This post originally appeared at https://wisconsindailystar.com/politics/evers-hints-at-third-run-for-wisconsin-governor/tcsquare/2023/06/17/

by Glenn Minnis

Just months into his second term, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is already dropping hints about a potential 2026 reelection run.

“Some things have changed since our last convention,” Evers recently told onlookers at the Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention in Green Bay. “Some people have called me two-term Tony. You can call me governor. You can call me Tony. You can call me two-term Tony or three-term Tony, I don’t mind.”

While a campaign spokesperson later told reporters the governor hasn’t made any formal announcements about 2026, it now seems clear to many what’s on his mind.

Evers topped Republican businessman Tim Michels by nearly four points in November to earn a second term in a state where there are no term limits for governors. As part of his convention speech, he pointed to such recent policy wins as increasing funding for local governments, allocating more funding for schools and averting what many feared was a financial disaster in Milwaukee.

Evers also pointed to the state’s record-low unemployment rate, his “Main Street Bounceback” program propping up small businesses, and the state’s projected $7 billion surplus. At the same time, he stressed that his agenda is a work in progress, with more to do in the areas of cleaning up drinking water, supporting farmers and veterans, and enacting gun safety laws.

Republican Party of Wisconsin chair Brian Schimming accused the governor of taking credit for developments he feels he did little to put in motion.

“If it weren’t for state legislative Republicans prioritizing responsible spending, Wisconsinites would be stuck with the Evers agenda: high taxes and high spending,” he said in a statement. “He can try to disguise his status as a lame-duck governor, but the only nickname that applies to Evers is ‘Taxing Tony,’ and Wisconsin taxpayers are well aware of it.”

Evers’ dedicated the latter part of his speech to firing up party activists to work long and hard over the next year to get President Joe Biden and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin reelected in 2024.

Evers singled out Baldwin, saying she is one of the hardest working senator in the country, praising her for her work in bringing health care access and more federal dollars to the state.

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Glenn Minnis is a contributor to The Center Square. 
Photo “Tony Evers” by Tony Evers. Background Photo “Wisconsin State Capitol” by Basharat Alam Shah. CC BY 2.0.

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