First Major Candidate Drops Out of Wisconsin Governor Race

Former WEDC CEO Missy Hughes. (Hughes campaign photo)

And then there were six.

Missy Hughes announced Monday that she was ending her bid for governor, shrinking the Democratic field to six candidates.

“I will always look for ways to serve, but it won’t be as governor. Today, I am suspending my campaign,” said Hughes in a statement. “As a first-time candidate, I experienced the incredible joy of receiving tremendous support from family and friends, and from people from all around the state and beyond who then also became family and friends. Thank you for everything you have done for me. In particular, I want to thank my family, my husband Tripp, and my son Harry, who both spent countless hours in the car driving me to events all over the state, and made sure I ate and laughed. My campaign team did an amazing job, with patience and grace extended to a candidate not willing to bend to the political games needed to grab a headline. I will count my blessings every day for the remarkable adventure this journey has been.”

Hughes was appointed by Gov. Tony Evers to lead the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation in 2019 and held the position until she resigned last September to run for governor.

She immediately endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.

“Sara is someone who has chosen difficult missions, as a Peace Corps volunteer, an emergency room nurse and a CDC intelligence officer. She has repeatedly placed herself in environments that are uncomfortable, unpredictable and uncertain. In those places, Sara led teams and communities and brought them together. I trust that she will do that as governor, and that she will do it well,” said Hughes.

The most recent Marquette University Law School poll, from April, had Hughes ranked seventh with 1% of respondents who said they were Democratic primary voters indicating they would vote for Hughes.

Rodriguez was ranked fourth in the poll, with 3%. Adding Hughes’ share would push Rodriguez to third, ahead of David Crowley. Francesca Hong was in first with 14%, and Mandela Barnes was in second with 11%. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they hadn’t decided who they were voting for.

The unscientific straw poll at the 2026 Democratic Party of Wisconsin convention had Rodriguez in first with 164 of the 597 ballots cast. Hughes was last with 10 votes.

State Sen. Kelda Roys and another fellow Evers appointee, former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, are also running.

All seven candidates qualified for the ballot by the June 1 filing deadline.

Hughes’ withdrawal comes before a July 15 campaign finance filing deadline. Her campaign will still be required to disclose its donors and expenses. She raised almost $500,000 in the prior period, with 49% coming from big or max donors.

Brennan and Roys recently launched advertising campaigns to bolster their campaigns. Barnes has substantial name recognition from his 2022 senate run and previously serving as the lieutenant governor. Hong has the most visible on-the-ground campaign, with canvassers and yard signs popping up in many cities.

An Aug. 11 partisan primary will narrow the field to a single Democrat in advance of the Nov. 3 general election.

Rep. Tom Tiffany is widely expected to win the Republican primary but faces a challenge from Andy Manske. The Republican Party of Wisconsin endorsed the Tiffany campaign at its recent convention.

Evers has served as governor since 2019 but announced his decision in 2025 not to run for a third term.

“My job is not done and the fight is not over. We need to keep a Democrat in the governor’s office and we cannot rest. And on Nov. 3 we can elect the first daughter, sister, mother, wife and nurse to be governor of our great state,” said Hughes.

Prior to her WEDC appointment, Hughes, of Viroqua, served as an executive at the Organic Valley dairy cooperative for 17 years.