City of Madison District 8 Alder MGR Govindarajan announced in a Nov. 25 press release that he will not run for re-election in the April 2026 general election.
District 8 covers most of the University of Wisconsin campus. MGR won the seat in 2023 as a junior at the university and was re-elected again in 2025.
In the press release, MGR said public office should be a place for service not permanence.
“My decision to not seek re-election has to do with wanting to pursue my professional goals in life,” MGR said in a text message. “I believe that politics isn’t a career, it’s a service.”
During his time in office, MGR approved around 6,000 student housing beds — 800 of which are discounted for low-income students — ensured $3 million would be used to light south Dayton Street in order to improve campus safety and directed around $500,000 toward bike safety improvements, according to the press release.
MGR said he hopes students will run for the District 8 seat.
“I think if students stay educated and involved in local government then that’s where they can make the biggest change in their communities,” MGR said in the text message.
After his time in office is over, MGR said in the text message that he will stay in Madison and find new ways to stay involved in politics possibly through a city committee or neighborhood association. Aside from his day job, MGR said he will work on applying to law school.
