Latest news with #WisconsinGovernor
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What to know about Bill Berrien, latest Republican to jump into Wisconsin governor race
A second Republican has officially joined next year's race for Wisconsin governor, though current Democratic Gov. Tony Evers hasn't announced whether he'll run for a third term. Bill Berrien, a Navy SEAL veteran and manufacturing CEO, launched his campaign July 9. He joins Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, who's also running as a Republican. More candidates could join the GOP primary field. In his first campaign ad, Berrien likened himself to President Donald Trump as "an outsider and a businessman." "The globalists shipped our jobs in factories to China and the career politicians let it happen. Not us. We went all-in on Wisconsin," Berrien says, referring to his manufacturing business. Here's what to know about Berrien, the latest Republican to declare a run for governor: What is Bill Berrien's political experience? Berrien describes himself as a "political outsider" and hasn't campaigned for or held elected office. In April, Berrien formed a political action committee, making him the first Republican to make a public move toward running for governor. What is Bill Berrien's military background? Berrien was a Navy SEAL for nine years, according to his campaign website, and served as a team officer and platoon commander. He attended Army Ranger School and the SEAL Sniper Course. His PAC is called "Never Out of the Fight," inspired by the Navy SEAL team ethos. What is Bill Berrien's manufacturing business? Berrien is the CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision, which is based in New Berlin. He acquired the company in 2012. The company is a contract manufacturer of precision machined components for industries like aerospace, defense and agriculture. Pindel also manufactured parts for ventilators during the COVID pandemic. What is Bill Berrien's platform? Among Berrien's top priorities are promoting Wisconsin's manufacturing industry, lowering taxes and ensuring local law enforcement work with federal agencies to carry out deportations. Berrien criticized Evers for vetoing legislation that blocks transgender students from participating in sports teams that align with their gender identity, calling it "radical social experimentation." In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Berrien said he was opening to legalizing marijuana in some capacity and keeping Wisconsin's current 20-week abortion law. More: Where Wisconsin GOP governor candidate Bill Berrien stands on Trump, abortion, marijuana and more How old is Bill Berrien? Berrien is 56. Who is in Bill Berrien's family? Berrien and his wife, Betsie, have three children — Grace, Will and Joe. He coaches his son's high school lacrosse team. Where did Bill Berrien go to college? Berrien received his bachelor's degree in politics from Princeton University, a master's from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School, according to his LinkedIn profile. While attending Princeton, he was captain of the school's water polo team. Where is Bill Berrien from? Berrien, who grew up in New York City, describes himself as a Wisconsin "convert" who moved to the state two decades ago for his career and chose to raise his family here. He lives with his family in Whitefish Bay, a northern suburb of Milwaukee. Does Bill Berrien support Trump? Berrien is seeking to align himself with Trump. In the 2024 Republican presidential primary, he supported former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley but switched his support to Trump in the general election. Berrien told the Journal Sentinel he supports Trump's tariff policies and posture toward China, saying he wants to replicate such policies at the state level. What are Democrats saying about Bill Berrien? In a statement, Democratic Party of Wisconsin chairman Devin Remiker said Berrien is "rich enough to buy himself some attention and clueless enough to think that's going to work — just like Elon Musk did this past April only to see his political career end." Who else is running for governor in Wisconsin? Evers hasn't announced whether he'll seek a third term, telling reporters July 7 his decision would come in a "couple weeks." If he chooses not to run, it could open up a Democratic primary. Attorney General Josh Kaul, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez are among the potential Democratic contenders. On the Republican side, possible candidates include Senate President Mary Felzkowski, former U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde, former U.S. Senate and governor candidate Tim Michels, and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany. More: Businessmen Tim Michels, Eric Hovde considering return to politics with runs for Wisconsin governor This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who is Bill Berrien, Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor?
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Former Navy SEAL and 'political outsider' announces GOP campaign for Wisconsin governor
FIRST ON FOX: Bill Berrien, a Wisconsin manufacturing executive, former Navy SEAL and self-described political outsider, announced his Republican campaign for governor of Wisconsin on Wednesday. In the Republican's first national exclusive interview since announcing his gubernatorial bid, Berrien told Fox News Digital, "We [have] to get away from the six years of Tony Evers, where we're going in the entirely opposite direction. This race is extremely winnable. I can win it. I can be the conservative governor that is going to make this the Wisconsin century." Berrien said Democrat Gov. Tony Evers' tenure has felt like the "gears in reverse" of any gains made by former GOP Gov. Scott Walker. The Republican hopeful called Evers a "tax and spend" Democrat who isn't moving the state forward. "I'm an outsider. I'm a businessman, just like President Trump," Berrien said. "He's taking back Washington. We need to take back Madison for Wisconsinites." Berrien is the CEO of manufacturing companies Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision and served as a Navy SEAL for nine years. According to his campaign website, his top priorities in the race are revitalizing Wisconsin manufacturing, restoring law and order and strengthening Wisconsin families. "Wisconsin is the best of the country," Berrien said. "We make things, we build things, we work with our hands. My vision is we can be the manufacturing powerhouse of the world again. We can be ground zero for the success of the Trump-driven re-industrialization." President Donald Trump campaigned on unleashing American manufacturing as president and, through his often controversial trade and tariff policies, seeks to return business to the United States. Trump's win in battleground Wisconsin landed him the White House in 2024. Berrien called his win "historic" and said it reflected a "shift across the board" among the Wisconsin electorate. "It is the Republican workers' party – that's due to his leadership. I think we're gonna be building on that through this campaign," Berrien said. While Trump secured Wisconsin in 2024, a liberal Democrat-backed Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate, Susan Crawford, won a contentious multimillion-dollar election over conservative Brad Schimel earlier this year. When Elon Musk was still in Trump's good graces, he invested millions to support Schimel, but Democrats from across the country threw their political weight behind Crawford, and she was ultimately elected to the open seat. "It means all the more that we need to have a Republican in the governor's mansion," Berrien said before asking, "How do we apply a military leadership-type mindset across all 72 counties, winning up and down the ticket?" And when asked about Democrats' early 2026 midterm messaging about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's Medicaid cuts, Berrien said he supports Medicaid work requirements and called Trump's megabill "wind in our sails for creating the Wisconsin century, making Wisconsin the manufacturing powerhouse to the world again." "When you look at the business incentives for factory construction, investing in technology, investing in people, it's like a Black Friday sale or factory expansion, no coupons required." Berrien announced his candidacy in a campaign video released Wednesday morning. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann announced his own Republican gubernatorial campaign in May. Evers has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election in 2026. He did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. "When we think about the last 10 years, there has only been two candidates that have been successful on a statewide basis, [Sen.] Ron Johnson and Donald Trump. We have on my team, leaders who've been part of both of those races, and we have the team to win this. We have resources, and we have a clear lane and opportunity. Let's make this the Wisconsin century," Berrien said.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gilbert: Should Gov. Tony Evers run for a third term? Here are his political pluses and minuses
How well is Democrat Tony Evers positioned to win a third term as governor should he decide to run again next year? In a new statewide poll by Marquette Law School, a majority of voters say he shouldn't run again. But in the same survey, Evers is the only major political figure with a positive rating in Wisconsin. Uncertainties about Evers' political future abound. We don't know if he'll run again in 2026. We don't know who his Republican opponent would be. We don't know exactly what issues will dominate. And we don't know what political surprises are in store. But without knowing those things, we can take stock of the 'fundamentals' of an Evers re-election race — the basic political circumstances — and whether they appear at this moment to be favorable to a third term. I will start with the political pluses for Evers, because I think they are more concrete and convincing right now than the minuses. One is the governor's public standing, as captured in the polls. In the latest statewide survey released Wednesday by the Marquette Law School, 48% of registered voters approved of Evers' performance and 46% disapproved. These are hardly spectacular numbers in and of themselves. But they are good numbers relative to those of other political figures in Wisconsin. More: Marquette poll takeaways: Marijuana, tax cuts, veto power, special education and more In the same poll, taken June 13-19, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Republican Sen. Ron Johnson both have negative favorability ratings. And Republican President Donald Trump has a negative job rating, with 47% approving and 52% disapproving. In fact, Evers has consistently polled better in this state than any other well-known politician. Since he took office in 2019, his average job rating has been 50% approval and 41% disapproval in 35 surveys by Marquette, much better long-term numbers than those of Baldwin or Johnson, and especially those of Trump and his predecessor in the White House, Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has never had a positive job rating in Wisconsin in any poll Marquette has taken during his two terms, even though he narrowly won two of his three Wisconsin elections (he has come close a few times). By contrast, Evers' job rating has been consistently positive or 'above water,' slipping into negative territory only four times in Marquette's 35 polls during his tenure. You wouldn't conclude from the polling that Evers is unbeatable or even 'safe.' But you wouldn't conclude that he's especially vulnerable either. Just to be above water is something of an accomplishment these days in this 50/50 state. A more clear-cut advantage for Evers — and probably the biggest argument in his favor — is the nature of the 2026 election cycle. As a Democrat, Evers would have the good fortune of running with a Republican in the White House. History shows that it's very helpful in big statewide elections to belong to the party out of power nationally. That's because voters in the 'out party' are often more motivated to turn out, and because swing voters frequently vote for change. In Wisconsin, no incumbent governor or senator in the 'out party' (the party that doesn't occupy the White House) has lost an election since 1986. And it has happened only once since the 1960s. Eight of the last nine contests for governor have been won by the 'out party.' The only exception was in 2022, when Evers won re-election despite the political drag of having an unpopular Democrat (Biden) in the White House. With Trump now in the White House, Evers should be better positioned in the 2026 midterms than he was in the 2022 midterms. There is no guarantee that 2026 will be a good year for Democrats, of course. But it's a pretty good bet. Now let's turn to some potential political weaknesses, and these are a little more speculative. One could be age. Evers is 73. Age has not been an issue for Evers the way it was for Biden, who is nine years older and came across to voters as a person in decline before he finally withdrew from the 2024 election. But it's certainly possible that the combination of being in his 70s and seeking a third term could work against Evers politically among voters hungry for new faces and new leadership. It's also possible that simply seeking a third term could come with its own hurdles. Since a governor's term in Wisconsin was lengthened from two years to four in 1970, only one person has won more than two terms in a row: Republican Tommy Thompson. Only one other person has tried, Republican Scott Walker, who lost to Evers in 2018 while seeking a third term. Although the dynamics of Senate elections are different, both Wisconsin senators struggled mightily in their recent quests for a third term. Johnson won by 1 point in 2022, his closest race. Baldwin won by less than a point in 2024, her closest race. Asked in the new Marquette poll, 'would you personally like to see Tony Evers seek a third term as governor in 2026?' 42% of registered voters said yes and 55% said no. Pollsters generally view this question as a less reliable measure of an incumbent's support than job approval. And Evers does better on this question than Walker did before seeking a third term, when only 36% said he should run again. But these numbers still suggest that the burden would be on Evers to make the case for such an extended stay in office. Finally, let's consider one other factor that could work either for or against Evers, and that is the state's recent history of divided government. Evers has served his entire time with a Legislature controlled by Republicans. That means Evers hasn't been able to do a lot of things to excite people and thrill his supporters. But it also means he hasn't been able to do a lot of things to anger people and mobilize his opponents. In fact, 2026 would represent his first real chance to govern with a friendly legislature, since the redrawing of districts in 2024 gives Democrats a plausible shot at legislative power next year after a decade and a half of GOP control. Sixteen months ahead of the next election, there is room for debating what Evers' odds would be of winning a third term in a state he carried by 1 point in 2018 and 3 points in 2022, a state in which the last two Senate elections and the last three presidential races were all decided by a percentage point or less. I think history is a little bit more on Evers' side than not. But history also tells us that in Wisconsin, there are few safe bets anymore in big November elections. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Should Tony Evers seek a third term? Here are pluses and minuses
