OPINION:
The race for governor in the most important swing state in the country is wide open. Last week, ultraliberal Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced he will not be running for reelection in 2026. Several candidates have or will soon throw their hats into the ring for the first open seat since 2010.
As word spread about Mr. Evers’ video, many people around Wisconsin encouraged me to consider running again. Some reminded me that I could be the 47th governor after serving as the 45th. That set up some fun, as I posted a red hat with the phrase “Make Wisconsin Great Again” on the front and “45-47” on the side. The media went wild. By Sunday, I noted that our work with students at the Young America’s Foundation is too important right now.
Plus, I am a quarter century younger than former President Joseph R. Biden. That means I have plenty of time to run again someday, and I don’t need an autopen.
In 2009, our campaign raised more money in the first half of the year than Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat. Soon after our reports were released, he announced his retirement. The race was the most expensive in history until the recall election in 2012. Expect the 2026 version to cost an arm and a leg too.
On the Republican side, two candidates have already announced their campaigns. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann got in first. He has been both an elected and appointed administrator, is an Army veteran and has rural roots.
Bill Berrien is the CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision and lives in the suburbs of Milwaukee County. He is a former Navy SEAL and was the state chairman for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign in 2024.
Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is from northern Wisconsin and owns Wisconsin River Cruises, will likely enter the race before this fall. In 2020, he was elected to replace Sean Duffy. Mr. Tiffany served in the state Senate and Assembly before his election to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Other names mentioned include businessman Eric Hovde, the nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2024, road builder Tim Michels, the nominee for governor in 2022, and former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson.
On the Democratic side, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez was the first to formally announce her candidacy. Mr. Evers denied giving her advance notice, but her videos were posted immediately, and the filming had to be done before the announcement.
The media are obsessed with the controversy. I am shocked that the governor would not give advance notice to his lieutenant governor. If he trusted her, it would be a given. It was also suggested that she has not been involved with critical meetings on the state budget. That, too, is shocking.
When Rebecca Kleefisch and I were first elected, she was included in our budget discussions during the transition and throughout the next eight years, along with my other trusted advisers. That raises two important points: that the Evers administration doesn’t seem to value input from the lieutenant governor and that it isn’t telling the truth about who knew and when. If it can’t be honest about something as simple as this, it will not tell us the truth about its plans to raise taxes.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is likely to get into the race soon. He is a nice guy, but he just presided over creating a new tax on his constituents. Wisconsin doesn’t need a governor who will raise or add taxes.
Attorney General Josh Kaul won by less than 1 percentage point of the vote in the 2018 Democratic wave year. He was a federal prosecutor in Baltimore before moving back to Wisconsin. He is most known for joining lawsuits against the Trump administration. His most significant advantage is that he has about $470,000 in his campaign account versus $120,000 for the lieutenant governor.
Other Democrats who might get into the race include former lieutenant governor and failed 2022 U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes and state Sen. Kelda Roys, who ran for governor in 2022 but lost to Mr. Evers. Both come from the radical movement in Madison and Milwaukee.
During the past 35 years, the only candidate to win while his party was in the White House was Mr. Evers in 2022, when he held a considerable financial advantage over his opponent. In 2026, there will be no financial or name ID advantage for an incumbent.
The Wisconsin gubernatorial race may be the most closely watched in the nation. As taxpayers and homeowners, Tonette and I will work hard to support a conservative in the Badger State.
• Scott Walker is president of the Young America’s Foundation. He served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin.
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