Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers defeats Tim Michels to win second term in 2022 midterm election
MADISON - Democratic incumbent Tony Evers overcame national headwinds facing his party this midterm election to win a second term as governor.
Evers, a 71-year-old former public school educator, defeated U.S. Army veteran and construction executive Tim Michels early Wednesday as Evers' lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes trailed incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.
"Holy mackerel folks, how about that?” Evers told supporters at Madison's Orpheum Theater shortly before 1 a.m. "As it turns out, boring wins."
Evers was leading Michels by 3 percentage points early Wednesday when Michels conceded the race, acknowledging he did not have a path to win.
The two candidates battled in the most expensive governor's race in the country and in state history as voters grappled with rising inflation and the fallout of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, putting back into effect a state abortion ban.
Evers, the first Wisconsin governor candidate to win in a year his party held the presidency in more than 30 years, told supporters he credited his win to a campaign argument of "doing the right thing" − a nod to his efforts to curb the coronavirus, block voter restrictions and return to women access to abortions.
Tim Michels concedes race early Wednesday morning; he underperformed in key Republican areas
At around 12:20 a.m., Michels told supporters who were gathered at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee, that he had conceded to Evers.
“Unfortunately, the math doesn’t add up,” Michels said in brief remarks.
Michels thanked his supporters and campaign staff and said Wisconsin was the “greatest state in the union” with a tremendous work ethic and the most wonderful people on the planet.
“In hindsight looking back I don't know what we would have done differently. It was a very spirited effort ... but it wasn't our night tonight,” he said.
Wisconsin voters endured tens of millions of dollars worth of television ads and campaign mailers this election cycle aimed at hammering Michels on his support of the state's abortion ban and Evers for decisions to release violent criminals made by his parole commissioner.
In all, Evers and groups supporting him outspent Michels and his supporters by about $27 million, according to AdImpact Politics, which tracks TV advertising spending by major campaigns.
Ultimately, Michels underperformed former GOP Gov. Scott Walker's 2018 loss in key areas including the suburban counties surrounding Milwaukee that historically undergirded Republicans' election victories until 2016, when former President Donald Trump began turning off some voters there − especially women. Michels, who is endorsed by Trump, fell short of Walker's 2018 results in these crucial areas for Republicans.
The liberal voting powerhouse of Dane County also buoyed Evers' victory with voters there casting more votes for governor than they did for president in 2016 or in 2012, when former President Barack Obama was on the ballot.
Tony Evers focused on abortion access during campaign, blocking Republican policies
Evers focused his campaign almost entirely on abortion access by promoting his opponent's support of preserving the state's abortion ban and his own effort to overturn the law that went back into effect after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 law that legalized abortion nationwide.
Evers and Democratic surrogates including former President Barack Obama also campaigned against Michels' willingness to consider decertifying Trump's 2020 election loss in Wisconsin and his plans to overhaul the state's election system by dissolving the Wisconsin Elections System.
Evers' victory assures four more years of intense partisan gridlock as the state Legislature stays in Republican control. During the course of Evers' first term, Republicans blocked much of his agenda and refused to confirm many of Evers' cabinet picks and in one case took the unprecedented move of firing his agriculture secretary.
Much of Evers' campaign focused on his ability to block Republican policies, including bills he vetoed during his first term that would have added restrictions to absentee voting and overhauled how public school districts could teach children about systemic racism, among other measures.
Evers set a record by vetoing nearly 150 bills during the last two-year legislative session, surpassing the last record set nearly 100 years ago. Even though he has laid out proposals to expand high-speed internet access and a $600 million tax cut, an Evers win will likely mean a continued stalemate between the governor's office and Legislature.