Now that the 2026 Wisconsin Supreme Court election is over, political attention shifts to the Aug. 11 primary. More than half a dozen Democrats are running to win their party’s nomination for governor, while on the Republican side, Tom Tiffany is the only prominent name in the race.

The first two Marquette Law School Poll looks at the candidates — released on Feb. 25 and March 24 — have shown a wide open race, with 65% of Democratic voters in the latter saying they haven’t made up their minds.

Pick a city across the state, and on any given weekend, there’s a good chance potential voters will find one of the Democrats running for governor, shaking hands and introducing themselves.

“Sara Rodriguez, lieutenant governor — how are you?” said the first Democrat to announce their candidacy for the seat, during an appearance in Fond du Lac on March 7.

“What’s up, man?” asked former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes on March 9 in Eau Claire.

“How are you? Good? How are y’all?” asked Milwaukee County Exec. David Crowley in Milwaukee on March 7.

“First off, I’m Missy Hughes,” said the former CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation on March 9 in Waunakee.

“My name is Kelda Roys and I am running for governor,” said the state senator in Sheboygan on March 8.

These candidates launched their campaigns in 2025, but the polling shows the race has just started, with most polling in the low single digits.

“We’re about five to six months into this race and still have a long runway ahead of us,” Crowley said.

“The bottom line for the statewide poll, very credible, is that almost nobody has made up their mind about this, and it’s a wide open race,” said Joel Brennan, a former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration, on March 6 in Mineral Point.

“This is the first time I’ve run for office, so I’m excited to learn what Wisconsinites are really thinking about, what they’re concerned about with the future,” Hughes said.

“No poll before people have actually started paying for communications is going to tell you anything reliable about the electorate,” said Roys.

“What I say to them is really look at who can win in November, who has the most experience, who’s been able to win in difficult races,” Rodriguez said.

Only Barnes and Francesca Hong, a state representative, are polling above 10%

“Poll numbers are poll numbers — doesn’t change our program,” Barnes said. “We’re showing up all across Wisconsin. We’re talking to people — I mean, there was a poll that came out two days before, showed me within a lead with eight points above the next person. So polls are polls — are always scattered all over the place.”

Hong, in particular, is taking a different approach to the campaign. At Pearl Street Books in La Crosse, she held a Feb. 6 event that doubled as a benefit for Driftless Mutual Aid. Hong skipped the speech and just helped the other volunteers.

“We are an organizing and community-powered campaign. So events like this — community actions with support for mutual aid efforts — this is what I hope more politicians will start doing,” Hong said.

With two-thirds of Democratic voters polled saying they are undecided, .each voter the candidate convinces has a chance to influence an even larger audience.

“I’m seeing a ton of engagement around the state. When I go to Brown County or Marinette, folks are showing up for meetings. They want to understand where the candidates are, who the candidates are,” Hughes said.

This effect makes small meet and greets that much more important.

“Clearly, this is an engaged electorate — people who want to make sure that we are doing the right level of organizing to be ready for this fall,” said Brennan.

“I mean, you absolutely have your political junkies who are tuning in and asking a lot of questions, but we also know that there’s a lot happening in the world,” Crowley said.

It’s a four month sprint to the primary.

“Feeling incredible — a few months in actually — incredible response all across the state. We’ve been traveling non-stop, the response has been incredible. We see the momentum continue to grow. We see support increase all across Wisconsin,” Barnes said.

“I’m feeling really good about the race. I’m feeling really good about what my team is doing. We are going all across the state — all 72 counties — talking to everybody because I firmly believe you can’t lead if you don’t listen,” said Rodriguez.

“I feel like I’m getting a huge amount of momentum as I travel across the state,” Roys said. “It’s really a joy to campaign when people are feeling like we’re on the cusp of something different in Wisconsin.”