Anthony Steven Evers ( ; born November 5, 1951) is an American politician and educator serving since 2019 as the 46th governor of Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2009 to 2019 as Wisconsin's 26th superintendent of public instruction.
Born and raised in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Evers was educated at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in educational administration. After working as a teacher, he became a school administrator, serving as a principal and later as a district superintendent. Evers ran unsuccessfully for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1993, 1997, and 2001. After his 2001 loss, state superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster appointed him deputy superintendent, a position he held from 2001 to 2009. In 2009, he ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction again and won. He was reelected in 2013 and 2017.
In August 2017, Evers announced that he would run for governor of Wisconsin in the 2018 election. He won the crowded Democratic primary in August 2018 with 41.8% of the vote. Incumbent Republican governor Scott Walker was seen as vulnerable and had been criticized for his education policies. Evers defeated Walker by a margin of 1.1% and was reelected by a larger margin of 3.4% in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Tim Michels.
Evers frequently uses the governor's veto power due to his opposition to much of the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature's agenda. Under Wisconsin law, the governor's veto power is stronger than it is in other U.S. states. Evers has used his veto power more often than any other governor in Wisconsin history, and has used his line-item veto power to change Republican-authored bills. In July 2025, Evers announced he would not seek reelection in 2026.
Early life and career Evers was born on November 5, 1951, in Plymouth, Wisconsin, the son of Jean (Gorrow) and Raymond Evers, a physician. His first job was "as a kid, scraping mold off of cheese" in Plymouth. As a young adult, Evers worked as a caregiver in a nursing home. He attended Plymouth High School. He earned bachelor's (1973), master's (1976), and doctoral degrees (1986) in educational leadership from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He began his professional career as a teacher and media coordinator in the Tomah school district. From 1979 to 1980 he was principal of Tomah Elementary School, and from 1980 to 1984 he was principal of Tomah High School. From 1984 to 1988 Evers was superintendent of the Oakfield school district, and from 1988 to 1992 he was superintendent of the Verona Area School District. From 1992 to 2001 he was administrator of the Cooperative Education Service Agency (CESA) in Oshkosh.
Department of Public Instruction (2001–2019) Evers first ran for state superintendent, a nonpartisan post, in 1993, losing to John Benson. He ran again in 1997 and placed fifth in the primary. He ran again in 2001 and finished third in the primary. Elizabeth Burmaster won the primary and the general election, and appointed Evers deputy superintendent, a position he held until Burmaster was appointed president of Nicolet College. While serving as Burmaster's deputy, Evers served as president of the Council of Chief State School Officers.
State Superintendent Evers then ran again in 2009, this time winning. He defeated Rose Fernandez in the general election. In April 2013, Evers defeated Don Pridemore and won reelection. In 2017, Evers defeated Republican candidate Lowell Holtz, a former Beloit superintendent, with about 70% of the vote.
In 2009, Evers used government email accounts to solicit campaign donations during work hours. He and another government employee were fined $250 each for the solicitations.
In 2014, Evers proposed a $1.7 billion increase in state funding for K–12 schools. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker did not include Evers's proposal in his state budgets, citing the cost. In 2017, Evers called for a tenfold increase in school mental health funding.
In October 2018, a divided federal appeals court found that, because there was a nearby archdiocesan school, Evers had violated neither the U.S. Constitution's Free Exercise Clause nor its Establishment Clause when he denied busing to an independent Catholic school. The U.S. Supreme Court vacated that judgment in 2020 and remanded the case for further consideration. After the Wisconsin Supreme Court answered a question of state law certified by the federal appeals court, the Seventh Circuit ruled in 2021 that the denial of transportation benefits violated Wisconsin law and remanded the case for further proceedings.
Governor of Wisconsin (2019–present) Elections 2018
On August 23, 2017, Evers announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for governor of Wisconsin in 2018. He cited his 2017 reelection as state superintendent with over 70% of the vote, as well as his criticism of Governor Walker, as key reasons for deciding to run. Evers launched his first campaign advertisement against Walker on August 28, 2017. Evers won the eight-candidate Democratic primary on August 14, 2018. On November 6, 2018, Evers narrowly defeated Walker in the general election.
2022
Evers sought reelection in 2022. His 2018 running mate, Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, instead chose to run for U.S. Senate. In the August Democratic primary, Evers was unopposed and Brookfield-area state representative Sara Rodriguez was nominated as his running mate. In the general election, Evers and Rodriguez defeated the Republican ticket of Tim Michels and Roger Roth.
Tenure
Evers has frequently used his veto power to oppose legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature. He has used it more frequently than any governor in Wisconsin history, and has used line-item veto power to rewrite Republican-authored bills.
Evers's vetoes have included laws related to election procedures, government powers during a pandemic, education, federal aid, redistricting, guns, police and crime, abortion, social welfare programs, and regulations and licensing.
Republican efforts to restrict gubernatorial power Before Evers took office, the Republican-led legislature passed new laws weakening the offices of the governor and attorney general. They targeted Evers's authority over economic development issues, required his administration to rewrite thousands of government documents, and required the attorney general to get legislative approval before settling lawsuits. The legislature also restricted voting access. Governor Walker signed all the legislation over Evers's objections.Laurel White, Federal Judge Strikes Down Lame-Duck Changes To Wisconsin Voting Laws, NPR (January 17, 2019).Riley Vetterkind, Scott Walker signs all three lame-duck bills into law, Madison.com (December 15, 2018). These actions were challenged as unconstitutional, with some voting law changes struck down by a federal district court but later restored by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Also before Evers took office, Walker, the legislature, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court reduced Evers's ability to appoint new administrators. Before leaving office, Walker appointed 82 people and the legislature confirmed them. When a judge declared these appointments unconstitutional, Evers replaced 15 of Walker's appointees. These new appointments were upheld by a Wisconsin Court of Appeals decision but overruled by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Walker's appointees were reinstated.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court also allowed most of the lame-duck laws the legislature adopted, defeating lawsuits brought by the League of Women Voters and Service Employees International Union. The lawsuits largely hinged on the constitutionality of the legislature holding such votes in "extraordinary sessions"—special sessions not called by the governor. Such sessions are not explicitly authorized by the Constitution of Wisconsin or state law, so litigants contended that the acts of such sessions are not constitutional. The Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected those arguments.
Evers's problems with Republican appointees continued into his term. Late in Evers's first term, many Walker appointees refused to leave office when their terms expired. Evers appointed replacements, but Senate Republicans did not act on the appointments. Evers challenged the holdovers in state court, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court held that appointees whose terms had expired could remain in their positions indefinitely so long as the Senate refused to confirm a replacement. The Senate also rejected a number of Evers's appointees. By March 2024, it had rejected 21 of his appointees; in the previous 40 years, the Senate had rejected four.
In Evers's second term, Republicans sought to enact constitutional amendments to further limit the governor's powers. In 2024, Wisconsin voters were asked to vote on two amendments that would limit the governor's control over state spending. One would invalidate any spending decisions made by the governor or other agency that was not explicitly appropriated by legislation. The other would require legislative approval for usage of any federal funds sent to the state. Voters rejected both amendments in the August 13 primary elections.
First term In February 2019, Evers withdrew Wisconsin National Guard forces from the border with Mexico, where President Donald Trump had called for a "national emergency". Evers said, "There is simply not ample evidence to support the president's contention that there exists a national security crisis at our Southwestern border. Therefore, there is no justification for the ongoing presence of Wisconsin National Guard personnel at the border."
In February 2019, Evers's administration prepared a budget proposal that included proposals to legalize the medical use of marijuana for patients with certain conditions, upon the recommendation from a physician or practitioner. Evers also proposed to decriminalize the possession or distribution of 25 grams or less of marijuana in Wisconsin and to repeal the requirement that users of cannabidiol obtain a physician's certification every year. Evers's marijuana proposals were opposed by Republican leaders in the Legislature.
On March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Evers declared a public health emergency in the state. The next day, he ordered all schools in the state to close by March 18, with no possibility of reopening until at least April 6. On March 17, Evers instituted a statewide ban on public gatherings of more than 10 people, following an advisory from the federal government. This was expanded to a statewide "safer at home" order on March 25, originally set to expire on April 25, with people allowed to leave their homes only for essential business and exercise.
On April 6, Evers issued an executive order to delay the state's April 7 presidential primary, as well as other coinciding elections. The move followed a dispute with legislative Republicans over whether to delay or otherwise modify in-person voting during the pandemic. Evers had said on April 2 that he had no legal authority to issue such an order, and Republican leaders in the legislature used his own words against him when challenging the order in court. A conservative majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked the executive order just hours after it was issued on April 6, and the election took place as scheduled on April 7.