Tony Evers Bio
Anthony Steven Evers, born on 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 built a long career in public education before entering statewide politics, including three terms as Wisconsin’s 26th superintendent of public instruction from 2009 to 2019. As governor, Evers has become known for prioritizing education funding, public health, and the frequent use of his veto authority against a Republican-controlled legislature.
Early Life and Background
Anthony Steven Evers was born on November 5, 1951, in Plymouth, Wisconsin, the son of Jean (Gorrow) Evers and Raymond Evers, a physician. He grew up in the small Sheboygan County community and attended Plymouth High School, where he completed his secondary education. As a young person in Plymouth, Evers held an early job scraping mold off of cheese, a task he has often cited as a humble introduction to the Wisconsin work ethic. After high school, he took a position as a caregiver in a nursing home, an experience that shaped his interest in public service and caring for others.
Evers went on to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1973, a master’s degree in 1976, and a doctoral degree in 1986, all in educational leadership. His advanced training prepared him for a career that would begin in classrooms and eventually lead to statewide office. The combination of a small-town upbringing, family emphasis on education, and rigorous academic preparation set the foundation for his later work in school administration.
Path to Wisconsin Politics
After completing his education, Evers began his professional career as a teacher and media coordinator in the Tomah school district. He advanced quickly through school leadership, serving as principal of Tomah Elementary School from 1979 to 1980 and as principal of Tomah High School from 1980 to 1984. In 1984, he became superintendent of the Oakfield school district, and from 1988 to 1992 he served as superintendent of the Verona Area School District. From 1992 to 2001, he served as administrator of the Cooperative Education Service Agency (CESA) in Oshkosh.
Evers first ran for state superintendent in 1997 and placed fifth in the primary, and he ran again in 2001, finishing third in the primary. The winner of that 2001 race, Elizabeth Burmaster, appointed Evers as deputy superintendent, a role he held until 2009. During his time as deputy superintendent, Evers also served a term as president of the Council of Chief State School Officers, giving him national exposure among education leaders. These years of statewide administrative work positioned him for his successful 2009 campaign for superintendent of public instruction.
Tony Evers Career
Superintendent of Public Instruction (2009–2019)
In 2009, Evers won his first election as Wisconsin’s superintendent of public instruction, defeating Rose Fernandez in the general election. He won reelection in April 2013 against Don Pridemore, and in 2017 he won a third term against Republican Lowell Holtz, a former Beloit superintendent, capturing roughly 70 percent of the vote. Across three terms, Evers became a recognizable voice on K-12 funding, school mental health services, and accountability measures.
During his tenure, Evers proposed a $1.7 billion increase in state aid to secondary schools in 2014, a plan that Governor Scott Walker did not include in his proposed budgets, citing the cost. In 2017, Evers called for a tenfold increase in school mental health funding, highlighting concerns about student well-being. In 2009, he was fined $250 along with another government employee for using government email accounts to raise campaign funds during work hours, an episode that became a minor controversy in his early tenure.
2018 Gubernatorial Breakthrough
On August 23, 2017, Evers announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for governor of Wisconsin in 2018, pointing to his 2017 reelection with more than 70 percent of the vote and his criticism of Governor Walker as reasons to run. He launched his first campaign advertisement against Walker on August 28, 2017, and continued to focus on education funding and school performance throughout the primary campaign.
Evers won the Democratic primary on August 14, 2018, defeating ten other candidates with 41 percent of the vote. On November 6, 2018, he narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Scott Walker by a margin of about 1.1 percentage points, an outcome that made national headlines and shifted control of the governor’s office to a Democrat for the first time in nearly a decade. The victory was built on a coalition of suburban voters, educators, and supporters of his long career in public education.
Governor of Wisconsin (2019–Present)
Since taking office in January 2019, Evers has governed in a period of divided government, with the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature holding majorities in both chambers. He has used his veto power more frequently than any governor in Wisconsin history, and has used line-item veto authority to alter Republican-authored bills on election procedures, education, redistricting, guns, abortion, and pandemic response. In 2022, Evers won reelection against Republican Tim Michels by a margin of about 3.4 percentage points, with Sara Rodriguez as his running mate after Mandela Barnes chose to run for U.S. Senate.
Evers has pursued several signature policy priorities that were largely blocked by legislative Republicans. He has called for Medicaid expansion, legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, accepting federal funds to expand BadgerCare, raising the minimum wage, and restoring collective bargaining rights for public workers. In 2023, Evers and the legislature reached a compromise on shared revenue in 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, which raised shared revenue for municipalities by an average of about 36 percent. He also worked with lawmakers to approve a funding package for American Family Field to keep the Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin.
Notable Events and Milestones
Evers’s tenure has been defined by high-profile clashes with the legislature over emergency powers, public health, and election policy. In March 2020, he declared a public health emergency due to COVID-19, ordered schools closed, and later instituted a statewide safer-at-home order that was struck down by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In July 2023, Evers used a line-item veto to extend a $325 per-pupil revenue increase for K-12 schools for 400 years, an action the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld in April 2025. In July 2025, Evers announced he would not run for reelection, closing the chapter on one of Wisconsin’s longest state-level political careers.
Tony Evers Career Wins
Anthony Steven Evers has won several statewide elections across nearly two decades in Wisconsin politics, including three terms as superintendent of public instruction and two terms as governor. His victories reflect a consistent ability to build bipartisan and education-focused coalitions in a politically competitive state.
Superintendent and Governor Elections
Evers first won statewide office in 2009, defeating Rose Fernandez to become Wisconsin’s superintendent of public instruction. He was reelected in 2013 against Don Pridemore and in 2017 against Lowell Holtz, winning about 70 percent of the vote in his final superintendent race. He then won the 2018 gubernatorial election against incumbent Scott Walker by about 1.1 percentage points, and secured a second term in 2022 against Republican Tim Michels by roughly 3.4 percentage points, with Sara Rodriguez as his lieutenant governor.
Other Achievements
Beyond his election victories, Evers helped secure a bipartisan shared-revenue compromise in 2023 Wisconsin Act 12 that boosted funding for municipalities and gave them more flexibility on local sales taxes. He also signed a 2024 redistricting map that he originally proposed, and he joined a national lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act’s overturn while also working to expand BadgerCare. His service as president of the Council of Chief State School Officers during his time as deputy superintendent stands as one of his most prominent education-leadership honors.
Tony Evers Family
Family Background and Public Service Lineage
Anthony Steven Evers is the son of Raymond Evers, a physician, and Jean (Gorrow) Evers. He was raised in Plymouth, Wisconsin, in a household that valued education and community involvement, and he has credited his parents and his small-town upbringing with shaping his career in public service.
Personal Life
Evers has been married to Kathy Noordyk since 1982, and the couple has three adult children and nine grandchildren. Before his statewide political career, Evers was treated for esophageal cancer in 2008, an experience he has referenced when discussing health care policy. In his public life, he is known for his focus on family, education, and the people of Wisconsin.