Wisconsin is a true purple state. Voters chose Joe Biden in 2020 and then Donald Trump in 2024, and also conservative Scott Walker and progressive Tony Evers back-to-back. Soon, this purple state will have to choose its direction again.
Governor Tony Evers recently announced his second term in office will be his last. He has been a reliable force for Democrats in both policy and fundraising, as well as a consistent counter to the Republican majority in the legislature. Without an incumbent in place going into 2026, the future of the Wisconsin Executive Branch is wide open. Evers and the Republican legislature have maintained a strained yet consistent relationship. In a post-Evers Wisconsin, will the state follow its current legislature and return to the conservative politics of the Scott Walker era, or will a more progressive candidate win the day? What will this mean for the state and the region?
Consistent Opposition
While the budget process of its neighboring Minnesota has been chaotic, Wisconsin has developed a rhythm to smooth the process. Built out of the conflicting views and goals of Governor Evers and the Republican controlled Legislature, they are able to use their rivalry to get the job done while at times finding some common ground.
Since 2019, Governor Evers has released his executive budget proposal. Then the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee removed proposals and made changes that typically conflicted with the Governor’s stated goals. To realign with his goals, Governor Evers used the extensive power of the partial veto to remove Republican-aligned proposals. This veto is uniquely Wisconsin and seems to provide a way for different views to get across the finish line despite conflicts. As recently as May of 2025, the legislature removed over 600 proposals from Governor Evers’ budget in a single meeting. Both sides argue and debate with little agreement, and yet the budget comes and goes in a repeating, consistent pattern. Yet, with a new governor, this pattern is likely to change.
Evers’ Possible Successors
While some have already put their hats in the ring, many more possible candidates are testing the waters. We can begin to picture the potential future of Wisconsin through the recent challenges against incumbent Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin. On the left, possibilities include current Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes. With Rodriguez, who has already declared her candidacy, we can expect a renewed focus on health care. Rodriguez, during her first entrance into politics while running for State Representative, said the Republican-controlled legislature’s responses to the COVID pandemic convinced her to run.
With Barnes, there is a potential for more left-leaning policy priorities from the potential candidate, aligned with the Working Families Party. Following his tenure with the Governor’s Climate Change Task Force, we expect to see a heavy focus on environmental laws and regulations
The other big name in the room is the current Attorney General of Wisconsin, Josh Kaul. Kaul has increased his national name recognition after filing felony charges against allies of President Trump in response to the 2020 Presidential election electors controversy.
Other potential candidates have been brought up, such as Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, State Senator Chris Larson, and former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wickler. As these rumors are fanned, it will be interesting to see if these candidates will campaign as furthering Evers’s work or distance themselves from him.
Slide To The Right
While many, if not all, of the Democrat candidates are likely to come to blows over policy differences and budgetary priorities with the Republican legislature, potentially disrupting the current status quo, a similar shake up will come from any of these Republican candidates who will present the legislature with the ability to pursue its policy goals without fear of the Veto pen.
To start off the list for potential Republican Governor candidates, former Governor Scott Walker will not be running for Governor in 2026, as he continues serving as President of the Young America’s Foundation.
The Democratic bench has a supply of candidates who, in one way or another, have surrounded the Executive of Governor Evers in political capacities; the Republican list will likely consist of some of the following: former Senate and Governor candidates Eric Hovde and Tim Michels, Congressman Tom Tiffany, State Senate President Mary Felzkowski on top of the only declared candidates Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and Manufacturing Executive Bill Berrien.
These business leaders and elected officials open up the potential for a return to the Wisconsin of the Scott Walker administration. A Republican Governor opens the door for the reforms pursued by Republicans nationally to permeate into the state, such as parental choice in education, election security initiatives, or pushing back against controversial environmental regulations.
If a Republican Governor leads to a trifecta in Wisconsin, it is to be expected that Wisconsin will see a march to the right, as it had under Scott Walker, where conservative social and fiscal policy won the day. A renewed contrast to neighboring states like Minnesota or Illinois, where recent Democrat trifectas pushed through Democrat reforms without concern for Republican objections.
Thus Goes The Badger State
Wisconsin’s Executive Branch, since the start of the 21st century, has been a consistent reminder of the purple nature of the state’s electorate. Suppose this traditional back-and-forth was to be our guide for 2026. In that case, a Republican will take the helm after Evers’ retirement, leading to another possible four-plus years of Republican policy priorities. However, with the recent Democratic victories in the State Supreme Court and chipping away at the Republican legislative majority, the successor of Tony Evers might break this cycle with another four years of Democratic control over the Executive branch.
Where Wisconsin ends up will have a massive impact on the state, the Midwest, and the nation as a whole– both as a battleground of liberal and conservative ideologies and policies and as a battleground state in the 2028 presidential election. Red or Blue, as Governor Evers steps away, whoever receives the most votes in November 2026 will have big shoes to fill and a grand responsibility to decide the direction of Wisconsin.
-Alex Saunders, Account Executive