MADISON, Wis. (AP) 鈥� David Crowley’s primary win over a democratic socialist sets up a Wisconsin governor’s race against a Republican congressman who has voted with President Donald Trump 100% of the time, potentially giving moderate Democrats as Trump’s sag in the swing state.
Crowley overcame Francesca Hong in Tuesday’s primary, stunning pundits and pollsters who had long placed Hong as the front-runner. That means Crowley’s challenger, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, must pivot to face a Democrat known for working across the aisle with Republicans as the county executive in Milwaukee, the state鈥檚 largest source of Democratic voters.
Crowley immediately leans into Tiffany’s ties to Trump
After a unity event with Hong and others on Wednesday, Crowley pledged to build a broad coalition 鈥� including Hong’s progressive backers 鈥� to take on Tiffany by zeroing in on the Republican’s support for the Make America Great Again movement.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 establishment versus progressive. This isn鈥檛 insider versus outsider,鈥� Crowley said. 鈥淭his is Democrats defeating a MAGA extremist in Congressman Tom Tiffany and that鈥檚 what we should be focusing on moving forward.鈥�
It will be easier for Tiffany to pivot away from his ties with Trump and unpopular federal policies because he鈥檚 running for governor and not Congress, said former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a Trump supporter.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got to be on point, on message every time that comes up, and say, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 not what鈥檚 on the ballot,鈥欌�� Walker told The Associated Press. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 on the ballot is who鈥檚 going to be governor the next four years.鈥�
But former Republican state Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz, who opposes Trump, said Crowley makes the path 鈥渨ay harder for Tiffany.鈥�
鈥淚t’s going to force the campaign back to the issues that people care about like affordability, the war in Iran and the cost of healthcare,鈥� Schultz said.
Tiffany represents a broad swath of Wisconsin鈥檚 rural, conservative north woods. Trump won the state in 2024 and 2016, but lost in 2020. All three elections were decided by less than a percentage point. Crowley鈥檚 win on Tuesday was even more narrow 鈥� about half a point, further cementing Wisconsin鈥檚 reputation for close elections.
Democrats look for a trifecta in Wisconsin
Democrats savored the shift in focus from their to the general election against Tiffany, an opponent they鈥檝e long seen as vulnerable. They hope to capitalize on Trump鈥檚 low approval ratings to retain control of the governor鈥檚 office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn for the first time since 2010.
Just as Crowley highlighted his Republican opponent’s ties to Trump, Tiffany began the general election campaign with a message connecting Crowley to Hong.
鈥淚鈥檝e said all along that there鈥檚 not a dime鈥檚 worth of difference between these Democrat candidates,鈥� Tiffany said in a statement Wednesday. 鈥淗is record in Milwaukee County shows exactly what Wisconsin would get: mismanage the government, run up the bill, and raise your taxes to pay for it.鈥�
And it may be tough for Crowley to connect with the young people who were among the nearly 40% of primary voters who supported Hong, Republican strategist Rusty Schultz predicted.
鈥淢aking sure they come out in November will be no small feat,鈥� he said.
Crowley’s surprise win came after he had dropped out of the race
Crowley, 40, often notes on the campaign trail that he grew up in poverty in the poorest ZIP code in Wisconsin on Milwaukee鈥檚 north side, his parents struggled with drug abuse and mental health issues, and his family was evicted multiple times.
Elected to the state Assembly in 2016 at the age of 30, Crowley served just over three years before being elected as Milwaukee County executive. In 2023, Crowley worked closely with the Republican-controlled Legislature to pass a that sent more state aid to Milwaukee and local communities.
Crowley launched his bid for governor 11 months ago. But he dropped out of the race on July 8, saying he didn鈥檛 see a path to victory. He on July 18, less than a month before Tuesday鈥檚 primary. With the backing of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, a fellow moderate who crisscrossed the state with him in the final week, Crowley made a case that he was the better matchup against Tiffany.
鈥淥bviously Hong was the never-ending gift in terms of , wasn鈥檛 really ready for primetime,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淏ut Crowley didn鈥檛 get any real scrutiny either.鈥�
Crowley shared a meal with Hong, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan and others at a unity event outside Madison before embarking on a statewide tour. Evers, who is not seeking a third term as governor, had another commitment and did not attend.
Crowley became the first Black person to win a major party nomination for Wisconsin governor. Now he’s vying to become the first Black governor of the state and just the fourth Black governor elected in the country’s history.
鈥淭his historic moment is not lost on me. But I’m not even thinking about that because we’ve still got work to do,鈥� Crowley said. 鈥淭he job is not done. The job is not finished. My job is not to become the first, and if I do become the first, my job is to make sure I’m not the last.鈥�
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