MADISON — Joel Brennan wants to be Wisconsin's next governor, and he has experience managing crowded environments — though not in politics. He grew up in a big family with nearly as many siblings as there are Democratic candidates now running for governor.
"You probably don't know much about me, so let's start with some numbers. 10. That's how many siblings I grew up with right here in Wisconsin. We were long on potential, although sometimes a little short on resources," Brennan said in a video announcement.
Brennan is a numbers guy who once served as Governor Tony Evers' Department of Administration Secretary. In that position, he managed the state's budget and its massive workforce. It's that record he wants to take to Wisconsin voters.
"We got to work, putting the state on firmer financial footing, generating a budget surplus of nearly $4 billion and growing our rainy day fund to $1.7 billion," Brennan said.
Brennan has been involved in politics, working for former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's campaigns and making an unsuccessful run for state Senate more than 20 years ago. He has served as the Greater Milwaukee Committee president since leaving the Evers administration.
Brennan is now the fourth person connected to Evers' team and time in office to run for governor. However, Evers says he will not make a primary endorsement.
With Brennan's entry, there are now 10 Democrats running in the primary, three Republicans and several more Independents to be Wisconsin's next governor.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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