Democrat David Crowley has defeated Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race, according to projections.
Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, will succeed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who is retiring after two terms. He is set to become Wisconsin’s first Black governor.
During the campaign, Crowley often tied Tiffany to President Donald Trump and his policies, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, tariffs and the war in Iran. The two candidates also clashed over those issues in a debate two weeks before the election.
Tiffany, a three-term congressman representing an agriculture-heavy district in northern Wisconsin, belongs to the conservative House Freedom Caucus and is a Trump ally.
At the debate, Crowley criticized Tiffany’s focus on affordability, pointing to his vote for the 2025 tax and spending bill. The legislation cut funding for health care and food assistance programs in many states, Crowley said, arguing that Tiffany’s policies would benefit high earners.
“We don’t need what is happening in Washington, D.C., coming into the state of Wisconsin,” Crowley said. He accused Tiffany of working for Trump and wealthy donors backing his campaign.
Tiffany countered that Crowley was focused on opposing Trump, while he wanted to put more money in taxpayers’ pockets rather than create programs that could lead to higher taxes.
Crowley had pulled off a surprise win in the August Democratic primary, narrowly defeating state Rep. Francesca Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Tiffany repeatedly called Crowley’s positions “socialist” during the general election campaign, including at the debate.
“He said there’s very little difference between me and Francesca Hong,” Tiffany said. “That sounds like a socialist to me.”
In September, Tiffany survived an emergency water landing after the single-engine plane he was aboard lost power and crashed into a lake.
Wisconsin is a closely contested Midwestern state. Trump narrowly won it in 2016 and 2024, while Joe Biden carried it by a slim margin in 2020.
