There have been a number of updates related to the 2026 Wisconsin gubernatorial race since the prior edition of this newsletter.

With respect to Democratic candidates, Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and former labor union official and American Family Field beer vendor Ryan Strnad were the first to announce their respective candidacies. Over the last month, state Senator Kelda Roys (Madison), state Representative Francesca Hong (Madison), former Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation CEO Missy Hughes, and former state Representative Brett Hulsey (Middleton) have all joined the 2026 gubernatorial race. On October 7, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced that he will not run for governor but will run for re-election in his current role. For several months, media reports had considered him as a potential gubernatorial candidate. As this is written, former Lieutenant Governor and 2022 Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes has indicated that he is seriously considering running for governor.

On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany (Minocqua) have announced their candidacies. Over the last few weeks, former four-term Governor Tommy Thompson publicly stated his interest in running for governor in 2026. He also considered running for governor in 2022 but ultimately decided not to run that year. Also, Milwaukee-area businessman Bill Berrien announced his candidacy for governor in early July but ended his campaign on September 26.