It’s official: Tiffany running for governor

Congressman Tom Tiffany has made it official after months of speculation: He’s running for governor of Wisconsin.

Tiffany, a Northwoods Republican who has represented the 7th congressional district since 2020, announced his candidacy on WISN’s Dan O’Donnell Show, rolling out a campaign launch laden with populist themes, withering assessments of the state’s Democratic leadership, and promises to steer Wisconsin with policies of economic prosperity benefiting farmers and small businesses.

“It has been an honor to represent my friends and neighbors in western and northern Wisconsin in Congress, where I worked alongside President Trump to secure our border and deliver the largest tax cut in history for families, seniors, and small businesses,” Tiffany said. “Now I’m ready to lead for every corner of our state.”

In his opening message, Tiffany presented the 2026 gubernatorial race as a sharply delineated choice.

“Under Democrat leadership in Madison, farms have disappeared, factories have shut down, and our children’s educational results have fallen behind Mississippi,” he said. “In 2026, Wisconsin will have a choice between opportunity, security, and freedom or following the path of failure seen in Minnesota and Illinois. I will not allow our state to be dragged down that woke and broke road.”

Tiffany pledged to freeze property taxes, to protect farmland from foreign ownership, and to stand as a bulwark against what he described as elite-driven government. 

“I will take on the powerful, stand for the commonsense values we share, and deliver real results for every Wisconsinite,” he said. “Together, we will save Wisconsin and make the Badger state a shining star in America again.”

The Northwoods congressman emphasized his Wisconsin roots — growing up on a dairy farm in western Wisconsin, milking cows and feeding calves at sunrise. Tiffany worked his way through UW-River Falls and went on to be a successful small business owner with his wife, Chris, owning and operating Wilderness Cruises in Wisconsin’s Northwoods for two decades. 

In addition, he served as the dam tender on the Willow Flowage for 29 years, earning him the nickname of the “dam man.”

In politics, Tiffany rose from serving as a town supervisor in Little Rice to representing Wisconsin in Madison and Congress — an experience he says has taught him how to make government work for the people, not for the elite. 

In his announcement, Tiffany said Wisconsin has given him everything — a chance to raise three daughters, start a small business, and live the American Dream — but now, he said, that dream is slipping away under Democrat leadership in Madison.

“Four more years of the same could turn Wisconsin into another Minnesota or Illinois, where families are crushed by rising taxes and opportunities fade,” Tiffany said.

Within hours of Tiffany’s announcement, the Wisconsin College Republicans lined up behind him with an early endorsement.

“Tom Tiffany has been a staunch supporter of Gen-Z since day one, and his conservative voting record in Congress is something that really resonates with students,” said Nicholas Jacobs, chairman of the Wisconsin College Republicans. “We decided to endorse early to hit the ground running and win perhaps the most important gubernatorial election in recent memory.”

Jacobs said the group would mobilize conservative students across the state for Tiffany.

Tiffany becomes the third and most high-profile candidate for the Republican nomination. Also announced are Josh Schoemann, the Washington County executive, and businessman Bill Berrien. A host of Democrats are lining up to run, or have already announced their candidacy.

Democrats: “Chaotic field of extremism”

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) wasted no time blasting Tiffany’s candidacy, painting him as a far-right radical out of step with Wisconsin voters.

“Today, Tom Tiffany joined the chaotic field of Republican candidates for governor of Wisconsin, guaranteeing that the nasty primary is only going to get nastier,” DGA spokesperson Izzi Levy said. “Tiffany is entering the race already at odds with voters after he tipped the scales in Washington to kick Wisconsin families off of their health insurance, threaten rural hospitals and nursing homes, drive up the cost of food, and kill good-paying jobs.”

The DGA also tied Tiffany to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, to an “extreme abortion ban with no exceptions,” and to tariff policies they say drove up prices for Wisconsin families. 

“No matter who emerges from the Republican primary,” Levy said, “voters will be poised to reject them like they did earlier this year in favor of candidates who will work to lower costs, create jobs, and respect the rule of law.”

While Tiffany’s announcement laid out campaign themes in broad strokes, last May — before Evers announced he would not run for another term — Tiffany offered a more in-depth look at how he intends to prioritize issues in his race.

On energy, he contrasted Wisconsin’s past with its present. 

“Wisconsin now has the second-highest state energy costs in the upper Midwest versus 30 years ago, when Wisconsin had the second-lowest costs,” he said, blaming Democrats for pushing “unreliable” wind and solar while trying to shut down traditional baseload power.

Some of Tiffany’s fiercest critiques have been directed at the state government bureaucracy, especially the Department of Natural Resources, which he has pointed to as a prime example of the Democrats’ disconnect with people and business.

“Talk about shackles,” he said. “You have a Department of Natural Resources under Tony Evers that is just insidious, the impediments they put in place for people to be able to build a house or to put an addition onto a building. It is insidious how they’ve gone about preventing people from creating prosperity in Wisconsin. And I think that’s emblematic of the Evers’ administration.”

Tiffany said the DNR is the number one agency among all agencies in state government that decides whether there will be economic growth in Wisconsin.

“We have to make sure that the Department of Natural Resources is actually working with people in implementing the law,” he said. “Almost every company I talk to, they say, ‘We accept the standards. We have no problem with that. Just make the process so it’s workable so we don’t have to wait forever.’”

If it’s going to take five to 10 years to get a permit, Tiffany said, businesses aren’t going to come to Wisconsin: “They’re going to go someplace else.”

“It’s time,” Tiffany said. “It’s time for a change.”

Richard Moore is the author of “Dark State” and may be reached at richardd3d.substack.com.