The Road to November 3rd With WBA: Governor and Attorney General Update
We’re officially two months away from Wisconsin’s general election, and regardless of the outcome, the state will have a new governor, assembly speaker, and Senate majority leader. Over the next eight weeks, WBA will highlight races and power balances that will shape the legislative environment for years to come.
Following a tumultuous Democratic primary, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley beat proclaimed Madison Democratic Socialist and State Representative Francesca Hong by 4,000 votes and will face off against Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany.
President Donald Trump, affordability, and data centers appear to be the defining issues of the campaign. Tiffany has already begun calling Crowley “Data Center David Crowley.” Conversely, Crowley is tying Tiffany to Trump, citing his voting record in Congress, accusing him of being “hand in fist” with Trump on important issues. Trump is polling at historic lows both in Wisconsin and nationally. At the time of writing, Trump’s approval rating is under 40%.
The first poll from Marquette University Law School shows Crowley leading Tiffany among likely voters, 49–44. It’s important to remember that polls are just snapshots in time; they are not directional, but nonetheless, you’d certainly prefer to be Crowley at this junction in the race.
Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul is once again facing off against Republican Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney. In 2022, Kaul narrowly defeated Toney by 35,000 votes. The two candidates are currently sparring over public safety, with Kaul touting a drop in violent crime, hitting a 15-year low. Toney has been accusing him of “cherry-picking” data.
The general population knows far less about the candidates for attorney general. The most recent polling shows that 61% haven’t heard enough about Kaul to give an opinion, and that number climbs to 80% for Toney. Both candidates will spend the next two months traversing the state to boost their name ID.
Next week, we will highlight the congressional races in Wisconsin.
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to either Tyler Foti or Chris Borgerding from the Government Relations team.
American Bankers Association and WBA Wisconsin Get Out to Vote Toolkit
American Bankers Association Key Election Dates for Wisconsin
