With the second term of Donald Trump’s presidency well underway, and with the election of Justice Susan Crawford to the State Supreme Court, the political focus here in Wisconsin has now turned to the 2026 Midterms. As a reminder, midterm elections are mainly races for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and governor’s mansions across the country. Wisconsin’s senatorial incumbents, Tammy Baldwin (D) and Ron Johnson (R) are not up for re-election this cycle, as Johnson’s seat is not contested until 2028. However, all of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts will hold elections, including our seat, currently held by Mark Pocan (D). 

While the fight for Congress is set to be extremely competitive, particularly with gerrymandering efforts on both sides of the aisle in other states, Wisconsin is more likely to see an interesting campaign in the gubernatorial election. Incumbent Tony Evers (D) is not seeking re-election for a third term, opting out about a month ago. That has created a wide-open fight for the Democratic nomination, as this will be the first time there is not an incumbent candidate since 2010. 

While it has been widely expected that a flood of Democrats would announce their candidacy, including Attorney General Josh Kaul, State Senator Kelda Roys, Fmr. Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, and various state/local officials, only one contender has thus far: current Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez, a former health care professional and member of the State Assembly. Only two other Democrats have filed for the nomination – college student Zachary Roper, who ran for Assembly in 2024, and Ryan Strnad, a vendor at American Family field with experience running a labor union.

As for Republicans, there are only two candidates thus far; Bill Berrien, a manufacturing executive, and Josh Schoemann, the executive for Washington County. Representative Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin’s 7th District, has publicly expressed interest. Other potential candidates include former Governor Tommy Thompson, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, former Senate candidate Eric Hovde, and former Gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels.

The race as a whole is set to be a referendum on the Trump administration, with Democrats likely to focus on abortion rights, executive overreach, and the economy, and Republicans defending Trump’s record on immigration and cutting spending. The primary elections will be held on August 11th, 2026, and the general on November 3rd. The election for the State Supreme Court will be held earlier in the year, and we will have more information on that in the coming months!