'3-term Tony': Gov. Evers hints at re-election campaign

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- It's not quite a re-election campaign announcement, but Governor Tony Evers hinted he isn't ruling out a third term just yet while joking about people calling him "two-term Tony."

"I don't care what you call me. You can call me governor, you can call me Tony, you can call me two-term Tony or three-term Tony. I don't mind," Evers said at the Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention on Sunday. 

Evers is less than one year into his second term.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor Emeritus Mordecai Lee called Evers' statement a smart political move.

"I think what he did was probably on purpose, in the sense of saying, 'I'm not a lame duck. I'm not going anywhere,'" Lee said.

Wisconsin GOP Chairman Brian Schimming responded to Evers' comment.

"He can try to disguise his status as a lame duck governor, but the only nickname that applies to Evers is "taxing Tony," and Wisconsin taxpayers are well aware of it," Schimming said. "If it weren't for state legislative Republicans prioritizing responsible spending, Wisconsinites would be stuck with the Evers' agenda: high taxes and high spending."

Wisconsin is one of 13 states with no gubernatorial term limits. 

"Occasionally, there have been efforts in Wisconsin to do term limits in the Legislature for governor, but it's never really gotten any traction," Lee said.

Lee said there are pros and cons to a lack of limitations. 

"One could say if you let a governor serve unlimited terms, they'll become re-election machines," Lee said. "On the other hand, one could make the argument that it takes a while for a governor, just like a president, to sort of learn the office so that he or she can really fulfill the responsibilities of the office, and therefore maybe two terms aren't enough."

Wisconsin's next gubernatorial election is in November 2026.