Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ retirement has set the stage for a competitive governor’s race in the battleground state of Wisconsin. 

Evers, first elected in 2018, announced Thursday that he did not plan to run for a third term and that he wanted to spend time with family. 

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a registered nurse and former public health official, was the first major candidate to jump into the Democratic primary. 

“We are in a precarious moment in our history and we need leaders who will stand up for Wisconsin, who understand the challenges facing families here and who believe deeply in our ability to build a stronger future for our children,” Rodriguez said in a launch video. 

Other potential Democratic contenders include Attorney General Josh Kaul, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, state Sen. Kelda Roys and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the 2022 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. 

Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and Bill Berrier, a manufacturing executive and former Navy SEAL, had previously declared campaigns for the Republican primary. 

Wisconsin is a perennial swing state with close statewide elections where voters split their tickets. Former President Joe Biden carried the state by around 20,000 votes in the 2020 election. In 2022, Evers won a second term as governor as GOP Sen. Ron Johnson defeated Barnes to win another term. In 2024, President Donald Trump flipped the state back with a narrow one-point win over former Vice President Kamala Harris as Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin won her race by just under one percentage point. 

Evers has been the rare Democratic governor serving in a state with a majority-Republican state legislature, though recent redrawings of state legislative lines have given Democrats a chance to make inroads in the legislature. 

Democrats notched a big win in the state in April with the election of liberal Judge Susan Crawford over conservative Judge Brad Schimel to an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, maintaining liberals’ majority on the court. 

In all, 36 governorships are up in 2026. Five Democratic-led states won by Trump in 2024 (Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin) are holding elections for governor in 2026, while two Republican governors in states won by former Vice President Kamala Harris (New Hampshire and Vermont) are up for reelection.

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