Primary election set for Aug. 11

Voters across Wisconsin will head to the polls this Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, for the state’s partisan primary election. The primary will narrow the field of candidates for statewide, congressional, legislative, and county offices before the November general election.

How a partisan primary works
A partisan primary lets voters help pick which candidate from each political party moves on to the November ballot. In Wisconsin, voters must choose only one party’s primary to vote in. Once a voter picks a party, only the votes cast for candidates in that party will count. If a voter tries to vote in more than one party’s primary on the same ballot, none of those votes will count.
Voters can also write in a name that is not printed on the ballot. To do this, they write the candidate’s name on the “write-in” line and fill in the oval next to it.
This year’s ballot includes five party primaries: Republican, Democratic, Constitution, Libertarian, and Wisconsin Green.

Statewide races
For governor, Republican voters will choose between Tom Tiffany and Andy Manske. Democratic voters have a much larger field: David Crowley, Sara Rodriguez, Joel Brennan, Francesca Hong, Kelda Roys, Missy Hughes, and Mandela Barnes are all seeking the Democratic nomination.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, Republicans will decide between David Varnam and Will Martin, while Sarah Godlewski is the only Democratic candidate listed.
For attorney general, Eric Toney is the sole Republican candidate, and Josh Kaul is the only Democrat on the ballot.
Wisconsin’s secretary of state race features four Republicans — Jay Schroeder, Brayden Myer, Nate Pollnow, and Cindy Werner — one Democrat, JoCasta Zamarripa, and one Wisconsin Green Party candidate, Pete Karas.

The Republican primary for state treasurer lists John S. Leiber as the only candidate. On the Democratic side, voters will choose between Yee Leng Xiong and Dylan Ray Helmenstine.

Congressional race
In the 7th Congressional District, five Republicans are competing: Don Raihala, Michael Alfonso, Jessi Ebben, Kevin Hermening, and Niina Baum. Three Democrats are running: Chris Armstrong, Fred Clark, and Ginger Murray.

State Assembly race
Voters in the 35th Assembly District will see one candidate from each major party on the primary ballot: Republican Calvin Callahan and Democrat Elizabeth McCrank. Neither candidate faces competition in the primary election.

County races
Locally, the Republican ballot lists candidates for three county offices: Andy VanderWyst for sheriff, Valerie Caylor for coroner, and Thomas Barker for clerk of circuit court. The Democratic ballot does not list any candidates for these three county offices, meaning Democratic voters would need to use a write-in to select someone.
Constitution and Libertarian parties
Neither the Constitution Party nor the Libertarian Party has candidates listed on this ballot for any office, from governor down to county races. Voters who choose either of these parties on their primary ballots would need to use write-in votes for every contest.

Wisconsin Green Party

The Wisconsin Green Party’s only listed candidate is Pete Karas for secretary of state. All other offices on the Green Party ballot are open to write-in votes only.

What’s next
Candidates who win their party’s primary on Aug. 11 will advance to face off against nominees from other parties in the November general election. Voters with questions about registering, voting absentee, or finding their polling place should contact their municipal clerk.