Background and career
Anthony Steven Evers ( EE-vərz; 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
