Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann officially announces bid for Governor

Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann has announced he’ll be running as a republican for Wisconsin Governor in 2026 making him the first candidate from either major party to get into the race.

Governor Tony Evers has not yet said whether he will seek a third term. Evers has repeatedly said he will announce his intentions after the state budget is passed and signed into law, which typically happens around early July.

Schoemann was elected as Washington county executive in 2020 after previously working six years as county administrator and county manager. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and received an honorable discharge in October 2008 from the Army National Guard.

He held a “summer kickoff cookout” Sunday in West Bend where he formally announced his candidacy saying the race for Governor was going to be a fight to reclaim Wisconsin.

Schoemann is unlikely to be the only Republican candidate in the election which is now 19 months away.

Others mentioned as potential candidates include U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents northern Wisconsin, and two-time race runner U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde.