Tommy Thompson Won't Rule Out Fifth Run For Governor

By Henry Redman, Wisconsin Examiner

January 12, 2022

Former Republican governor and current interim UW System President isn’t ruling out running for a fifth term as governor.

The 80-year-old said in an interview with WISN12 on Tuesday that he’s still able to do the job.
“Everything is on the table,” he said. “I’m not saying it’s in the cards. But, I’m physically and mentally capable of doing anything.”

Thompson was Wisconsin’s longest serving governor, holding the office from 1987-2001 before stepping down to become Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush. In 2012 he ran for the U.S. Senate and was defeated by Tammy Baldwin. He’s set to step down from his role as UW System president on March 18.

Thompson stepped in to run the state’s university system in July 2020 after it was unable to find a permanent president following a search process that was widely criticized for failing to include the input of faculty and students.

He told WISN that he would sit down with his family in April to discuss his future.

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