Tony Evers is again doing the right thing for Wisconsin
Evers’ decision not to seek a third term can serve as an example to Democrats across the country that now is the time to embrace change.
The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time NINETEEN-TIME Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.
Once again, Tony Evers is doing the right thing.
In a “Love Letter,” Wisconsin’s governor announced he will not be running for a third term, saying, “For five decades, my family has sacrificed to give me the gift of service. They’re my world. And I owe it to them to focus on doing all the things we enjoy and love doing together. It’s why, Wisconsin, I’m announcing that I will not be running for a third term.”
Evers has had an accomplished career as a dedicated public servant and has been a terrific governor for the state of Wisconsin. As he noted in his letter, he still has “work to do” — there’s 17 months remaining in his second term — but his two terms as governor will leave a proud legacy. As governor, Evers has brought stability and sanity to the state at a time of genuine crisis in 2020, defended the state’s democracy when it’s been under attack, helped dig out of the damage from Scott Walker’s two terms as governor, has delivered important wins for the state despite an obstructionist Republican-controlled legislature, and has put the state in position to thrive in the years to come.
We are better off, in Wisconsin, for having Tony Evers as our governor for these last six-plus years. I want to express my own gratitude to the governor for his years of public service and for his many accomplishments in office, and for a job well done.
Obviously, the decision Evers has now made is one I agree with. I made the argument last month that Evers should not run for a third term, and heed the words of the late Sen. Herb Kohl, who said in 2011 when he chose not to seek another term, “The office doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the people of Wisconsin, and there is something to be said for not staying in office too long.”
There is indeed something to be said for this, so, along with being celebrated for what he’s been able to do as governor, Evers should be commended for this bold and selfless decision not to seek a third term. He is doing what so many others in the Democratic Party have struggled so mightily to do — pass the torch when the time is right.
And the time is indeed right. Evers is 73 years old, and another four-year term would mean he’d turn 79 while in office. Given the history of midterms, the 2026 election presents as a real opportunity for Democrats to win many key races across the country, Wisconsin very much included. And there are many talented and qualified individuals who’ve been on the bench for Wisconsin Democrats — and we’ll have that conversation about who will be running soon enough — but we won’t really know how voters might respond to those potential candidates until a campaign is underway.
This is also shaping up to be a moment in Democratic politics when a long-overdue generational shift appears to be unfolding. This is a party that has seen aging leaders hold on far too long far too many times. But until this gargantuan problem is actually reckoned with, it’s going to be one that continues to linger.
Perhaps in making this enormously consequential decision, Gov. Evers can be the one to turn the tide on Democrats’ unwillingness to pass the torch to the next generation. In his own unassuming way, the mild-mannered former science teacher who became Wisconsin’s governor can be an example to Democrats across the nation.
Because we know what happens in Wisconsin politics often has ramifications that reach well beyond the state’s borders. This can — and should — be a sign to many elected officials to embrace this generational shift and recognize when it’s time to retire. Wisconsin’s perpetual canary in the political coal mine status could see this moment serving as prologue for a bold new era for Democrats, ready and willing to turn the page.
An oft-repeated refrain from Gov. Evers has been to do the “right thing” for Wisconsin. In his letter, he said, “I promised you when I ran for this office that I’d always work to do the right thing, that I’d always give it to you straight, and that I’d always try to be a governor for all of Wisconsin.”
In making this courageous call not to seek a third term, Two-Term Tony is again doing the right thing for Wisconsin. This has been his North Star throughout his time in public office, and that North Star is shining brightly once again as he makes the right decision at the right time.
Thank you, Gov. Evers, for again doing the right thing — and for paving the way for leaders in Wisconsin and far beyond to have the courage to pass the torch when the time is right.
Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. In 2024, he became the Political Editor of Civic Media. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 23 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.
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Tony was the right man at the right time. His whole career has been a model of doing the right thing, the needful thing.
Wise decision. I'm grateful and impressed.