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2026 Wisconsin gubernatorial election

The 2026 Wisconsin gubernatorial election is scheduled to take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Wisconsin. The primary election will take place on August 11, 2026. Incumbent Democratic governor Tony Evers declined to seek re-election to a third term.

This will be one of five Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2026 in a state won by President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election and the state with the closest presidential margin of victory, just under one percentage point. This is the first Wisconsin gubernatorial election since 2010 in which the incumbent was not seeking re-election.

Background

Wisconsin is considered to be a purple state at the federal and state levels with a uniquely competitive track record (presidential races decided by less than a point in 2016, 2020, 2024, Senate races decided by roughly a point in 2022 and 2024, and a governor's race decided by a point in 2018). The past two Wisconsin elections featured split outcomes, with Democrats winning for governor and Republicans for Senate in 2022, and Democrats winning for Senate and Republicans for president in 2024. Wisconsin has voted with the winner of the last five presidential elections, and in 2024 had the second highest voter turnout levels in the country behind Minnesota and one of the biggest turnout increases in the country. Both parties have seen success in the state in recent years. Republicans narrowly control both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature and hold a supermajority in Wisconsin's U.S. House delegation. However, Democrats control most statewide executive offices and have won the last two gubernatorial races.

Incumbent Democratic governor Tony Evers, was first elected in 2018 when he narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Scott Walker. He was re-elected by a slightly larger margin in 2022, defeating Republican businessman Tim Michels. In July 2025, Evers announced he would not seek re-election to a third term. The race is widely seen as a tossup due to Evers' retirement and the state's even partisan lean.

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

Declared
Filed paperwork
  • Tim Jacobson
Withdrawn
  • Ryan Strnad, stadium vendor (endorsed Crowley)
Declined

Endorsements

Fundraising

Polling

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Declared
Declined
  • Sara Rodriguez, incumbent lieutenant governor (2023–present) (running for governor)

Endorsements

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

Declared
  • Andy Manske, medical service technician
  • Tom Tiffany, U.S. representative for (2020–present)
Withdrawn
  • Bill Berrien, manufacturing executive
  • Josh Schoemann, Washington County Executive (2020–present)
Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Lieutenant governor

Candidates

Declared
  • Will Martin, former director of strategic workforce initiatives for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2022
  • Nick Polce, business owner and candidate for in 2018
  • Cyril Sablich, college student
  • John Totz, Oakfield school board member
  • David Varnam, former mayor of Lancaster (2016–2022) and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2022
Potential
  • Cindy Werner, businesswoman and perennial candidate

Minor parties and independents

Green Party

Declared

  • Jill Ferguson, retiree

Independents

Declared

  • David King, pastor and perennial candidate
  • Carlos Dixon, musician

Filed paperwork

  • Oliver Carranza, college student
  • Alexander Kent, electoral reform activist
  • Mike Kohn
  • Zachariah David Russell
  • Korey Streich

General election

Predictions

Polling

Mandela Barnes vs. Tom Tiffany

David Crowley vs. Tom Tiffany

Francesca Hong vs. Tom Tiffany

Sara Rodriguez vs. Tom Tiffany

Mandela Barnes vs. Tim Michels

Generic Democrat vs. generic Republican

See also

Notes

Partisan clients

References

External links

Official gubernatorial campaign websites
Official lieutenant gubernatorial campaign websites