Overview

• At a Milwaukee Press Club event on May 29, Johnson expressed reluctance to seek a third Senate term, saying he wants to focus on policy goals before returning to private life.
• Johnson first won his Senate seat in 2010 with Tea Party backing and narrowly defeated Mandela Barnes in 2022.
• Democrats have strengthened their position in Wisconsin with Gov. Tony Evers’s 2022 reelection and Democratic-backed victories on the state Supreme Court in 2023 and 2025.
• Former President Trump carried Wisconsin in the 2024 election, underscoring the state’s competitive and divided electorate.
• Johnson said he does not “covet” his Senate role, called himself “just a guy from Oshkosh,” and agreed with Elon Musk’s concerns over federal spending.