Who is (and isn’t) running for Wisconsin governor in 2026?

Gov. Tony Evers’ retirement will set off a feeding frenzy of political ambition for the first open governor’s seat in 16 years, and the ripple effect could be many more open races down the Wisconsin ballot.

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Here’s a pair of questions that’s going to be asked a lot for the rest of 2025 and early 2026: Who’s the latest candidate to announce their running for Wisconsin governor—and how many candidates are we up to now?

Within hours of Gov. Tony Evers’ announcement that he would not seek a third term next year, the number immediately grew from two to four—well, more like 3.5. And you shouldn’t be surprised if the number rises north of a dozen. After all, an open seat for governor is a pretty rare thing in Wisconsin.

The last time our state’s voters didn’t have an incumbent for the seat was in 2010 when Gov. Jim Doyle declined to run for a third time. That year, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker defeated Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

Unlike 2010, however, there are no clear favorites in either party, as with Walker and Barrett. There is, at this point, a wide-open race for each party’s primary on Aug. 11, 2026. So it would not be a surprise to see a Democratic field as large as 2018 when one-dozen candidates announced their intention to run and challenge Walker, who was seeking a third term.

The Democratic field (so far)

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez was up with an announcement and introductory video less than 24 hours after Evers’ July 24 announcement. Rodriguez, a former emergency nurse and health care executive, also served in Samoa with the Peace Corps and worked at the Epedemic Intelligence Service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She was elected to the state Assembly in 2020, defeating incubent Republican Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield, now a state senator). Rodriguez said she was motivated to run during the COVID pandemic “when the Republican-led Legislature made people choose between their health and right to vote in the spring election.” She was elected lieutenant governor in 2022 after incumbent Mandela Barnes opted to run for US Senate.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced that he was going to announce—holding off on a formal declaration of candidacy with a statement that “the stakes are simply too high to sit on the sidelines.” Crowley is the first Black American to serve as the county’s top government official. Previously, Crowley served as a political organizer and staffer before being elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 2020.

Democrats who might also make a run for it 

Attorney General Josh Kaul was on the ballot with Evers in 2018 and 2022. Kaul knocked off incumbent Republican Brad Schimel and won reelection over Eric Toney, the former district attorney in Fond du Lac County. Kaul, son of the late attorney general Peg Lautenschlager, previously served as a federal prosecutor. 

Missy Hughes, CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, considered, but later ruled out, a run for Congress in the 3rd District in 2022. Responding to an inquiry from the Isthmus, she DN either confirmed nor denied a gubernatorial run and pointed to her work with the Evers administration on projects like the pending Microsoft AI data center, a major Kikkoman expansion, and securing Wisconsin’s designation as a Regional Tech Hub for future federal investment in high-tech biomedical and personalized medicine advances.

State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) is a former Assembly representative who has run for higher office previously—the 2nd Congressional District in 2012 and governor in 2018. An attorney and longtime advocate of reproductive healthcare rights, Roys now serves on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee.

State Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) first won his seat in the south Milwaukee County district in 2010 by defeating incumbent Jeff Plale in the Democratic primary. Where Plale was seen as too moderate at the time, Larson is frequently listed as among the most vocal of liberal legislators.

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes served four years in the Wisconsin Assembly before losing a 2016 attempt to unseat incumbent Sen. Lena Taylor. Two years later, he won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor and served during Evers’ first term, chairing the governor’s task force on climate change. Rather than running with Evers for reelection, Barnes ran for US Senate in 2022 and narrowly lost to Sen. Ron Johnson.

Former state Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler recently stepped down from his post, receiving national accolades for his fundraising and communications. Wikler has not given any indication of his future plans. 

Other names being mentioned as potential candidates include Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, the first Black American elected to that post; Dane County Executive Melissa Agard, who previously served in the state Senate as Democratic Leader; and state Sen. Brad Pfaff, who ran for Congress in 2022 and narrowly lost to US Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd District.

It should go without saying that this is a limited and speculative list—and other Democrats, from legislators to local leaders to unknowns, could announce their interest. The only way to officially become a candidate, however, is to collect enough valid voter signatures on nominating petitions, starting April 15, 2026 and turned in by 5:00 p.m. on June 1, 2026, as required by state law. 

Democrats not running for governor

The field will not include Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, who has expressed interest in running for the lieutenant governor post.

The Republican field so far

Prior to Evers making his decision, two Republicans had already announced 2026 candidacies.

Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann entered the race in early May. His most recent comments have involved questioning the necessity of having a state elections commission and reinforcing his actions to defy and undo safeguards during the COVID pandemic. 

Businessman Bill Berrien, a manufacturing company CEO and a former US Navy SEAL, entered the race in early July. In the most recent campaign finance reports, Berrien reported raising $1.2 million, with $1 million of that coming from brothers and cryptocurrency investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.  Berrien has received criticism from some conservatives for expressing support for ranked-choice voting in 2023, but Berrien says he no longer wants to see that type of election reform.

Republicans who might also get in

US Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) served in the Wisconsin Assembly after being elected in 2010, moved to the Senate in 2012, and won a special election for the 7th Congressional Distrct in 2020 after the resignation of Sean Duffy. Tiffany gained widespread criticism or praise for leading the effort to overturn the state’s moratorium on sulfide mining. 

State Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) is the current State Senate president. She owns an insurance agency, was first elected to the state Assembly in 2012, and won a seat in the Senate in 2020 after Tiffany’s election to Congress. Last year, Felzkowski was banned from the Lac du Flambeau tribal community after comparing tribal leaders to terrorists for forcing negotiations over a tribal land access matter that had dragged on for more than a decade.

Other names being mentioned as potential candidates include US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

Republicans not running for governor

The GOP field will not include former Gov. Scott Walker, who says he will not run to return to office, despite a post shortly after Evers’ announcement teasing a possible comeback. After he was bounced from office by Evers, Walker went on to chair the Young America’s Foundation, where his annual salary was once reported at approximately $800,000. Walker would have to take a pay cut, as Evers is currently making $165,568 as chief executive.

A line of dominoes 

As seen with Godlewski, one person closing a door could mean others get to open it. If Godlewski runs for lieutenant governor, it will lead to a wide open race to be the next secretary of state. Decisions could also open up races for Assembly and Senate seats or for attorney general, state treasurer, and more.

In case you’re wondering about lieutenant governor candidacies, Wisconsin does not have “tickets” in the way that presidential nominees choose their vice presidential running mates. Lieutenant governor is its own separate race—the nominees for governor have their November running mates chosen by the voters in August. When Doyle ran in 2002, his preferred candidate lost to future Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton. 

Politics can be rough, and the toughest call is the one to get out while still on top. When Doyle declined to run for a third time in 2010, he retired as a five-time winner of statewide elections, including three times as state attorney general. Now Evers is similarly a five-time champion, including three times as state superintendent of public instruction before ending Walker’s quest for a third-term.

Now that Evers has made his call, Wisconsin voters wait to see who feels called to be the state’s 47th governor.