JUST IN: Dem Governor Steps Aside, Shifting Race To ‘Toss Up’ Territory

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced Thursday that he will not be seeking re-election, an announcement that moves the race from “lean Democrat” to toss-up territory according to most political forecasts.

“I began my run for governor as a proud Plymouth progressive, and that’s still who I am today. I’m a science teacher at heart who ended up running for office and winning five straight statewide elections. So would I win if I ran a sixth time? Of course. No question about that,” Evers, 73, announced in a video statement.

The two-term governor went on to say that his decision is largely driven by his desire to spend more time with his family. “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. It’s why, Wisconsin, I’m announcing that I will not be running for a third term,” Evers continued.

Governors in Wisconsin are not term limited, which would have allowed the progressive Democrat to run for a third term had he chosen to do so. Evers was first elected in 2018, when he unseated Republican incumbent Scott Walker as he sought a third term for himself.

Evers’ 2018 victory was narrow, with third-party candidates playing a massive role in Walker’s defeat. Wisconsin has not had a three-term governor since Tommy Tatum, who was first elected in 1986.

With Evers stepping aside, the Badger State will have its first open gubernatorial race in 16 years. While Democrats were expected to hold the office had Evers decided to run again, his decision to step aside has shifted the race to pure toss-up territory, according to electoral forecasters like Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

Wisconsin is notoriously difficult to poll and has shifted back and forth between the two major political parties over the years. President Donald Trump narrowly carried the state in 2016 and 2024, while Joe Biden managed to win it by an even smaller margin in 2020.

Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in both chambers of the state legislature, though their margin was tightened in 2024 after the Democrat-controlled state Supreme Court ordered redistricting. The high court recently denied a Democrat-backed lawsuit to redraw the state’s federal congressional districts ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, though a redraw is expected in the near future.

Most recently, Wisconsin politics drew national attention due to a tightly contested Supreme Court race, which was ultimately carried by Democrat Susan Crawford after record spending on both sides.