David Crowley's razor-thin Wisconsin primary win sets up match against Trump pick

David Crowley’s razor-thin primary win over a democratic socialist in swing state Wisconsin sets up a match against a congressman who has voted with President Donald Trump 100% of the time

MADISON, Wis. -- David Crowley's razor-thin primary win over a democratic socialist in swing state Wisconsin sets up a match against a congressman who has voted with President Donald Trump 100% of the time, a dream scenario for Democrats and a potential nightmare for Republicans.

Crowley overcame Francesca Hong in dramatic, narrow fashion in Tuesday's primary, stunning pundits and pollsters who had long placed Hong as the front-runner. That means Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany must pivot to face a challenger from Milwaukee, the state's largest source of Democratic voters, known for working across the aisle with Republicans.

In his first comments Wednesday after his win, Crowley immediately linked Tiffany to Trump and called him a “MAGA extremist,” referring to Trump's Make America Great Again movement. Crowley promised to build a broad coalition to defeat Tiffany, who he accused of being in “lockstep” with Trump.

“The biggest difference between me and the congressman is I'm loyal to the people of Wisconsin, I'm not loyal to MAGA,” Crowley said.

It will be easier for Tiffany to pivot away from his ties with Trump and unpopular federal policies because he’s running for governor and not U.S. Senate, said former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a Trump supporter.

“He’s got to be on point, on message every time that comes up and say ‘that’s not what’s on the ballot,’” Walker told The Associated Press. “What’s on the ballot is who’s going to be governor the next four years.”

Trump won Wisconsin in 2024 and 2016, but lost in 2020. All three elections were decided by less than a percentage point. Crowley’s win on Tuesday was even more narrow — less than half a point, further cementing Wisconsin’s well-earned place as one of the most purple states in the country.

Democrats have been savoring the shift in focus from their chaotic primary to the general election against Tiffany, an opponent they’ve long seen as vulnerable. They hope to capitalize on Trump’s low approval ratings to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn full control of Wisconsin state government 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,

“I’ve said all along that there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between these Democrat candidates,” Tiffany said in a statement Wednesday. “His 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.”

Walker, who once held the same job Crowley now has as Milwaukee county executive, said Tiffany's messaging was on point: “High taxes, high costs, failing schools, make that the definition of David Crowley.”

Crowley has been the head of Wisconsin's largest county since 2020. Prior to that, he served just over three years in the state Assembly.