Fond du Lac District Attorney Eric Toney has thrown his hat into the ring for Wisconsin Attorney General once more, aiming to set up a rematch against current Democrat AG Josh Kaul in the 2026 election. Toney's campaign kicked off with an announcement at the Waukesha County Courthouse yesterday, making him the first Republican—and the second candidate overall—to declare his intention to run, as reported by WISN.
Driving his campaign forward, Toney has vowed to seriously tackle crime in Milwaukee, taking particular aim at the border crisis and the flow of fentanyl into Wisconsin. Despite recovering from open heart surgery two years ago, Toney seems undeterred, determined to take a stand against what he perceives as failures in the current administration. "As your Top Cop, I will stand up for every Wisconsinite, enforce the law, and bring conservative, common-sense leadership back to the DOJ," he told the Wisconsin Examiner. He criticized Kaul's management of state crime labs, citing decreased testing and protracted processing times compared with previous years.
According to a statement in WISN, Toney argued that "we know that judges are having to reschedule court hearings and adjourn jury trials because they don't have crime lab results," highlighting the ripple effects of such delays on the justice system and public safety. In 2022, Toney made his first bid for the high-ranking legal office but fell short by 35,000 votes. Kaul, who recently announced his candidacy for a third term, declined to enter the Democratic race for governor, shutting down speculation about a potential gubernatorial campaign.
Toney's focus on law enforcement support, violent crime reduction, and aggressive drug prosecution underlines his intent to pivot Wisconsin's approach to public safety sharply. "We have seen our attorney general fail to address the border crisis under the Biden administration with fentanyl flowing across the border. And it doesn’t have to be that way," he said at his campaign launch as per jsonline. However, Toney notably would not take questions from reporters following his announcement at the event. The election is slated for November 3, 2026.
