Key facts
- David Crowley narrowly won the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary.
- Crowley will face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in the general election.
- Tiffany has a voting record that aligns 100% with President Donald Trump.
- Crowley is the first Black person to win a major party nomination for Wisconsin governor.
- Progressive candidates faced setbacks in Wisconsin primaries, though they saw wins in Minnesota.
David Crowley narrowly won the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary, securing the Democratic nomination and setting up a general election contest against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany. Crowley, who had previously withdrawn from the race before rejoining, defeated Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong by a slim margin of just over 3,000 votes. His victory is seen as a favorable matchup for Democrats against Tiffany, whose voting record aligns 100% with President Donald Trump.
Crowley immediately sought to frame Tiffany as a "MAGA extremist" and vowed to build a coalition to defeat him, emphasizing his loyalty to Wisconsin residents over the "MAGA" movement. Former Republican Governor Scott Walker suggested Tiffany should distance himself from Trump and focus on state-level issues, as the governorship, not federal policy, is at stake.
Democrats are optimistic about leveraging Trump's perceived low approval ratings to retain the governorship and potentially gain full control of the Wisconsin state government. Tiffany, conversely, has attempted to link Crowley to Hong and criticized his record as Milwaukee County executive, citing concerns over taxes and government mismanagement.
Crowley, 40, made history as the first Black person to win a major party nomination for Wisconsin governor. He has served as head of Milwaukee County since 2020 and previously in the state Assembly. His campaign, backed by Governor Tony Evers, argued he was the stronger candidate to challenge Tiffany.
Elsewhere, the streak of progressive victories in Democratic primaries ended in Wisconsin, though progressives saw a win in Minnesota's U.S. Senate primary with Peggy Flanagan's victory. Trump's endorsement proved insufficient for Mike Lindell in Minnesota but appeared to help Darline Graham advance in South Carolina.