MADISON, WI (WSAU) — Incumbent Governor Tony Evers has officially announced that he will seek re-election in 2022.
“Wisconsin, I’m in. I’m running for re-election. We’ve accomplished a lot in the last few years, but we’re just getting started,” said Evers in a press statement Saturday night. “We have more work to do, together. This is the moment where we can choose to fix the big problems in Wisconsin and bounce back stronger than ever before. That means doing what’s best for our kids, creating good-paying jobs, fixing our infrastructure, supporting small businesses, and making sure everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare—all the things we want for our state.”
Earlier this week, Evers announced four campaign staffers, including a campaign manager and a communications director.
Both parties immediately reacted to Saturday’s news with Democrats releasing the following statement: “Governor Evers’ steady leadership has made Wisconsin stronger, and we’re thrilled that he’s gearing up for a second term. Not only has he led us through some of the toughest challenges we’ve ever faced, his bold solutions are going to make sure Wisconsin bounces back from the pandemic better than ever. We’re excited that he has chosen to continue serving the people of Wisconsin, and we’re ready to fight alongside him to make sure he is re-elected in 2022.”
Republicans slammed the move by accusing Evers’ administration of being “Fraught with mismanagement and incompetence,” while also accusing the Governor of being “asleep at the wheel.
“Tony Evers had no plan to handle unemployment claims after shutting down our state’s economy, no plan to address the violence in Kenosha after refusing federal assistance, no plan to reopen schools while students were struggling, and now has no plan to address the labor shortage while business owners are begging him for help. Evers has nothing to run on except a record of abysmal failure and absent leadership,” they added.
Evers narrowly defeated Scott Walker in 2018 even as Republicans maintained control of both the state Senate and Assembly. That’s led to numerous political stare-downs between the sides on issues such as gun control, COVID-19 response and the handling of federal stimulus funds, and expanding Wisconsin’s BadgerCare program.
In some cases, Evers has called for special legislative sessions on those matters only to have the Senate and Assembly gavel in and out of them within seconds with no discussion.
Evers is not the first candidate to formally declare their intent to run for Governor in 2022. Businessman Jonathan Wichmann has been in the race for several weeks, while several other Republicans are considering runs. That list includes former 7th Congressional District representative Sean Duffy, former Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, and Reince Priebus- the former Chief of Staff to President Trump.
It’s unclear if any Democrats will put Evers up for a primary in August ’22.
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