Democrat Sarah Godlewski launches run for lieutenant governor, kicking off a wide open race
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a Democrat, is running for governor and will give up her post, leaving an open seat.
Wisconsin's primary election is set for Aug. 11, 2026, to narrow the field for governor, lieutenant governor and other offices. The final candidates will move on to the Nov. 3 general election.
Here's a running list of candidates from major political parties who are campaigning for lieutenant governor, in order of their announcement date. We'll update this list as more candidates officially join the race:
Sarah Godlewski, a Democrat
Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, 43, launched a campaign for lieutenant governor on Aug. 20.
Godlewski previously held the position of state treasurer and unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2022. She was appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to her current post in March 2023.'I'm not running for this office because I need another title,' Godlewski said at an event in Madison launching her campaign. 'I'm running for this office because I want to be a part of the team that's not just going to win, but deliver for the state of Wisconsin.'
This story will be updated as candidates launch campaigns.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Democrat Sarah Godlewski first to launch bid for lieutenant governor
Solve the daily Crossword
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
18 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
Hannity's Ironic Critique Of Newsom Goes Viral
Sean Hannity's attempted slam of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was irony defined for many of the Fox News host's critics. Fox News On Wednesday, Hannity devoted several minutes of his prime-time show to attacking Newsom, who has recently taken to trolling Donald Trump on social media by mimicking the president's bombastic and combative tone. Fox News Top Trump ally Hannity denounced Newsom, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, as a 'radical' whose policies had wrecked California and dismissed his Trump impersonations as 'embarrassing.' Fox News Then came the line that went viral: 'I have a point. Results matter. A new performative, confrontational style. Maybe it wins you points with the loony, radical base in your party. But America is not going to vote for that record.' Fox News You can watch the full clip here: Hannity: A performative confrontational style—maybe it wins you points with the loony radical base in your party but America is not going to vote for that record. — Acyn (@Acyn) August 21, 2025 @Acyn / Fox News / Via Critics pounced on the remark, arguing it sounded more like a description of Trump — and Hannity himself — than of the governor. The irony of not knowing what a mirror is. — Truthstream Media (@truthstreamnews) August 21, 2025 @truthstreamnews / Via That's rich coming from Hannity, a guy whose entire career is built on performative confrontation. It's like McDonald's telling you not to eat fast food. He's out here critiquing 'loony radical bases' while serving as the maître d' at the all-you-can-eat grievance buffet every… — Nate Lichtman (@27KeysToTheRace) August 21, 2025 @KeysToTheRace / Via I R O N Y 😂 — jp (@ChefjparkJohn) August 21, 2025 @ChefjparkJohn / Via Is their audience that unaware? — 𓂀 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𓂀 (@marysupoppinz) August 21, 2025 @marysupoppinz/ / Via Irony is dead. — Jason P. (@JasonPYYC) August 21, 2025 @JasonPYYC / Via Hannity should know better, since he's part of the loony radical base of the party which elected just such an antagonistic, confrontational person President. — Robert Firsching (@robfirsching) August 21, 2025 @robfirsching / Via
Axios
18 minutes ago
- Axios
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas says he'll bow out if redistricting stands
Longtime Austin Democratic congressman Lloyd Doggett said Thursday that he won't seek reelection if new congressional maps are not overturned by courts. Why it matters: Doggett's move prevents a potentially nasty Democratic primary in the wake of a Republican redistricting effort, allowing U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, a rising progressive, to remain in power. State of play: Casar and Doggett would have battled for a single Austin-based district under the new congressional map that the Texas House approved on Wednesday and which the Senate is expected to pass soon. Gov. Greg Abbott has said he'll sign the legislation. Doggett, who has been repeatedly targeted by Republicans in redistricting during his over 30 years in Congress, currently represents much of Austin and its suburbs. Casar, a former Austin city council member first elected to Congress in 2022, represents parts of southern and eastern Austin in a district that snakes down to San Antonio. Flashback: In a campaign email nearly two weeks ago, Doggett wrote that "seniority is an asset, not a liability." He urged Casar to "not abandon" his reconfigured district, arguing that Casar could "use his organizing skills and populist message to win over the disaffected, particularly disaffected Hispanic voters." What they're saying: Unless the new maps are overturned by courts, "I will not seek reelection," Doggett said in a statement Thursday. "I had hoped that my commitment to reelection under any circumstances would encourage Congressman Casar to not surrender his winnable district to Trump." "While his apparent decision is most unfortunate, I prefer to devote the coming months to fighting Trump tyranny and serving Austin rather than waging a struggle with fellow Democrats." On X, Casar wrote: "Lloyd Doggett is an Austin institution. I've learned so much from him. I'm grateful to him. The fight for democracy continues." The big picture: The new map could give Republicans an additional five seats in Congress. Democrats say the map disenfranchises Black and Latino voters.
San Francisco Chronicle
18 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Defamation case against Fox News highlights role of its hosts in promoting 2020 election falsehoods
NEW YORK (AP) — Court papers in a voting technology company's $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News point to Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs and Jeanine Pirro as leaders in spreading false stories about election fraud in the weeks after Democrat Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump in 2020. Arguments for summary judgment by Smartmatic were filed in lightly redacted form this week at the New York Supreme Court. It's like a bad rerun for Fox: Similar revelations about its conduct following the 2020 election came in a lawsuit by another company falsely accused of doctoring votes, Dominion Voting Systems. Fox agreed to pay Dominion $787 million in a 2023 settlement after the judge found it was 'CRYSTAL CLEAR' that none of the claims against the voting system company were true. In short: Fox let Trump aides spread conspiracy theories despite knowing they were false because it was what their viewers wanted to hear. Fox was trying to hold on to viewers who were angry at the network for saying Biden had won the election. Fox said it was covering a newsworthy story. It accuses the London-based company, which had only Los Angeles County as a client for the 2020 election, of exaggerating its claims of damages in the hope of receiving a financial windfall. Pirro now working in the second Trump administration The focus on Pirro is noteworthy because the former Fox personality now serves in Trump's second administration as U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. Smartmatic, relying on emails and text messages revealed as part of the case, said Pirro was using her position as a Fox host in 2020 to help Trump and persuade him to pardon her ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who was convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion. Trump pardoned him before leaving office in 2021. In a text to then-Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in September 2020, Pirro said, 'I'm the No. 1 watched show on news cable all weekend. I work so hard for the President and the party,' Smartmatic said in court papers. One of her own producers, Jerry Andrews, called Pirro a 'reckless maniac,' Smartmatic said. He texted after one of her shows in November that it was 'rife (with) conspiracy theories and bs and is yet another example of why this woman should never be on live television." The court papers said Pirro also suggested 'evidence' of supposed fraud to Trump lawyer Sidney Powell that she could use on a television appearance — material that also was spread by Bartiromo. Bartiromo still works at Fox, and in 2020 had shows on both the news channel and Fox Business Network. The court papers uncovered messages showing her desire to help Trump: 'I am very worried. Please please please overturn this. Bring the evidence, I know you can,' she texted to Powell. Dobbs, whose business show was canceled by Fox in February 2021, texted to Powell four days after the election, saying 'I'm going to do what I can to help stop what is now a coup d'etat in (its) final days — perhaps moments," a reference to Biden's victory. Dobbs died in 2024. A central figure in Fox's 'pivot' Smartmatic portrayed Pirro as a central figure in Fox's 'pivot' to deemphasize Biden's victory because it angered Trump fans. Instead, the network found that ratings jumped whenever claims of election fraud were discussed, it said. As in the Dominion case, the discovery process helped Smartmatic find messages and statements that seem embarrassing in retrospect. For example, in early December, Fox's Jesse Watters texted colleague Greg Gutfeld that 'Think of how incredible our ratings would be if Fox went ALL in on STOP THE STEAL.' Fox, in a response to the newly-revealed court papers, pointed to an ongoing corruption case involving Smartmatic and its executives, including a claim by federal prosecutors that it used money from the sale of voting machines to set up a 'slush fund' for bribing foreign officials. 'The evidence shows that Smartmatic's business and reputation were badly suffering long before any claims by President Trump's lawyers on Fox News and that Smartmatic grossly inflated its damage claims to generate headlines and chill free speech,' Fox said. 'Now, in the aftermath of Smartmatic's executives getting indicted for bribery charges, we are eager and ready to continue defending our press freedoms.' ___
