Update: Mandela Barnes has withdrawn from the Democratic primary for governor (July 30, 2026) →
BadgerBrief

State Executive · Primary August 11, 2026

Who is running for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin in 2026?

3 candidates are running.

Why this race matters

Wisconsin holds separate gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primaries; nominees then run together on a single ticket in the general election.

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 →

Democratic primary

Republican primary

Who has raised the most money?

IndividualsParty committeesUnion PACsPACs & committeesBusinessesOther
CandidateRaisedWhere it's fromSpentCash on handThrough
Sarah Godlewski$91,989$137,953$57,606filings through Aug 3, 2026

Federal data: FEC. State data: WI Ethics Commission Sunshine (non-commercial voter education use).

Ad money in this race

Who is paying to influence this race — supporting or attacking each candidate, and how much is a candidate's own committee vs. outside groups. Spend and reach are platform-disclosed ranges; figures are estimated midpoints. This shows pressure, not who wins.

Sarah Godlewski

$598

Supporting

$0

Attacking

40k

Reach

$0 own committee · $598 outside (estimated)

David Varnam

$594

Supporting

$0

Attacking

24k

Reach

$594 own committee · $0 outside (estimated)

Who's paying. $1k in tracked ads — an estimated 50% from outside groups.

Last updated: