Racine Mayor Cory Mason said Friday he will not seek re-election next year amid widespread speculation that he will join Governor-Elect David Crowley’s administration.
Mason was first elected in a 2017 special election and has served two full terms after earlier stints in the Legislature representing the city and eastern Racine County.
“Twenty years ago today, on November 7, 2006, this community first elected me to the state Assembly,” he said in a statement. “I went on to win eight more elections; five as a state Representative and three as Mayor. It has been the honor of my professional life to represent the Racine community. After 20 years, with humility and gratitude, I believe now is the time to pass the torch of leadership on to the next generation.”
Mason, 53, was born and raised in Racine and graduated from Case High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
During his time as mayor, the city saw residential and commercial projects including loft conversions in Uptown and apartment development on the former Walker Manufacturing site along Lake Michigan, along with downtown interest tied to Foxconn.
He has also faced scrutiny over the city’s use of a mobile voting van for early in-person absentee voting, the only such vehicle in Wisconsin. Purchased with grant money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, the truck drew Republican criticism and a lawsuit from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty alleging it violated state law requiring fixed sites and was stationed in ways that favored Democratic areas.
A Racine County judge ruled the van illegal in 2024, but the liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court later dismissed the challenge on standing grounds without a full ruling on the merits.
Mason has long been rumored to be a candidate for a Cabinet position should Democrats win the Governor’s Mansion, and his resignation will only add fuel to the belief that Crowley will tap him for a statewide position.
His decision not to run again in 2027 leaves the race open, though no candidates have yet formally declared their intention to run.
