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Governor of WisconsinCertified ballot

Joel Brennan

DemocraticNot on the Nov 3 ballot

Former Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration

Joel Brennan

Photo: Ballotpedia

Is Joel Brennan on the November 3 ballot?

Joel Brennan is not on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Governor of Wisconsin. This page is kept as a record of the August 11, 2026 primary.

Governor of Wisconsin on the November ballot →

See everyone who ran in the August 11, 2026 primary →

ⓘ What do the party and ideology labels mean?

On the ballot, partisan candidates run under a party — in Wisconsin almost always Democratic or Republican, with the occasional third-party or independent candidate. Words like progressive, conservative, libertarian, or democratic socialist are labels people use to describe themselves, not separate parties on the ballot. A label is a starting point; each candidate's sourced positions show where they actually stand.

How we do this →

Who is Joel Brennan?

Former Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration (2019–2021) under Gov. Tony Evers; businessman and politician born 1970

Where does Joel Brennan stand on the issues?

abortionsupport

Brennan supports repealing Wisconsin's 1849 abortion ban and protecting the right to make personal health care decisions, and pledges to invest in prenatal, maternity, and postpartum care.

Position sources (1)
agriculturesupport

Brennan supports right-to-repair for farmers, banning foreign governments and corporations from buying Wisconsin farmland, easing farm succession, and investing in rural mental health.

Position sources (1)
economy-jobssupport

Brennan points to delivering aid to small businesses, farmers, and families during the COVID pandemic and leading efforts to address economic challenges in Milwaukee.

Position sources (1)
educationsupport

Brennan proposes modernizing the school funding formula based on student needs, increasing teacher support and pay, mandating recess, and providing free school lunches sourced from Wisconsin farms.

Position sources (1)
elections-democracysupport

Brennan opposes federal control of elections and supports protecting election workers, defending early and absentee voting, allowing pre-Election Day processing of mail-in ballots, and countering misinformation.

Position sources (1)
environment-energysupport

Brennan supports restoring Knowles-Nelson Stewardship funding, keeping public lands public, addressing PFAS contamination, holding polluters accountable, and pushing toward clean energy.

Position sources (1)
healthcaresupport

Brennan proposes a 'Healthy Wisconsin Promise' to expand Medicaid eligibility, create a state public option, guarantee coverage for every child, and invest in mental health and rural health services. He also supports prescription drug reforms targeting pharmacy benefit managers.

Position sources (1)
housingsupport

Brennan's 'Build Roots, Build Wisconsin' plan aims to build 100,000 entry-level homes, offer 3% state-backed mortgages for first-time buyers, provide shared-equity gap loans, and impose a tax on corporate investors buying single-family homes as rentals.

Position sources (1)
immigrationmixed

Brennan addresses federal immigration enforcement by proposing a commission to review ICE enforcement abuses and stating local police should not do federal immigration work, framed within public safety.

Position sources (1)
public-safetysupport

Brennan says local law enforcement should focus on local crime rather than federal immigration enforcement, and proposes a Wisconsin Accountability Commission to review ICE enforcement, along with investments in violence reduction and local departments.

Position sources (1)
taxes-budgetsupport

Brennan highlights his tenure as Secretary of the Department of Administration, during which he cites growing the state's rainy-day fund and building a budget surplus. This emphasizes fiscal management as a priority.

Position sources (1)
ⓘ What do these stance labels mean?

Each label describes how a candidate has spoken about an issue, drawn from a sourced statement — not our opinion. Support and oppose mean they've clearly taken that side. Mixed means their statements point both ways. Evolving means their stated position has changed over time. Unclear means we couldn't find a clear public statement. Every label links to the source it came from.

How we do this →
ⓘ Sourced position vs. campaign claim — what's the difference?

A sourced position is something we tied to a specific public statement, with a link. A campaign claim is what a candidate's own site says about their priorities. We keep them separate so you can see the difference between a documented stance and a self-description.

How we do this →

The interview

Joel Brennan sat down with WisconsinEye and WisPolitics for a half-hour interview. Every candidate in this race sat for the same interview, so these answers are directly comparable. Each is transcribed verbatim, timestamped to the recording.

WisconsinEye · Campaign 2026Recorded 2026-07-08

  1. “I'd take the first chunk of the surplus and apply that directly to that as an emergency even as we're looking at how do we have a longer term fix”

    At 3:40 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

  2. “we need to scrap the school funding formula and find one that create one that puts kids at the center and make sure we're dealing with special needs with urban, rural poverty, English”

    At 4:18 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

  3. “up until this year, there was a cap of 10%. We should put that cap back on. There's the the largest recipient of school vouchers in Wisconsin is generally a virtual school to the tune of $44,000,000”

    At 13:50 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

All 11 answers

  1. “I was proud that Governor Evers vetoed those five bills, and and I would do the same thing.”

    At 14:54 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

  2. “I was proud that Governor Evers vetoed those five bills, and and I would do the same thing”

    At 14:54 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

  3. “So, yes, act 10 should be repealed. We should put a stake in that.”

    At 16:37 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

  4. “yes, act 10 should be repealed. We should put a stake in that”

    At 16:37 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

  5. “it's time for us to put some of those guardrails on, guardrails around who pays for this and make sure that no Wisconsin taxpayer has to pay for construction, operation,”

    At 20:18 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

  6. “I've said we should pause the approval of new data centers until that happens, but I don't think it's gonna take a year. I think this should be done in sixty, ninety days”

    At 21:20 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

  7. “We need to create a public option.”

    At 26:10 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

  8. “We need to create a public option”

    At 26:10 · Watch on WisconsinEye ↗

Full program on wiseye.org ↗Support WisconsinEye ↗

Quotes are transcribed verbatim from the recording and checked against it before publication. Watching the video requires a free WisconsinEye account. WisconsinEye is a nonprofit that records Wisconsin government and campaigns gavel-to-gavel; this interview exists because they were in the room.

ⓘ How do I read these campaign-finance numbers?

Individual contributions come from people; PAC (political action committee) money comes from organized groups. Cash-on-hand is what a campaign has left to spend. Money shows who is backing a campaign — it is not an endorsement by us, and more money does not mean a candidate is better.

How we do this →

Top reported contributors

  • Allan H. Selig (Milwaukee)$20,000
  • Donald Layden (Estero)$20,000
  • Shacey Petrovic (Key West)$18,500
  • Robert Habush (Whitefish Bay)$18,000
  • Madeleine K. Lubar (Fox Point)$15,000
Show 5 more
  • David J. Lubar (Fox Point)$12,500
  • Leonard J. Sobczak (Milwaukee)$10,500
  • Marianne Lubar (River Hills)$10,000
  • Gary Millen (Peoria)$10,000
  • Walter Kunicki (Merrimac)$10,000

Source: WI Ethics Commission (Sunshine) · non-commercial voter education use

Top organization & PAC donors

  • Grassroots Media (Bala Cynwyd)$10,000
  • Friends of Tom Barrett (Milwaukee)Unregistered$9,640
  • Friends of Shirley Krug (Milwaukee)PAC/Committee$2,499
  • Operating Engineers 139 PAC (Pewaukee)PAC/Committee$2,000
  • Citizens for D'Amato (Milwaukee)Unregistered$1,000
Show 5 more
  • The Morics Committee (Brookfield)Unregistered$1,000
  • Libra Labs (Falls Church)$750
  • EveryAction Inc. (Washington)$400
  • Friends of Michael J. Murphy (Milwaukee)Unregistered$200
  • Potbelly (Milwaukee)$18

Source: WI Ethics Commission (Sunshine) · non-commercial voter education use

Where the money comes from

Funding mix by source type
Individuals97%$848,1102009 donors
Businesses1%$11,2119 donors
Other2%$16,3396 donors
9% from donations under $200 (1,355 donors)
  • under $200$73,127 · 1,355 donors
  • $200–$999$162,358 · 465 donors
  • $1,000 and up$612,626 · 189 donors

Individual donors only, grouped by each donor's total

80% from Wisconsin
  • Wisconsin$691,636 · 1,816 donors
  • Out of state$167,685 · 202 donors
  • Unknown$0 · 0 donors

Individuals and businesses; committees excluded

Monthly fundraising

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Monthly fundraising totals
2026-01$29,925
2026-02$31,331
2026-03$48,541
2026-04$116,882
2026-05$130,678
2026-06$309,987
2026-07$167,276
2026-08$41,040

Itemized contributions, filings through Sep 23, 2026 · Source: WI Ethics Commission (Sunshine)

Political ads about Joel Brennan

Ads a BadgerBrief editor confirmed are about Joel Brennan, from the Meta Ad Library. Spend is the range Meta discloses.

4 ads from 1 sponsor

  • Joel Brennan for Governor

    Support for Joel Brennan4 ads
    $1,200–$1,596
    See the 4 ads

    • I'm ready to go toe-to-toe with Tom Tiffany and win. And as governor, I'll expand childcare, make healthcare more affordable, build more housing, protect Wisconsin values, and fight for working people every single day.

      $800–$899Paid for by Committee to Elect Joel Brennan View ad on Meta

    • I'm coming to La Crosse, and I want to hear from you. No script, no filtered questions, no fundraising. Just me and you, talking about what matters — health care, child care, housing, and what it's going to take to beat Tom Tiffany in November.

      $200–$299Paid for by Brennan for WisconsinView ad on Meta

    • Appleton! I'll be in the neighborhood on Monday, July 6th, from 6-7:30 pm for a meet-and-greet. I'm looking forward to sitting down and talking with folks about what matters to you. Stop by anytime; I'd love to meet you! RSVP here:

      $0–$99Paid for by Brennan for WisconsinView ad on Meta

    • Checking in from Superior! The most important fundraising deadline of this campaign is right around the corner. Chip in today, and let’s win this together! https://secure.actblue.com/donate/buildbrennanforwi?refcode=social0626

      $200–$299Paid for by Brennan for WisconsinView ad on Meta

In the news about Joel Brennan

Coverage a BadgerBrief editor reviewed and confirmed belongs here. We link out — we don’t summarize. How we handle coverage ↗

How this page was made

Who made this
Tarik Moody, in Milwaukee, independently. No ads, and no party, campaign or PAC money. Nobody has editorial input. About BadgerBrief
How facts get in
Ballot names come from the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s certified list, printed as you will see them. Votes are read from official roll calls; money from the Ethics Commission and the FEC. Positions and quotes appear only after a person checks each one against its source. Methodology
Sources
Last updated
Not covered
BadgerBrief does not rate, endorse or predict. Where a fact could not be sourced it is left out, not guessed. Local questions and city or village contests are on MyVote ↗.

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