State Superintendent Tony Evers (Photo: DPI)
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers is expected to officially launch his campaign for governor this week.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports an email sent to Evers’ supporters says he will announce his bid for the Democratic nomination Wednesday at a park in Fitchburg, a suburb of Madison.
Evers, who has won three statewide superintendent elections since 2009, formed a campaign committee earlier this summer. Once he’s announced, he would be the fifth Democrat to officially join the race – with several others still considering a possible challenge to Republican Governor Scott Walker in 2018.
Republican Party of Wisconsin officials are already taking aim at Evers, with a digital ad campaign launched today that criticizes the DPI under his leadership for not revoking the teaching license of a Middleton middle school teacher caught looking at sexually explicit images at school. The district initially fired the teacher, but an arbitrator later ruled the incident did not meet the legal definition of “immoral conduct” and ordered him reinstated to his position.