NEWYou can now listen to articles!
The Decision Desk projects Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has defeated Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in battleground Wisconsin.
With his victory, Crowley will succeed retiring two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and makes history as Wisconsin’s first Black politician elected governor.
Throughout his campaign for governor and during their single debate two weeks ago, Crowley frequently linked Tiffany to President Donald Trump and his policies, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, tariffs, and the war in Iran.
SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER
Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley, left, and Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial nominee Tom Tiffany shake hands after a debate, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Milwaukee. (Lizzy Larson/AP Photo)
Tiffany, a three-term congressman from a large agriculture-dominant district in northern Wisconsin, is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and a Trump ally on Capitol Hill.
“When Congressman Tom Tiffany says he’s focusing on affordability, let’s be very clear: He voted for the big, ugly bill that [helped] some of the highest earners here in the state of Wisconsin,” Crowley said during the debate, as he pointed to to the GOP’s signature 2025 tax cut and spending bill that reduced funding for healthcare and food assistance programs in many states.
“We don’t need what is happening in Washington, D.C., coming into the state of Wisconsin. It is very clear that he is working for Donald Trump and the billionaires who are funding his campaign,” Crowley charged.
DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE ELECTION HUB
Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, a GOP gubernatorial candidate, speaks at a campaign event in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, on August 10, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/)
Tiffany responded by that while Crowley was “consistently focused on being against Donald Trump, I’m for Wisconsin — and rather than creating a bunch more programs that are going to end up taxing the people of Wisconsin more, I want to put more money in the taxpayers’ pockets.”
Crowley pulled off a major upset in the August Democratic gubernatorial primary, coming from behind to narrowly edge out state Rep. Francesca Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley speaks with reporters following a post-primary Democratic Party unity event, hours after defeating socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong for the party’s gubernatorial nomination, on August 12, 2026 in Middleton, Wisconsin. (Paul Steinhauser/ Digital)
Tiffany, during his general election campaign, repeatedly claimed Crowley was sounding “like a socialist.”
“I think it’s really important to know that he said there’s very little difference between me and Francesca Hong,” Tiffany argued during the debate. “That sounds like a socialist to me.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP
Tiffany made national headlines in September when he survived an emergency water landing after the single-engine plane he was riding in lost power and crashed into a lake.
Wisconsin is a key midwestern battleground state. Trump narrowly carried the state in his 2016 and 2024 presidential victories, while former President Joe Biden took the state by a razor-thin margin as he won the White House in 2020.
