Wisconsin Primary Results: Tiffany Wins GOP Governor Race; Democrats Deadlocked

On Tuesday, August 11, 2026, Wisconsin voters chose party nominees for governor, Congress, and the state legislature in a high-stakes partisan primary. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany won the Republican nomination for governor, while the Democratic governor race remained too close to call between Francesca Hong and David Crowley as ballots were still being counted into August 12.

The open governorship — retiring two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is not seeking reelection — is one of the year’s most closely watched contests in a state that has delivered razor-thin presidential margins.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from the Associated Press, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, CNN, and unofficial state results as of late August 11–12, 2026. Vote totals may change as counties finish canvassing.

Republican governor: Tom Tiffany advances

The GOP side offered little suspense. Tiffany, who represents northern Wisconsin in Congress, defeated medical services technician Andy Manske by a wide margin. The Associated Press called the race at 8:21 p.m. CT, roughly 20 minutes after polls closed.

Candidate	Approx. share (late night)
Tom Tiffany	~96%
Andy Manske	~3–4%

Tiffany entered the race as the overwhelming favorite. President Donald Trump endorsed him, and his top intra-party rival, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, dropped out after the endorsement. Tiffany had raised roughly $13.3 million through late July and held about $5 million in cash — far more than any Democrat in the field.

He is a longtime Trump ally who won his House seat in 2020 after seven years in the Wisconsin Legislature. Tiffany voted on Jan. 6, 2021 to reject Joe Biden’s electoral votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania and told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he would have done the same for Wisconsin had that state been subject to a vote.

David Varnam won the Republican primary for lieutenant governor and will join Tiffany on the November ticket.

Democratic governor: Hong and Crowley in a dead heat

The Democratic primary shaped up as a test of the party’s progressive wing against its establishment — and by late election night, neither side had a clear win.

Hong, a democratic socialist state assemblymember from Madison, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the more moderate choice backed by Gov. Evers, traded narrow leads as returns came in from Dane and Milwaukee counties.

Candidate	Approx. share (late night)
David Crowley	~40%
Francesca Hong	~40%
Kelda Roys	~8%
Joel Brennan	~4%

With roughly 85% of expected votes counted by late evening, the two front-runners were separated by less than half a percentage point — on the order of a few hundred votes out of more than 670,000 cast. Officials said outstanding ballots, including mail votes from the city of Milwaukee, could shift the margin.

How the field took shape

Four Democrats remained on the ballot:

• Francesca Hong — state representative from Madison; campaigned on progressive economic and social policy
• David Crowley — Milwaukee County executive and former state representative; framed himself as a coalition-builder
• Kelda Roys — state senator from Madison
• Joel Brennan — former Evers Cabinet secretary and Greater Milwaukee Committee president

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, once seen as a top contender, dropped out in the campaign’s final weeks. Evers then made an unusually aggressive late endorsement of Crowley, campaigning with him and appearing in a television ad.

A Marquette University Law School poll in late July had shown Hong leading with 46% among registered Democratic primary voters, with Barnes at 21% and Crowley at 11% — suggesting Crowley’s late consolidation cut deeply into Hong’s advantage.

Hong drew strength from Dane County, where she led by roughly seven points with most votes in. Crowley led narrowly in Milwaukee County, his home base, though the city’s mail ballots remained a wildcard. Roys and Brennan together pulled roughly 12% statewide, including double-digit shares in Dane County that may have siphoned support from Hong.

Congressional and down-ballot highlights

Beyond the governor’s race, Wisconsin’s primary set the stage for several competitive November matchups:

3rd Congressional District

Rebecca Cooke won the Democratic nomination with about 57% of the vote, defeating former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge (~43%). Cooke, a small-business owner making her third run for the seat, will face two-term Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden in a rematch. Van Orden ran unopposed in the GOP primary.

Van Orden won the district by about 2.7 points over Cooke in 2024; the Cook Political Report rates the seat a toss-up and a top Democratic pickup target in the fight for House control.

7th Congressional District

Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, won a five-way Republican primary for the northern Wisconsin seat Tiffany is vacating. Alfonso carried Trump’s endorsement and help from Duffy, who represented the district for years. He defeated rivals including former Iran hostage Kevin Hermening.

Other called races

The AP also projected winners in additional Wisconsin congressional primaries, including Gwen Moore (Democrat, 4th District), Mitchell Berman (Democrat, 1st District), and Tim Rogers (Republican, 4th District). Results continued to update for legislative and local contests across the state.

What comes next

The Democratic gubernatorial nominee may not be known for days. Wisconsin allows mail ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive afterward, and counties must certify results before the state declares an official winner.

Whoever emerges will face Tiffany on November 3 in a race Republicans hope will flip a governorship Democrats have held since 2019. Tiffany’s camp has signaled confidence against Hong in particular; some Republicans at his election-night gathering openly said they preferred running against her.

Democrats, meanwhile, are split over electability. Party leaders including Evers argued Crowley offers a safer path in a state where independents often decide statewide races. Hong’s supporters counter that progressive energy — on display in Michigan’s tight Senate primary a week earlier — can mobilize voters Republicans underestimate.

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Discussion

Wisconsin’s primary left one major question unanswered and several November storylines in place.

1. Does nominating a democratic socialist help or hurt Democrats in a presidential battleground?

Hong’s platform tested how far left a Wisconsin statewide nominee can run. Crowley’s allies say moderates are essential; Hong’s camp argues enthusiasm beats caution. Which side do you find more convincing?

2. Can Rebecca Cooke finally flip the 3rd District against Derrick Van Orden?

Cooke lost by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2024 despite Trump’s seven-point margin in the district. Does her primary win — and Van Orden’s national profile — change the calculus?

Share where you think Wisconsin’s closest races land in November and which issue you expect to matter most: the economy, abortion, immigration, or Trump’s standing in the state.