Progressive Democrat Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who is serving the second half of his second four-year term as governor, stated on Thursday that he has no doubts that he would easily win re-election to another term in next year's election.

Yet, citing a desire to spend more time with his family after more than 50 years of public service, Evers declared that he would not seek a third term as governor in 2026, Breitbart reported.

The announcement will prompt a scramble among both Democrats and Republicans to field candidates in what is now a wide-open gubernatorial race in the critical swing state of Wisconsin.

"I will not be running for a third term"

In a video posted to his X account, which he dubbed a "love letter" from himself to his wife, family, and the state, Gov. Evers revealed that his political career would soon be coming to an end.

"I began my run for governor as a proud Plymouth progressive, and that’s still who I am today. I’m a science teacher at heart who ended up running for office and winning five straight statewide elections," Evers said. "So would I win if I ran the sixth time? Of course, no question about that."

"But whether I'd win or not has never been part of my calculus about running again," he continued. "Here's the truth: Wisconsin, the only thing I love more than being your governor is being a husband, a dad, and a grandpa."

Evers noted that he was "damn proud" of his "50 years in public service," not to mention the "sacrifice" and support of his family for his political career, whom he wanted to spend more time with, which was why "I'm announcing that I will not be running for a third term."

Poor polling numbers emerge for Dems, Evers

The Wisconsin GOP wasted no time in responding to Gov. Evers' announcement, and declared in an X post, "Tony Evers saw Democrats’ polling numbers and is running for the hills. Wisconsin will be electing a Republican Governor next year."

There may be some truth to that assertion, as Fox News reported earlier this week that two recent major polls -- CNN and Quinnipiac -- both showed that national public approval for the Democratic Party had reached historic lows of 28% and 19%, respectively.

Likewise, RealClearPolling's national average pegged Democrats' favorability rating at a dismal 37.1%, with around 58.4% of Americans holding an unfavorable view of the party -- a negative spread of more than 21 points.

As for Gov. Evers himself, Marquette Law School's polling in June found that only 42% of Wisconsin voters wanted to see him run for a third time, while 55% did not, as well as that the governor's typically stable approval and favorability ratings, which usually held firm around 50%, had dipped this year to 48% and 46%, respectively.

Governor known for controversial vetoes

Breitbart noted that Gov. Evers' tenure in office was marked by his overt devotion to pushing policies based on his far-left ideology, including promoting transgender rights at the expense of young girls and boys, weakening parental authority, and attacking civil liberties, particularly gun rights.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Evers famously and frequently used his "veto pen" to strike down legislation passed by Republican lawmakers, including protections for female athletes from biological males, school vouchers for all children, tax relief for citizens, and strengthening election integrity laws, to say nothing of the heavy-handed restrictions he imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The outlet observed that the governor's decision not to run for another term sets the stage for crowded primary contests on both sides, with as many as six Democrats and three Republicans already gearing up to make bids for their party's respective nomination, with likely even more candidates entering the race in the coming months.