Tom Tiffany and David Crowley face off for Wisconsin governor

A Crowley victory would produce Wisconsin’s first Black governor

Voters in battleground Wisconsin will decide Tuesday whether Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany or Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley wins the governorship, replacing retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. A Crowley victory would make him the state’s first Black governor and mark the first time Democrats have held the office for more than two terms in a row. A Tiffany victory would return the governorship to Republicans for the first time in eight years and make him the first sitting member of Congress elected governor of Wisconsin.

The winner will replace retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and serve during the next presidential election in a state where five of the past seven White House campaigns were decided by less than a percentage point. Evers defeated Republican Scott Walker by 1.1 percentage points in 2018 and won reelection in 2022 by 3.4 points, a landslide by Wisconsin standards.

This is Wisconsin’s first open gubernatorial contest in 16 years. Evers decided that two terms were enough, and the last open race came in 2010, when Democratic incumbent Jim Doyle opted not to seek a third term. Republican Scott Walker won that election and, over the next eight years, scaled back union rights, cut taxes and required voters to show identification at the polls.

Crowley’s route to the Democratic nomination was turbulent. He initially dropped out, then rejoined the race at Evers’ urging and defeated Francesca Hong to secure the nomination. The Associated Press described Hong as a democratic socialist. Evers moved behind Crowley to blunt Hong’s rising campaign, and Crowley won the primary by less than half a percentage point.

Tiffany is trying to flip control of the governor’s office in a year when his close allegiance to Donald Trump could hurt him because of the president’s unpopularity, the Associated Press reported. Crowley has criticized Tiffany’s loyalty to Trump, including his support for efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in Wisconsin, and accused Tiffany of not doing enough to lower prices for the middle class.

Data centers became a prominent issue late in the campaign. Tiffany sought to portray Crowley as an advocate for building them in Wisconsin, referring to him as “Data Center David Crowley.” One campaign ad included a clip of Crowley saying Wisconsin could become the “AI and data hub not only for the entire country, but for the entire globe.”

Crowley changed his position during the campaign, coming out in favor of a moratorium on data-center construction in October. Tiffany had also said positive things about data centers previously but did not call for a moratorium.

Tiffany also tried to cast Crowley as weak on crime and said Crowley would raise taxes as governor to fund an agenda that includes expanding health care and fully funding public schools. Crowley said Tiffany’s loyalty to Trump and support for the war in Iran were to blame for high gas prices hurting Wisconsin residents, particularly farmers.

Tiffany has promised to return the state’s roughly $3 billion surplus to taxpayers. If elected, he also said he would freeze property taxes, lower income taxes, improve schools, bolster job creation, overhaul the state Department of Natural Resources and protect farmland from foreign ownership. Crowley ran in support of expanding Medicaid coverage and increasing funding for public schools and child care.

Crowley supports overturning the 15-year-old state law known as Act 10, which effectively ended collective-bargaining rights for most public workers. Tiffany voted for the law while serving in the Legislature.

Tiffany, 68, was elected to Congress in 2020 from a mostly rural district after nine years in the Legislature. He voted against accepting Electoral College votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania as part of an effort to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. He also supported efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in Wisconsin.

President Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 and 2024, and all three presidential elections were decided by less than a point. Those election histories have become central to the governor’s race, with Crowley’s criticism of Tiffany’s record and Tiffany’s own position toward President Trump drawing prominent attention.

Crowley, 40, was elected Milwaukee County executive in 2020 after serving just over three years in the state Assembly. A Crowley victory would make him Wisconsin’s first Black governor. Heading into Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that only three Black governors had been elected in the nation’s history; a Crowley win would make him the fourth Black governor elected nationally.

Tiffany survived a small plane crash while campaigning and largely relied on three billionaire megadonors to outspend Crowley. The spending advantage and President Trump’s backing provide Tiffany with substantial outside support, while Crowley has run on affordability through his support for expanding Medicaid coverage, increasing funding for public schools and child care, and overturning Act 10.

Democrats are hoping for a trifecta this year by winning the governor’s office and taking control of both legislative chambers. They have not held full control of Wisconsin’s state government since 2010.

Associated Press reporter Linley Sanders contributed from Washington.