Tony Evers won the Wisconsin governor’s race, clinching a crucial victory that could have implications for how the presidential election will be carried out in the crucial battleground state in 2024.
Evers’s victory over Tim Michels marks the end of a high-stakes and contentious midterm cycle that had both candidates in a deadlocked race in the weeks leading up to Election Day. The race had gained widespread attention as Republicans sought to unseat Democratic incumbent Evers in order to win control of both the state legislature and the governor’s mansion.
Evers quickly emerged as one of Republicans’ top targets during the 2022 cycle because the Democrat often clashed with the GOP-led legislature on areas such as education spending and abortion throughout his tenure. This often led to frustration among Republican lawmakers because the Democratic governor often acts as the last hurdle before bills get passed in the state.
That position became especially crucial for Democrats after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade over the summer, returning abortion’s legality to the states.
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The Republican-controlled legislature has also repeatedly tried to pass tighter election laws over the last few years that have been blocked by Evers — prompting several GOP candidates to throw their hats in the ring to oust him in November. The stakes were seen as particularly high because of Wisconsin’s status as a battleground state and one that helped secure President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020.
