Wisconsin Lt. Gov Sara Rodriguez launches 2026 gubernatorial bid after Tony Evers bows out

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez (D-WI) launched her gubernatorial bid less than a day after Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) announced he would not seek a third term.

Rodriguez is the first Democrat to enter the race, an expected move as she was previously floated as a likely candidate alongside former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Attorney General Josh Kaul, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler, and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. Rodriguez faces a tough battle to lead the state — following Evers’s bowing out, Sabato’s Crystal Ball changed the race from “lean Democratic” to a “toss-up.”