Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley will become Wisconsin’s next governor after defeating Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany on Tuesday, according to a race call from the Associated Press.
Crowley overcame Tiffany’s significant campaign fundraising advantage to win the office. He will replace two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who opted not to seek reelection.
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Crowley emerged from a competitive Democratic primary, narrowly defeating state Rep. Francesca Hong in August. Crowley initially entered the gubernatorial race but dropped out to support Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. He reentered the race in July after Rodriguez dropped out.
Crowley positioned himself as the more moderate candidate in the primary against Hong and received Evers’ endorsement.
Crowley sought to portray Tiffany as closely aligned with President Donald Trump, who won Wisconsin in 2024. His campaign also ran ads blaming Republican-backed policies supported by Tiffany for rising costs.
Tiffany, meanwhile, criticized Crowley for his support of data center development in Milwaukee. Crowley had said Wisconsin could become a “global hub” for data centers but later called for greater accountability from the industry.
Tiffany also called for data center reforms, telling Scripps News Group, “There needs to be guardrails.”
