Democrats, Republicans on 2026 race
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Ron Johnson urges Wisconsin Republicans to settle on a candidate, avoid bitter gubernatorial primary
Ron Johnson wants Republican hopefuls for governor to duke it out over the next five months but to coalesce around one candidate by the start of 2026.
The race for governor is already heating up, just 24 hours after Gov. Tony Evers announced he will not seek re-election.
The decision is likely to invite a wide-open race for the Democratic nomination in a battleground state the party hopes to control.
Democrat Tony Evers’ decision not to seek a third term sets up something unusual in this political era — a truly “open” race for governor.
"Money buys ads, but as we've seen far too often in Wisconsin, it can't buy wins," Schoemann adviser Ben Voelkel said. "It takes hard work and authenticity to earn voters' support, not just slick ads."