Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has won another term in office, after defeating Republican challenger Tim Michels in their neck-and-neck contest, according to three major networks.
Speaking from Milwaukee in the early hours of Wednesday, Michels said he had called Evers to concede. “Unfortunately the math doesn’t add up,” he said, adding that he wished the Evers family well.
Evers first won the seat in a 2018 upset after ousting incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Heading into 2022, he needed to recreate that same magic, with Wisconsin remaining one of the most purple states in the nation—with both Donald Trump and Joe Biden carrying the state by less than a point in 2016 and 2020 respectively.
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Since he was first elected, Evers has remained at war with Republican lawmakers in his state. The GOP-led state legislature has lobbed conservative policies his way en masse, leading Evers to veto more bills than any other governor in the state’s history. He’s also drawn backlash from Wisconsin conservatives for his handling of the COVID pandemic, in addition to Black Lives Matters protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2020 after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, was caught on camera and made public.
Yet Evers attempted to draw a clear contrast between himself and Michels: a recipient of Trump’s endorsement. Abortion became one of the leading issues of the race, with Evers wanting to overturn an abortion ban in the state that went into effect via a trigger law, while Michels wanted abortion to remain banned with exceptions for rape and life of the mother.
The duo also clashed at a recent debate over election administration, with Michels promising to enact heightened restrictions on voting in future elections.
Wisconsin governors do not have term limits, meaning Evers is free to run again in 2026.
