Race for Wisconsin governor heats up, political experts share insight into upcoming election

WISCONSIN (CBS58) — The first democratic candidates have emerged for governor of Wisconsin, including Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez on the Democratic side, while Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee businessman Bill Berrien make up the Republican candidates so far.

This race is heating up just one day after Governor Tony Evers announced he wouldn't run for a third term. 

Political experts say that historically, bids for a third term in governors' offices are very hard to win, with only one governor in recent memory pulling that off - Tommy Thompson. Mordecai Lee, Professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, shared that he wasn't surprised, because "it's almost like Wisconsin voters have an unofficial term limit for governors" and think Gov. Evers "read the tea leaves correctly."

County Executive David Crowley shared, "this race is really about how do we thrive, no matter what community you live in, in urban, rural, and suburban communities, making sure that everybody can get access to all the dignity, all the resources that they need in order to survive in their own community."

While there are only four candidates so far, many more have hinted at bids.  Philip Rocco, Associate Professor within the Department of Political Science at Marquette University explained, "by announcing [your bid] early, you have the ability to set the agenda that other people will announce later have to respond to."

Professor Lee believes Gov. Evers' not running for a third term takes away the "standard attack approach" many Republicans may have been preparing. In its place, we could now see the race focus more on the issues at hand. "I suspect we'll be seeing candidates trying to avoid abstract issues and talk about tangible issues. Teachers, social services, childcare, tuition at the university, and protecting the environment. These are specific things where there's largely a democratic approach to them and a republican approach to them," shared Professor Lee. The 2026 election will almost be "a referendum on the feeling of the public."

While we expect more candidates to jump in the race, two things are certain, said Professor Lee:

"The winning candidate is someone who’s likeable and has enough money for statewide TV advertising to show that they’re likeable," and "Wisconsin voters insist on being unpredictable."

The political experts believe redrawn election maps may play a part in the results of this year's elections, potentially swinging the results in favor of democrats. The legislature has been under republican control since 2011. So, democrats are optimistic they can win control of at least one legislative chamber next year.

Both Rodriguez and Crowley would make history if elected. Rodriguez would be Wisconsin's first woman governor, and Crowley would be the first Black governor.