ICYMI: ‘This Isn’t Just About Winning Elections’: WisDems, Gov. Tony Evers Announce New Wisconsin Governor Readiness Project
MADISON, Wis. — Today, WisDems Chair Devin Remiker joined Spectrum News to announce the launch of the WisDems and Governor Evers’ Gov Readiness Project — an initiative designed to position Democrats for success in the already competitive 2026 gubernatorial race. With Wisconsin’s general election cycle among the shortest in the country, it’s critical that Democrats are prepared to hit the ground running immediately after the primary. Through this project, WisDems and Governor Evers are working hand-in-hand to build the infrastructure, resources, and support systems needed to give the 2026 Democratic nominee a winning playbook.
SPECTRUM NEWS: ‘This Isn’t Just About Winning Elections’: WisDems, Gov. Tony Evers Announce New Wisconsin Governor Readiness Project
By: Anthony DaBruzzi | 9/22/25
Key Points Below:
- The Democratic Party of Wisconsin announced Monday it has partnered with Gov. Tony Evers to create the new Wisconsin Governor Readiness Project. The initiative aims to ensure the eventual Democratic nominee for governor has the resources they need to win in Nov. 2026
- With just 84 days between the August primary and the November general election next year, no matter who the nominees for governor end up being, both sides know they need to be ready to hit the ground running with a plan in place.
- With a growing field of candidates and 23 fewer days than former Vice President Kamala Harris had to campaign, WisDems Chair Devin Remiker, who was recently elected to the post in June, said he knows the party can’t sit on the sidelines.
- “I think it’s really important that people understand that we are going to have a primary, and I think that’s going to be a healthy process for the party,” Remiker explained when asked if the plan is too much of a sneak peek into the party’s playbook.
- The Wisconsin Governor Readiness Project is a partnership between the state party and Gov. Evers that will build upon what worked for Democrats who came out on top in 10 of the last 13 statewide elections, ensuring whoever advances to the general election next year is ready to go.
- “We can have staff in place. We can have resources in place. We can even plan an entire tour,” Remiker said of the types of things the blueprint will include.
- “And we’ve done it before, and I think we’re going to do a bigger and better than ever before. But when we have our nominee, we will already have, basically, the next week and a half of their travel plan, potentially, where we can drop them into events. You know, have signs ready to go and make sure that they experience a groundswell of support and enthusiasm, while at the same time, we’ll have already been beating up the Republican candidates all the way until that point. We’ll be sprinting towards the finish line. Republicans will be limping,” he added.
- Remiker, however, isn’t worried about such a large field or marrying the strategy his party is putting in place with the nominee’s campaign. He said it comes down to active conversation.
- “What we’re going to do is we’re going to stay in regular touch with each of the candidate campaigns, get their perspective, get their feedback on the plans that we’re building. You know, we may even have a few different playbooks, depending on the different possibilities, who may be the nominee and what their preferences may be, their different styles, what they would like to feature on the campaign,” Remiker said.
- “But at least on that election night on Aug. 11, we will know exactly what we need to do to be successful, and that’s what this project is about,” he added.
- WisDems Senior Advisor Cassi Fenili, who previously served as Gov. Evers’ campaign manager in 2022 and deputy campaign manager in 2018, will lead the project.
- “Working for Governor Evers since his primary in 2018, I know how challenging it is for a Democratic nominee to hit the ground running on day one of the general election. There’s too much on the line in 2026,” Fenili said in a statement. “That’s why we need campaign infrastructure and resources ready to go immediately — that’s what this project is going to accomplish. We know we can be successful because we’ve been here before, helping elect Gov. Tony Evers by building a runway early and holding the Republican candidates accountable often. We’re going to do it again, and we’re going to do it even better than before.”
- In addition to her work with the governor, Fenili managed Justice Susan Crawford’s successful Wisconsin Supreme Court election earlier this year and served as the executive director of the WisDems in 2024.
