Background on the 4 Governor Candidates
Joel Brennan
Former Secretary, WI Dept. of Administration (2019–2022); ex-president, Greater Milwaukee Committee
The last candidate to enter (December 2025), Brennan runs on executive and budget experience, touting the nearly $4 billion surplus and $1.7 billion rainy-day fund built during his time as Evers’ top cabinet official, plus his renegotiation of the Foxconn contract. He pitches himself as a pragmatic manager who can both stand up to Trump’s “chaos” and work across the aisle with Republicans. One of 11 children, he previously ran Discovery World, the state’s largest science museum.
https://www.brennanforwi.com/
Francesca Hong
State Representative, Assembly District 76 (Madison), since 2021
She is progressive standard-bearer, a democratic socialist endorsed by Wisconsin DSA chapters. Hong runs a grassroots, no-corporate-PAC campaign she bills as the “wild card.” Her platform centers on universal childcare, universal paid leave, fully funded public schools, a “tax the rich” package, and a statewide moratorium on AI data centers. A chef, single mom, and the first Asian American elected to the Legislature, she leans hard into working-class, outsider framing.
David Crowley
Milwaukee County Executive (since 2020)
Crowley has executive experience, running a roughly $1.4 billion budget for about one-sixth of the state’s population. He led the Democratic field in the first fundraising reports. He campaigns on a “30-day plan” tackling affordability — housing, Medicaid expansion, childcare, and utility accountability — and on cross-partisan results like Act 12 shared-revenue reform. He is endorsed by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Governor Tony Evers.
https://www.crowleyforwi.com/
Kelda Roys
State Senator, District 26 (Madison), since 2021
A former two-term Assembly member, attorney, and small-business owner (founder of the real-estate firm OpenHomes), Roys placed third in the crowded gubernatorial primary back in 2018 and is running again this year. A longtime abortion-rights advocate and former NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin director, she touts the most legislative endorsements in the field, including the largest state teachers’ union, WEAC. Her platform includes reproductive rights, fully funding public schools, health-care affordability through a public option, and increasing housing supply.
https://www.keldaroys.com/
Note: Missy Hughes, Mandela Barnes, and Sara Rodriguez have dropped out, but their names will still appear on the August 11 primary ballot.