MADISON – One of the state’s most popular governors is considering taking another shot at running for his old office.
Tommy Thompson, who was governor between 1987 and 2001, said this week he is “seriously considering” joining the 2026 Republican primary for governor.
“I am still looking at it and I’m seriously looking at it,” Thompson, 83, said in an interview on WTMJ. “So that’s what goes into it but no decision has been made. But it’s certainly something that is not too far removed from my brain.”
Thompson did not return a phone call from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Earlier this year, Thompson downplayed the idea to the Journal Sentinel but noted he’s in “great shape.”
If elected, Thompson would be 85 when he would take office in January 2027.
Former Gov. Tommy Thompson speaks before former president Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Discovery World in Milwaukee on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. – Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
He was elected governor four times and served as President George W. Bush’s health secretary. In more recent years, Thompson served as the president of the Universities of Wisconsin, then known as the UW System, leading the constellation of universities through the coronavirus pandemic. He stepped down in 2022.
Thompson also considered launching a new campaign for governor in 2022, a decision-making process that included paying a visit to Donald Trump, when the president was in between terms.
A bid for governor by Thompson would scramble the Republican primary field that has already been disrupted by the abrupt departure of Whitefish Bay manufacturing CEO Bill Berrien.
Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany are the only major Republican candidates in the field currently.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tommy Thompson considering running for Wisconsin governor in 2026
