David Crowley (Wisconsin politician)

Wisconsin's open governor's race is shaping up as one of the tightest contests of the midterms, pitting Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley against U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a longtime Trump ally who has recently distanced himself from the president on Iran policy and AI data centers. Polling, including a Marquette University Law School survey, shows the race roughly even despite Trump's low approval ratings nationally. Tiffany, backed by three billionaire megadonors, has outspent Crowley roughly $53 million to $35 million and has attacked him on crime and immigration, including a Milwaukee County inmate tablet program Crowley recently curtailed. Crowley, who narrowly won a chaotic Democratic primary over democratic socialist Francesca Hong, is trying to tie Tiffany to Trump, tariffs, and gas prices, while Democratic leaders including Gov. Tony Evers, Hong, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and Kamala Harris rally behind him. Crowley would be Wisconsin's first Black governor. The race, open for the first time in 16 years, could also affect control of the Legislature.

With roughly a month until Wisconsin's election, Democratic candidate David Crowley is drawing criticism, including from some supporters, for spending limited time campaigning directly within the state. Crowley recently traveled to California for a fundraiser headlined by Kamala Harris and actor Sean Penn, and made two trips to Washington, D.C. this month seeking financial support from national Democrats. Republican opponent Tom Tiffany has significantly outraised and outspent Crowley, according to fundraising reports.

Crowley re-entered the race over the summer after initially dropping out, with Democrats citing concerns that a different candidate could lose to Tiffany in November. Critics note that Crowley has held comparatively few in-state campaign events, including rallies or town halls in Madison, while Tiffany has been touring Wisconsin broadly, holding events in cities including Milwaukee. The dynamic has drawn comparisons to Harris's 2024 presidential campaign, when questions were raised about limited outreach in some traditionally Democratic areas before her loss. The race is viewed as a competitive contest that could factor into broader midterm turnout and party strategy debates.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley launched a statewide tour blaming Republican rival Tom Tiffany for record-high diesel prices in Wisconsin, visiting a Kewaunee County farm with U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Farmer Clark Riemer described 2025 as his worst farming year in 35 years, citing soaring fuel and fertilizer costs tied to geopolitical instability, including U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran that disrupted fertilizer pricing.

Crowley criticized Tiffany's House votes against resolutions to end the Iran conflict, arguing the ongoing war has driven up fuel costs and hurt farmers. Tiffany countered by attacking Crowley's record on taxes and budget shortfalls as Milwaukee County executive, framing his own platform around tax cuts to ease affordability pressures.

Wisconsin diesel prices reached $6.56 per gallon, worsened by refinery outages in Illinois and Indiana and Russian export bans following Ukrainian attacks on refineries. Both candidates support repealing the state's minimum markup law on gasoline, though industry representatives dispute claims that repeal would meaningfully lower prices, noting crude oil costs are the primary driver of pump prices.

Wisconsin's 2026 governor's race has become a flashpoint over immigration enforcement, with Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley facing criticism from Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany over his record opposing cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Crowley has said he would direct state agencies not to work with ICE if elected, opposes honoring ICE detainers, and would bar law enforcement from asking about immigration status. He has also backed driver's licenses and in-state college tuition for undocumented immigrants and co-authored legislation to codify anti-ICE policies statewide.

The dispute follows several high-profile criminal cases in Wisconsin involving undocumented immigrants, which critics cite as evidence of lax enforcement under Gov. Tony Evers. Tiffany has vowed to ensure state and local law enforcement cooperate with federal authorities on criminal deportations. The race underscores immigration as a central issue in the contest to succeed Evers, with implications for state sanctuary policies and federal-state enforcement relations.

Milwaukee County officials are reviewing a plan to direct $5 million in federal grants toward four affordable housing developments that would create or renovate 132 apartments. The proposal, from County Executive David Crowley's Department of Health and Human Services, still needs County Board approval.

The largest project would convert the former Longfellow Elementary School in West Allis, closed since 2023, into 55 apartments through a $19.8 million development by Housing For All LLC, combining historic renovation with new construction. It would receive $2.5 million in combined federal and city funding, pending West Allis Common Council approval of rezoning and local funding. Other projects include The Oakleaf, a 19-unit building proposed for Shorewood that opponents say would eliminate a village-owned parking lot; the renovation of the historic 600 @ Bronzeville building in Milwaukee; and the expansion of county-owned Hillview Residences, adding 15 units of transitional housing for homeless residents. All four developments would rely on additional financing, including federal affordable housing tax credits for some projects.

North Carolina's Republican-majority State Board of Elections approved new mail-in voting restrictions on Sept. 4, hours before counties began mailing absentee ballots for the 2026 midterms. The 3-2 party-line vote requires officials to disqualify ballots returned in unsealed envelopes, reversing a prior policy that treated such errors as non-material, and limits who may submit a ballot on a voter's behalf to close relatives or legal guardians. Gov. Josh Stein criticized the move as a last-minute "circumvention" of the law that could disenfranchise voters. Other states, including Wisconsin, have since begun mailing their own 2026 absentee ballots, with local clerks directing voters to online portals to request, track, and confirm receipt of ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

The rollout continues amid a broader legal fight over President Trump's executive order targeting mail-in voting nationwide, which requires federal approval of ballot envelope designs and voter list submissions. A federal judge has extended an order blocking USPS enforcement of the directive through the November elections, and the Trump administration has again appealed to the Supreme Court to lift the injunction. North Carolina, the first state to send out 2026 absentee ballots, voluntarily submitted its envelope design for federal review while still challenging the order's constitutionality. The absentee request deadline in North Carolina is Oct. 20.

Wisconsin's projected budget surplus has climbed to about $3 billion, up from roughly $2.5 billion projected in January, after state revenue for fiscal year 2026 came in higher than expected. The Department of Revenue reported a 3.4% increase in tax collections, reaching about $23.1 billion, though the figures remain preliminary pending review by the State Controller's Office ahead of an October 15 fiscal report.

The larger surplus comes months after a bipartisan deal combining taxpayer rebates, property tax relief, and school funding failed in the state Senate. With voters set to choose a governor and Legislature in November, the surplus has become a campaign flashpoint. Republican candidate Tom Tiffany wants to return the full surplus to taxpayers, while Democratic candidate David Crowley favors targeted relief and long-term investments in schools and services. Polling shows voters divided on the issue, with a slim majority favoring spending on services over full rebates, though it's unclear how heavily the surplus will weigh on ballots this fall.