Tom Tiffany, the four-term Republican congressman from Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District who grew up on a dairy farm in northern Wisconsin, won the Republican primary for governor Tuesday night with approximately 96 percent of the vote against token opposition, after President Trump endorsed him and he spent months running positive television ads to define himself before Democrats could.
The Associated Press called the race within minutes of polls closing at 8 PM. Tiffany will be joined on the Republican ticket by David Varnam, a former Lancaster mayor, who won the GOP lieutenant governor primary.
On the Democratic side, a close and somewhat dramatic primary resolved overnight, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley defeated state Representative Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist backed by the progressive wing of the party, to claim the Democratic nomination.
Crowley had the endorsement of outgoing Governor Tony Evers, who is not seeking a third term. Evers' retirement opened the seat for the first time since 2010 and made the race an immediate toss-up.
Tiffany versus Crowley in November puts a rural conservative congressman against the Milwaukee County executive in a genuine battleground state.
Wisconsin is one of five states Trump carried in 2024 where a Democrat-held governorship is on the ballot in 2026. Cook Political Report rates it a toss-up.