Tony Evers beat nine other Democrats Tuesday to battle Republican Gov. Scott Walker for Wisconsin’s governor’s mansion in November.
Evers, the state’s public education chief, is Democrats’ best shot in years to oust Walker, who Republicans have long considered unbeatable. Polling shows Walker at his weakest ahead of what is expected to be the fight of his political career.
Unlike prior years, Democrats didn’t rally behind one particular candidate, but Evers’ position as the education superintendent helped boost his name recognition. Evers beat Mahlon Mitchell, backed by Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and EMILY’s List-backed Kelda Helen Roys.
This will be the Democrats’ fourth attempt to defeat Walker. They lost to him in 2010 and 2014, with an unsuccessful recall in between. But this year polls show Walker looking beatable despite the fact that President Trump narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to do so since Ronald Reagan was re-elected in 1984.
