Latest news with #JoshSchoemann
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who's running for Wisconsin governor? These candidates have launched campaigns
Wisconsin has a wide-open race for governor in 2026, and candidates from both sides of the aisle are starting to line up. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers opted not to seek a third term, opening the field for Democrats to launch or consider bids. Two Republicans jumped in before Evers' decision and more could join them. Wisconsin's primary election is set for Aug. 11, 2026, to narrow the field for governor and other offices. The final candidates will move onto the Nov. 3 general election. Here's a running list of candidates from major political parties who are campaigning for governor, in order of their announcement date. We'll update this list as more candidates officially join the race: Josh Schoemann, Republican Background: Washington County Executive, former county administrator and manager; Army National Guard veteran Age: 43 Residence: Town of Trenton Campaign website: Policy priorities include: Dismantling or improving the Wisconsin Elections Commission, cutting waste and bureaucracy in government, tax relief for families and retirees, ending "woke overreach" in education, promoting mental and physical health for veterans and first responders. More: What to know about Josh Schoemann, first Republican to launch run for Wisconsin governor Bill Berrien, Republican Background: CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision, a New Berlin based manufacturing company; Navy SEAL veteran Age: 56 Residence: Whitefish Bay Campaign website: Policy priorities include: Promoting Wisconsin's manufacturing industry, maintaining Wisconsin's 20-week abortion law, lowering taxes for families and small businesses, open to legalizing marijuana in some capacity, ensuring local law enforcement work help carry out deportations. More: What to know about Bill Berrien, latest Republican to jump into Wisconsin governor race Sara Rodriguez, Democrat Background: Lieutenant governor since 2022; former state representative; nurse, former VP for Advocate Aurora Health, started health care consulting business Age: 50 Residence: Brookfield Campaign website: Policy priorities include: Boosting the health care workforce, funding public schools and giving teachers raises, legalizing and regulating marijuana, expanding Medicaid, reversing Act 10 restrictions on collective bargaining. More: Who is Sara Rodriguez, the first Democrat to jump into Wisconsin governor's race? Other possible candidates include Tom Tiffany, David Crowley Other possible candidates are listed below but haven't officially launched campaigns. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said he'll take steps to enter the race, while others have been quieter about their plans. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Democrat Northern Wisconsin Congressman Tom Tiffany, a Republican Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat Businessman and 2024 Senate candidate Eric Hovde, a Republican Businessman and 2022 governor candidate Tim Michels, a Republican Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democrat Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, a Democrat State Sen. Kelda Roys, a Democrat State Senate President Mary Felzkowski, a Republican More: Here are the likely Republican and Democratic contenders for governor in 2026 This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who's running for Wisconsin governor? Latest update of candidates
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ron Johnson urges Wisconsin Republicans to settle on a candidate, avoid bitter gubernatorial primary
MADISON – Wisconsin's top Republican wants his party's hopefuls for governor to duke it out over the next five months but to coalesce around one candidate by the start of 2026. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, in an interview on WEAU, said GOP candidates for governor should, before the end of 2025, "put your egos aside, set your campaign staffs aside … sit down and realize, OK, this is about Wisconsin, this isn't about me." "In a cold, clear-eyed assessment, who has the best chance of becoming the next governor of Wisconsin — next Republican governor? And the other ones need to step aside. That's what I will encourage." Johnson said the candidates for governor — so far, Whitefish Bay manufacturing CEO Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann — should have a meeting before the end of 2025 and "say, OK, which one of us is most likely to win?" More: Scott Walker teases interest in another run for Wisconsin governor Johnson spoke on July 25, a day after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced he would not run for a third term next year, setting the stage for the first wide-open race for governor with no incumbent since 2010. A spokeswoman for Berrien did not immediately react to the idea. A spokeswoman for Schoemann declined to comment. Johnson's suggestion comes after a bruising GOP primary for governor in 2022 featuring former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, businessman Tim Michels, business consultant Kevin Nicholson and state legislator Tim Ramthun. Ultimately, Michels prevailed after securing the endorsement of President Donald Trump and went on to be defeated by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Republican politicos have since said that primary, which lasted about a year, damaged Michels because groups of voters loyal to others were unable to coalesce around Michels after a lot of negative campaigning. The 2026 GOP primary field could be as wide as the last, with Congressman Tom Tiffany likely joining in the coming weeks. Other potential candidates could enter, including former U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde and Michels. The primary election is more than a year away: Aug. 11, 2026. Molly Beck can be reached at This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson urges Wisconsin GOP to avoid bitter gubernatorial primary
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
7th District's Tom Tiffany teases potential run for Wisconsin governor
WASHINGTON – 7th District Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has not yet said whether he plans to join the GOP primary for governor. But he's been happy to tease a run after pushing back his timeline for a potential announcement. Tiffany recently tweeted out a picture of himself holding a crappie after a conservative website demanded that "all future Wisconsin gubernatorial candidates prove they know how to hold a fish." And he's hinted at a potential statewide campaign in more concrete ways: The website domain name " leads directly to his current congressional campaign site. That site's homepage labels Tiffany a "proven conservative for Wisconsin." The hints are not unusual or new for the third-term congressman from Wisconsin's northwestern 7th Congressional District, whose office is located in Wausau. But they represent the latest moves for one of the only Republicans still publicly considering a 2026 gubernatorial run. Tiffany recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he'd make his decision "after July." Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann was the first Republican to enter the race in May, and Bill Berrien, a Navy SEAL veteran and manufacturing CEO from Whitefish Bay, launched his own campaign earlier this month. State Senate President Mary Felzkowski, former U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde and former U.S. Senate and governor candidate Tim Michels are also considering bids, though Tiffany is the only person in that group to publicly express interest in a gubernatorial campaign. More: Statewide 'Good Trouble' protests include several central Wisconsin events "I'm gonna make a decision after July here, and we'll see," Tiffany told the Journal Sentinel last week when asked about his thinking. He previously said he would make a decision after the April 1 state Supreme Court race before extending that timeline to the summer. "I'm steadily, methodically going through the process." Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is expected to decide whether to seek reelection in the coming weeks. Tiffany has claimed that Evers's decision won't factor into his consideration of a gubernatorial run and said his choice "is not predicated on" who is running on the Republican side, either. "It is, where can I do the most good for the people of the state of Wisconsin? Do I believe I'm the best candidate on our side to be able to win this race? That's the decision points for me," Tiffany said last week. He's repeatedly and publicly attacked Evers on both on social media and in his weekly constituent newsletter over immigration and Democrats' pushback on President Donald Trump's priorities. Still, Tiffany's moves are not new. He previously purchased website domain names as he considered a 2024 U.S. Senate bid against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, though he never launched a campaign. Multiple local GOP leaders in the 7th District have said they are uncertain Tiffany will make a move for governor. Tiffany raised a little more than $147,000 in the first half of 2025 and had about $124,859 in cash on hand in his House campaign account, according to Federal Election Commission records. Schoemann raised a little over $424,000 since launching his campaign in May, and Berrien's political action committee raked in more than $1 million before Berrien formally entered the race this month. A spokeswoman for Tiffany this week called securing the gubernatorial website domain name "standard practice for campaigns and public officials" and said it would prevent the site "from being used for nefarious purposes." The domain name, she said, was purchased in April 2023 — the same day Tiffany bought the domain names for a potential Senate run. And the campaign threw cold water on any idea that the post featuring Tiffany holding the crappie was a subtle campaign announcement. "Congressman Tiffany has not made a decision regarding a future run," the spokeswoman said on July 21, "and any announcement will come at a later time." This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 7th District Rep. Tom Tiffany teases a run for Wisconsin governor
CBS News
14-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Wisconsin's governor's election is more than a year away, but the ads are already starting
Wisconsin's race for governor is hitting the airwaves more than a year before voting begins. Republican candidate Bill Berrien announced the purchase of about $400,000 in cable TV, radio and online ads Monday. The buy comes 13 months before the Aug. 11, 2026, primary. Berrien is the first candidate to purchase ads of any kind in the race. Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann have announced bids as Republicans. It is the first campaign for each of them. Several other Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, two-time losing U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski are all considering running. Schoemann has been traveling the state and meeting with voters since he launched his campaign in May, but he has yet to spend any money on ads like Berrien is doing. "Money buys ads, but as we've seen far too often in Wisconsin, it can't buy wins," Schoemann adviser Ben Voelkel said. "It takes hard work and authenticity to earn voters' support, not just slick ads." Democratic Gov. Tony Evers hasn't said whether he will seek a third term. He has suggested that he will announce his decision within weeks. A spokesperson for Evers had no immediate comment on the Berrien ads. Wisconsin Democratic Party spokesperson Phil Shulman accused Berrien of trying to "buy himself Trump's affections." "Sadly, for Bill Berrien, he's going to learn the hard way that money can't buy you an election in Wisconsin," Shulman said. Berrien's ads are slated to begin airing Tuesday, less than a week after he launched his campaign. The ads lean into Berrien's support for President Donald Trump, which has been questioned by influential conservative talk radio hosts. Berrien criticized Trump's handling of the COVD-19 pandemic and said during an August 2020 interview with Fox Business that he hadn't decided whether to support Trump for president that year. In 2024, Berrien supported former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley's run for president in the GOP primary and donated more than $30,000 to her campaign. Berrien was also a member of the bipartisan group Democracy Found, which advocates for using ranked-choice voting and making primaries nonpartisan. But Berrien told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week that he no longer supports those ideas. Berrien is positioning himself as a staunch Trump backer in his first ads of the race. They are airing statewide, but with an emphasis on Milwaukee and Green Bay, his campaign said. The largest number of Republican voters in the state are in the Milwaukee media market, and Green Bay is a critical GOP area, especially in primaries. In the ads, Berrien calls himself "an outsider and a businessman just like President Trump." Berrien says he's running for governor to "advance the Trump agenda, shake up Madison and put Wisconsin citizens first." Berrien, 56, served nine years as a Navy SEAL and has been owner and CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision, manufacturers of precision-machined components in New Berlin, a Milwaukee suburb, for the past 13 years.
Associated Press
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Voting in Wisconsin's governor's race is a year away, but the ads are starting
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's race for governor is hitting the airwaves more than a year before voting begins. Republican candidate Bill Berrien announced the purchase of about $400,000 in cable TV, radio and online ads Monday. The buy comes 13 months before the Aug. 11, 2026, primary. Berrien is the first candidate to purchase ads of any kind in the race. Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann have announced bids as Republicans. It is the first campaign for each of them. Several other Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, two-time losing U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski are all considering running. Schoemann has been traveling the state and meeting with voters since he launched his campaign in May, but he has yet to spend any money on ads like Berrien is doing. 'Money buys ads, but as we've seen far too often in Wisconsin, it can't buy wins,' Schoemann adviser Ben Voelkel said. 'It takes hard work and authenticity to earn voters' support, not just slick ads.' Democratic Gov. Tony Evers hasn't said whether he will seek a third term. He has suggested that he will announce his decision within weeks. A spokesperson for Evers had no immediate comment on the Berrien ads. Berrien's ads are slated to begin airing Tuesday, less than a week after he launched his campaign. The ads lean into Berrien's support for President Donald Trump, which has been questioned by influential conservative talk radio hosts. Berrien criticized Trump's handling of the COVD-19 pandemic and said during an August 2020 interview with Fox Business that he hadn't decided whether to support Trump for president that year. In 2024, Berrien supported former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley's run for president in the GOP primary and donated more than $30,000 to her campaign. Berrien was also a member of the bipartisan group Democracy Found, which advocates for using ranked-choice voting and making primaries nonpartisan. But Berrien told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week that he no longer supports those ideas. Berrien is positioning himself as a staunch Trump backer in his first ads of the race. They are airing statewide, but with an emphasis on Milwaukee and Green Bay, his campaign said. The largest number of Republican voters in the state are in the Milwaukee media market, and Green Bay is a critical GOP area, especially in primaries. In the ads, Berrien calls himself 'an outsider and a businessman just like President Trump.' Berrien says he's running for governor to 'advance the Trump agenda, shake up Madison and put Wisconsin citizens first.' Berrien, 56, served nine years as a Navy SEAL and has been owner and CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision, manufacturers of precision-machined components in New Berlin, a Milwaukee suburb, for the past 13 years.
