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 voted with President Donald Trump 100% of the time.
- Crowley accused Tiffany of being in lockstep with Trump and the MAGA movement.
- Crowley previously withdrew from the race before re-entering and securing the nomination.
David Crowley secured a narrow victory in Wisconsin's gubernatorial primary, setting the stage for a general election contest against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany. Crowley, who had previously withdrawn from the race before rejoining, overcame Democratic socialist Francesca Hong by a razor-thin margin. His win is seen by Democrats as a favorable matchup against Tiffany, who has a voting record that aligns 100% with President Donald Trump.
Crowley immediately sought to tie Tiffany to Trump, labeling him a "MAGA extremist" and promising to build a coalition to defeat him. He asserted his loyalty to Wisconsin residents over the "MAGA" movement. Former Republican Governor Scott Walker suggested Tiffany should pivot away from Trump and focus on state-level issues, emphasizing that the governorship, not federal policy, is on the ballot.
Democrats are optimistic about capitalizing on Trump's perceived low approval ratings to retain the governorship and potentially gain full control of the Wisconsin state government. Tiffany, in turn, 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.