State governor candidate Bill Berrien spends $400,000 on campaign advertisement

WISCONSIN (CIVIC MEDIA) – Wisconsin’s race for governor is hitting the airwaves more than a year before voting begins.

Republican candidate Bill Berrien announced the purchase of about $400,000 in cable TV, radio and online ads Monday, July 14. That is 13 months before the primary, which takes place on August 11, 2026. Berrien is the first candidate to purchase ads of any kind in the race.

Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann have announced bids as Republicans. Unlike Berrien, Schoemann has yet to spend any money on ads. Democratic Governor Tony Evers has not yet said whether he will seek a third term. He has suggested that he will announce his decision within weeks.

Berrien announced his bid for the governor’s seat in early July, posting a campaign announcement video to his X account. In the video, he remarked that he is “an outsider and a businessman, just like President Trump. And I’ll shake up Madison like he’s shaking up (Washington) D.C.”

Read Civic Media’s previous coverage of Berrien’s campaign announcement here.