A national Republican group focused on electing GOP attorneys general is already making a major investment in Wisconsin, signaling the state is once again expected to be one of the nation’s top political battlegrounds in 2026. The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) announced a $500,000 early television ad buy backing Republican challenger Eric Toney in his rematch against two-term Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul.
The six-figure investment places Wisconsin among a small group of states national Republicans view as top pickup opportunities next fall. RAGA identified Wisconsin alongside Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia, and Kansas as key battlegrounds where the organization plans to go on offense during the 2026 cycle.
The early buy also underscores growing confidence among Republicans that Toney, the longtime Fond du Lac County district attorney, is positioned to mount a serious statewide challenge after narrowly losing to Kaul in 2022. That race was decided by roughly 35,000 votes in one of the closest attorney general contests in the country.
In the last two years, Kaul has joined more than 40 federal lawsuits against the Trump administration, including legal challenges aimed at protecting gender transition procedures for minor children and fighting federal immigration enforcement and deportation policies backed by Republicans.
Since then, Republicans argue the political environment has shifted further in their favor on crime and public safety issues–especially as leading candidates for Governor on the Democrat side embrace calls to defund and abolish the police. RAGA’s upcoming ads are expected to focus heavily on Kaul’s record over the past two terms, particularly his involvement in lawsuits against the Trump administration and broader criticisms from Republicans that the Wisconsin Department of Justice has prioritized political litigation over crime reduction efforts.
The national group’s investment comes as Toney has also demonstrated early fundraising strength. During the most recent fundraising period, Toney outraised Kaul despite Kaul holding the advantages of incumbency and statewide name recognition. Republicans view that as another indication the race is shaping up to be one of the most competitive attorney general contests in the nation.
Toney has served as Fond du Lac County district attorney for more than a decade, where he built a reputation around prosecuting violent crime, drug offenses, and domestic violence cases. His supporters have increasingly framed the race as a contrast between a local prosecutor focused on public safety and a Democratic incumbent they argue has become more focused on national political battles.
Democrats, meanwhile, are expected to tie Toney and Republican attorneys general nationally to President Donald Trump as they attempt to nationalize the race from the opposite direction.
With Wisconsin again expected to be one of the country’s marquee battleground states in 2026, the attorney general contest is already emerging as one of the highest-profile down-ballot races in the nation.
