Where Wisconsin GOP governor candidate Bill Berrien stands on Trump, abortion, marijuana and more
MADISON - Navy SEAL veteran and manufacturing CEO Bill Berrien launched a campaign for governor Wednesday, July 9, kicking off a 2026 Republican primary battle against Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann. In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Berrien said he broadly supports President Donald Trump's actions in office thus far after previously backing Trump's primary opponent, would be open to legalizing marijuana in some capacity, and supports maintaining Wisconsin's 20-week abortion law.
Berrien, 56, described himself as a Wisconsin "convert" after moving to the Badger State two decades ago for his employment and chose to raise his family here since.
Here are the highlights of the Journal Sentinel's interview with Berrien:
Berrien says he supports Donald Trump after previously backing his 2024 primary opponent
Republicans vying in a Wisconsin primary will need the approval of President Donald Trump. In a 2020 interview with Fox Business, Berrien said he was undecided on whether he would back Trump's candidacy, criticizing the president's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic while waiting to see what the Biden-Harris ticket offered.
Berrien supported former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, donating more than $30,000 to the former South Carolina governor, but then switched his support to Trump in the general election, Berrien said.
"I shifted over to supporting Donald Trump, and my wife and I have been supporting him since 2016. And I'll say we actually had probably the only Trump banner in Whitefish Bay," Berrien said in an interview July 9. "What he's been doing with tariffs, with securing the border, a whole bunch of these efforts are changing the mix, and they are very positive for the country."
Berrien said he supports Trump's tariff policies and posture toward China, saying he wants to replicate such policies at the state level. He also said he supported Trump's decision to call up the California National Guard over the objection of the state's Democratic governor.
"I would not disagree with his actions were they to happen in Wisconsin," Berrien said. "That being said, I would be working (to) have my administration support them to deport criminal illegal aliens here. So we wouldn't even get into that situation of needing to deploy the National Guard."
Backs exceptions to abortion restrictions
In a 4-3 ruling earlier this month, the state Supreme Court struck down a 176-year-old state law that had banned abortions in nearly every situation — returning Wisconsin to the restrictions it had in place before the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Under the state’s existing laws, abortion is banned 20 weeks after “probable fertilization.”
“I'm in line with Donald Trump,” Berrien said of his position on abortion. “I am pro-life. I believe there shouldn't be any late-term abortions, but I support all the exceptions.”
Berrien didn’t say whether he would sign legislation to make the state’s 20-week ban more or less restrictive.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has not yet announced whether he'll seek a third term, has pledged to veto any legislation that would further restrict access to abortion in Wisconsin.
Wants 'zero-based' budgeting
Berrien would overhaul the way the state budget is drafted, which generally builds from an existing base of funding that lawmakers can increase or decrease.
Instead, Berrien said he would use a process that requires lawmakers to determine funding amounts without carrying over previous spending levels, known "zero-based budgeting."
"It's going to be a bottom-up review rather than an incremental look," he said.
Open to considering 'opportunities' with marijuana
Two-thirds of voters in a recent Marquette University Law School poll said they support legalizing marijuana in Wisconsin.
“I would be open to considering different opportunities there,” Berrien said when asked whether he would support legalizing marijuana for medicinal or recreational use. “Maybe around taking THC-infused drinks and pushing those tax funds towards corporate attraction, business attraction, business investment. So, open to considering some of those ideas.”
Democrats who support marijuana legalization, including Evers, have long pointed to its popularity among voters and argued Wisconsin loses tax revenue to neighboring states where marijuana is legal. Some Republicans have supported a restrictive medical-use program, but it has not gained traction in the state Capitol.
Not proposing changes to the Wisconsin Elections Commission
The 2022 Republican primary for governor focused heavily on whether to dismantle the Wisconsin Elections Commission as GOP candidates navigated a primary electorate still angry over President Donald Trump's loss in 2020.
When asked about the commission, Berrien said he doesn't "have any thoughts about changing the elections commission at this time, no."
Reverses course on ranked-choice voting: ‘Not a fit for Wisconsin'
Berrien was previously a member of the bipartisan group Democracy Found, which advocates for making primaries nonpartisan and implementing ranked-choice voting in a system where the top five candidates would advance to the general election.
His association with the group has drawn criticism from some on the right.
But he said in the interview he’s no longer on board with the idea.
“A number of years ago, I was part of that group trying to explore the idea of ‘final five’ primaries, but it is not a fit for Wisconsin at this time, and as governor (I) would not support any of those reforms, were they to make it to my to my desk,. They, in essence, would be dead on arrival,” Berrien said.
Molly Beck and Jessie Opoien can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com and jessie.opoien@jrn.com.