Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022
Did Tony Evers say ‘holy mackerel’ in announcing his win early Wednesday morning?
Gov. Tony Evers announced his victory in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race in the early morning on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, saying in his acceptance speech, "Holy mackerel, folks, how about that?" He repeated his "holy mackerel" catchphrase in a tweet.
His Republican opponent Tim Michels conceded in the early morning on Nov. 9. "Unfortunately, the math doesn’t add up,” he told supporters.
With over 95% of votes counted, Evers won the election for his second term as governor with more than 51% of the vote, beating Michel's share of under 48%. Evers won in 2018 by a little more than 1 percentage point.
While there appears to be a lack of agreement on where the phrase comes from— a version of "Holy Mary!", a reference to Catholics eating fish on Fridays or a combination— Merriam-Webster says the expression is used when "one is very surprised, pleased, or excited."
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Tony Evers Tweet from November 9, 2022. 7:14 a.m. CDT.
- AP News Wisconsin Gov. Evers defeats foe he called democracy threat
- New York Times Wisconsin governor election results
- Merriam-Webster Holy mackerel Definition & Meaning
- The Guardian Where does the expression 'Holy Mackerel' come from?
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
See all fact briefs
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
Learn MoreLatest Fact Briefs
Do recent studies link water fluoridation with less dental decay in children?
Friday, Feb. 14, 2025
Are airline flights the safest mode of transportation in the U.S.?
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025