Majority of Voters Say Gov. Evers Shouldn’t Run for Third Term

A new survey of Wisconsin voters shows more than half say Gov. Tony Evers should not run for a third term even as he remains the most popular political figure in the state.

A Marquette University Law School survey of 873 registered voters conducted last week found 55 percent of respondents said Evers shouldn’t seek a third term, while 42 percent said he should.

Those margins shift significantly when broken down by party affiliation.

Among Democrats, 83 percent said they’d back another Evers run with just 15 percent opposed. Among Republicans, 7 percent said Evers should seek a third term while 93 percent said he should not.

Among independents, 50 percent said Evers should stay out of the 2026 election for governor, while 37 percent said he should run.

Evers’ numbers are better than another two-term governor, former Gov. Scott Walker, in a Marquette poll taken in January 2016. That year, 61 percent said Walker shouldn’t run again, including 27 percent of Republicans.

Charles Franklin, director of the poll, said Walker’s numbers followed his failed presidential run the year before.

“That did hurt him in his job approval numbers at the time, but you can see, by a modest margin, Evers is in little better shape than where Walker was at that point,” Franklin said. “And of course, it didn’t keep Walker from actually seeking a third term.”

When it comes to Evers’ job approval ratings, 48 percent of all voters said they approve of the governor and 46 percent disapprove. A whopping 91 percent of Democratic respondents said they approve of the job Evers is doing.

“So, it’s a pretty strong record,” Franklin said. “He remains the most popular of the political figures in the state that we ask about, but by no means is it a dominant popularity.”

Evers, who is 73, has said he’s waiting to announce whether he’ll run for a third term until work on Wisconsin’s next two-year budget is complete.

Trump approval rating still negative but largely unchanged

President Donald Trump’s approval rating in June was relatively unchanged from Marquette’s last poll in February, with 47 percent of all respondents saying they approve of the president and 52 percent disapproving. In February, that split was 48-51.

When broken down by party, 90 percent of Republicans said this month that they approve of Trump, while 98 percent of Democrats said they disapprove.

Franklin noted that the results come as some Democratic analysts have questioned whether Republicans might be regretting their vote for Trump.

“If you live in a world where 98 percent of the people agree with you in not liking Donald Trump, it may be very hard to believe that there’s another side out there that does like him and haven’t changed their minds,” Franklin said.

Majority approves of Wisconsin Supreme Court, but not the state Legislature

Marquette also polled on the other branches of Wisconsin state government.

Forty-nine percent said they approve of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, compared to 38 percent stating they disapprove. The court has been under liberal control for nearly two years.

The Wisconsin Legislature, which has been controlled by Republicans since 2011, remains somewhat unpopular, according to the Marquette poll.

Among all registered voters, 41 percent said they approve of the job state lawmakers are doing, while 50 percent disapproved. Since 2019, the Legislature’s average job approval has been underwater, according to past survey data.

Trump immigration policies popular, but tariffs are not

Marquette’s June survey also asked voters about a wide range of policies in federal and state government.

When asked whether they favor deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, 56 percent said they did, while 43 percent said they oppose such deportations. But when asked about deporting longtime residents with jobs and no criminal record, those numbers flipped with 56 percent of registered voters opposing deportations and 44 percent supporting them.

When it comes to Trump’s use of tariffs, 57 percent of voters in Wisconsin said they believe they’ll hurt the U.S. economy and just 31 percent stating they think they’ll help. Again, respondents’ political affiliation had a big impact on responses, with 61 percent of Republicans saying tariffs will help and 95 percent of Democrats saying they’ll hurt.

A majority of those surveyed, 67 percent, said they also believe Trump’s budget reconciliation bill will increase the federal deficit, a position backed up by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Both Evers and Republicans see support for policy pitches in Marquette poll

When it comes to the ongoing debate over the state budget, the survey had good and bad news for both parties.

The survey found 71 percent of voters favoring a “major increase” in state support for special education at public schools. That’s one of the top priorities for Evers, whose budget called for $1.1 billion increase in special education spending, pushing the state reimbursement rate to 60 percent.

Evers’ budget also called for extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months for new mothers, a policy backed by 66 percent of respondents in Marquette’s poll. A bill to expand postpartum Medicaid has already passed the Senate but has languished in the Assembly.

Marquette’s poll showed strong support for legalizing marijuana, with 67 percent in support. Evers has supported full legalization in each of his last three state budget proposals but the idea has been blocked by GOP lawmakers.

Republicans also saw support for their top priorities in the Marquette survey. While GOP legislators negotiate with Evers over potential tax cuts in the state budget, 65 percent of respondents said half or more of the state’s $4 billion budget surplus should be used for tax cuts.

The poll also found 54 percent of respondents said Wisconsin’s unique and extensive partial veto gives governor’s too much power. Evers’ recent use of the partial veto has contributed to his impasse with Republican lawmakers during this year’s state budget talks.

The Marquette survey also found most respondents favor keeping funding for state universities flat or reducing it. Among all registered voters, 49 percent said Universities of Wisconsin funding should be kept the same, 27 percent said it should be increased and 23 percent said funding should be reduced.

While the UW System requested an $855 million increase in state funding in its budget request, Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly have endorsed cutting it by $87 million over the next two years.

Marquette poll: Majority of voters say Tony Evers shouldn’t run for third term as governor was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.