employees.

With Evers at the helm, Democrats have secured a liberal majority on the state Supreme Court, and ushered in new Legislative maps that stand to change the composition of the state Legislature in fall 2026. 

Evers was elected one day after his Nov. 5 birthday in 2018, when he turned 67. If he had won a third term, he’d be 75 by the time he’s sworn in in January 2027. He’d be 79 by the end of a third term. 

A recent Marquette University Law School Poll, released last month, found that at 48%, just slightly more of registered voters approved of the job that Evers is doing as governor. 

Civic Media’s political editor Dan Shafer reported a majority of Wisconsin voters — 55% — didn’t want him to run again. 

Evers’ announcement clears the field for a new Democratic candidate — or, more likely, several. The last time there was an open field, in 2018, Evers beat out nine other Democratic contenders to win the party nomination. While some have made overtures, no Democrat has formally announced a run. 

Republicans Josh Schoemann and Bill Berrien have declared their bid for the governor’s office.