Democrat David Crowley wins the Wisconsin governor’s race

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has won Wisconsin’s race for governor, NBC News projects, defeating Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany and keeping the office in the critical swing state under Democratic control.Crowley is the first Black person to be elected governor of Wisconsin. At age 40, he’s also the youngest governor to be elected in the state in nearly a century. He succeeds two-term Gov. Tony Evers, who helped resuscitate his primary campaign this summer. Crowley managed to overcome the massive campaign cash advantage held by Tiffany, who represents a largely rural area in the northern part of the state in Congress. He highlighted an affordability agenda that proposed cutting costs of household expenses like childcare, healthcare and housing, mostly through a proposed increase in state spending. Crowley also put his personal story front and center for voters. He grew up in one of the poorest areas of Milwaukee, and his family struggled with poverty and homelessness when he was a child, while both of his parents dealt with drug addiction. Before he was elected Milwaukee County executive in 2020, Crowley served in the state Assembly and worked as a community organizer and political aide.Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call via GettyTiffany struggled to overcome the political headwinds his party faced nationally. In the lead-up to Election Day, polls showed voters in the state holding increasingly negative views of President Donald Trump, and Crowley used many of his campaign ads to cast Tiffany as a loyal Trump acolyte.Tiffany and his GOP allies attacked Crowley for raising property and sales taxes as Milwaukee County executive and over statements he had made in support of undocumented immigrants. His fundraising edge was driven almost entirely by the support of three billionaire megadonors.Down the homestretch of the campaign, Crowley received support from several high-profile national Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.Crowley’s win caps a surprising turnaround for his campaign. He had suspended his primary campaign in July as he polled in the low single digits, only to relaunch it just 10 days later alongside a big endorsement from Evers.Heading into the primary, polls showed state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, with a clear lead. But moderate Democrats who feared Hong was too far to the left to win a general election in Wisconsin rallied behind Crowley at the last minute, leading to his victory by fewer than 4,000 votes.Some Democrats feared Crowley’s unexpected primary victory gave him a relatively short runway to introduce and define himself to voters across the state. Tiffany, by contrast, did not face a competitive primary after having secured Trump’s endorsement. And as the Republican ad barrage took hold, polls showed a stark increase in the percentage of voters who viewed Crowley unfavorably. But Crowley’s base in Milwaukee County, along with support from Dane County — the state’s two most populated and most heavily Democratic areas — gave him a critical boost.