- Podcasts
Podcasts - Videos
Videos - Policy Issues
Policy Issues - About
About
Two Democrats Throw Their Hats in the Ring
That didn’t take long. Two Democrats didn’t even wait 24 hours after Gov. Tony Evers announced that he is not running for re-election to launch their own campaigns for next year’s race.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley started Friday morning by announcing that he is “taking steps toward entering the race.”
“The stakes are simply too high to sit on the sidelines,” he said in a statement. “I care deeply about the direction Wisconsin takes from here. It is more important than ever that Wisconsin continues to have strong leadership.”
Crowley didn’t specify just what steps he’s taking.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez announced her campaign with a new video.
"I have an announcement: I am running for governor," Rodriguez said in the opening of her video. I've got two kids that are way too embarrassed to be in this video. A dog named Chico and I met my husband salsa dancing."
Rodriguez became Lt. Gov. when Mandela Barnes decided to run for US Senate back in 2022. Before that she was a one-term state lawmaker from Brookfield.
Rodriguez touted her background in healthcare, and her family's ties to Wisconsin.
The only real campaign detail she offered in the video was her take on President Donald Trump, and how she plans to campaign against him.
“Here’s why I want to be your governor. First, we’ve got a maniac in the White House. His tariffs are killing our farmers, and his policies are hurting our kids,” Rodriguez said. “Next, our legislature refuses to expand Medicaid, even though 41 other states have done it.”
Crowley and Rodriguez are the first Wisconsin Democrats to officially jump into the race, but they likely won’t be the last. There’s a long list of other possible Democratic candidates, including Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, and Madison State Senator Kelda Roys.
The 2026 election will be the first since 2010 without the sitting governor on the ballot.
Interested in the content of this Article?
Reach out to the MacIver Institute to aquire more information
