MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Democratic Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a former emergency room nurse, announced Friday that she is running for governor, the day after the incumbent decided against seeking a third term.
Rodriguez is the first Democrat to officially enter the 2026 race. Several others are considering running after Gov. Tony Evers said Thursday he was bowing out.
Wisconsin’s 2026 governor’s race is open with no incumbent running for the first time since 2010.
Rodriguez, who almost certainly will face numerous Democratic primary opponents, has vowed to push back against Republican President Donald Trump’s administration.
“We’ve got a maniac in the White House,” Rodriguez said in a campaign launch video. “His tariffs are killing our farmers and his policies are hurting our kids.”
Rodriguez has been lieutenant governor since 2023, after previously serving one two-year term in the state Assembly representing suburban Milwaukee, where she lives. She won a seat that had been under Republican control for years.
Rodriguez emphasized her background working previously as a nurse in a Baltimore emergency room, saying she wanted to continue Evers’ emphasis on fighting to protect reproductive freedom, invest in public schools and rebuild the economy.
She noted that the state Legislature is within reach of Democratic control, meaning that with a Democratic governor, they could finally enact policies Republicans have blocked for years like expanding Medicaid.
A registered nurse, Rodriguez previously worked as a health care executive and an epidemic intelligence service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has a master’s degree in public health.
Rodriguez emphasized the importance of health care, including protecting abortion rights, in a brief speech she delivered on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last year.
Rodriguez, who is married with two children, launched her candidacy on her 50th birthday.
In her first run for office in 2020, when she was elected to the Legislature, Rodriguez said she was motivated to get into politics because of how Republicans handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rodriguez won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in 2022 after then-Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who held the office in Evers’ first term, decided to run for the Senate.
Barnes, who lost that race to Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, is among several Democrats considering a run for governor next year. Others include Attorney General Josh Kaul, state Sen. Kelda Roys, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee businessman Bill Berrien are the only announced candidates. Others, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering it.
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