Both campaigns for the governor’s race have released ads attacking the other as the election amps up in order to gain supporters before the Nov. 3 election.
Democratic nominee Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has centered himself as a candidate that “wasn’t fed by a silver spoon” and who believes that “strong leadership can bridge divides.”
“Congressman Tiffany is everything wrong with politics, and Wisconsinites will reject him, his lies and his extreme and expensive agenda,” Alexandra Gross, a Crowley spokesperson, said in a statement to The Daily Cardinal.
Republican nominee U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany currently serves in Congress for Wisconsin’s 7th District. He is running as a “lifelong Wisconsinite” who will “deliver real results for every Wisconsinite.”
The Cardinal reached out for a statement to the Tiffany campaign but did not receive a response.
The Tiffany campaign has released a number of ads attacking Crowley, most prominently one centered around his failures as Milwaukee County executive and another around Crowley’s position on AI and data centers.
Crowley’s campaign has not directly launched ads attacking Tiffany, but Protect Our Wisconsin — a group backed by the Democratic Governors Association, on behalf of the Crowley campaign — attacked Tiffany on his MAGA alliances and legislation he supported during his time in Congress.
“Failed Executive David Crowley spent recklessly” to contribute to Milwaukee County’s deficit: FALSE
As county executive, Crowley said that general increased costs — from inflation and tariffs — in coordination with cuts in federal funding have contributed to a $46 billion county deficit. He also cites issues from past county leaders, which have been both Republicans and Democrats.
Act 12, passed in 2023, gave Milwaukee County the authority to increase sales taxes.
Initially, the passing of the act contributed to a surplus in the 2024 fiscal year budget — the first in twenty years for the county. But when the surplus occurred, the county also predicted that harder times were already ahead as federal stimulus packages — meant to address funding needs in order to combat the pandemic — would expire. The county has faced a deficit every year but one since 2002, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Crowley “raised property and sales taxes:” TRUE
Without the Act 12 increase in sales tax, the county would be in an even greater deficit, Wisconsin Policy Forum President Jason Stein told PBS Wisconsin in June.
Crowley also supported a referendum increasing property taxes that would provide Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) with an additional $252 million in annual funding.
With the passing of the referendum, enrollment at MPS schools is predicted to grow, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Crowley “botched health insurance for thousands:” FALSE
Through an administrative error, 5,000 county employees lost healthcare coverage after Milwaukee County’s contract with UnitedHealthcare lapsed, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
Crowley later made an announcement that the employee who made the mistake had been dismissed.
A new contract with UnitedHealthcare was signed following the lapse and Crowley released a statement and promised to “ensure compliance, improve processes and increase oversight” in future contract oversight.
“Crowley wants you to pay” for “Wisconsin to be a data center hub for the ‘entire globe:’” FALSE
Crowley will support data center construction based on a community-to-community basis, according to his campaign website. Regulations, transparency and renewable energy are important factors for his data center construction plan.
In response to the attacks from the Tiffany campaign, Gross said Tiffany “is doing what any career politician does” by misrepresenting Crowley’s views on data center construction.
“He can’t defend his own extreme record of backing Trump’s cost-raising agenda 100% of the time,” Gross said in the statement to the Cardinal.
“Crowley won’t roll back data center tax incentives:” FALSE
In a questionnaire from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Crowley said he does not think that data center tax incentives should be automatically rolled back, but rather data center companies must earn their keep and need “a more rigorous review.”
“Crowley’s campaign is funded by the people building [data centers]:” FALSE
Over $350,000 received by the Crowley campaign is from union workers, a Crowley spokesperson told the Cardinal. She said many have the opportunity to benefit from construction of data centers in Wisconsin.
The top donors for Crowley’s campaign are primarily made up of PACs and groups representing trade and union workers, according to Wisconsin’s Sunshine Campaign Finance Reporting site.
The WI Laborers District Council, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers PAC Voluntary Fund and the Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association PAC fund are Crowley’s top financial supporters — with each group contributing $86,000.
Tiffany “supported Jan. 6 Capitol rioters:” TRUE
After the Justice Department initially announced President Donald Trump’s anti-weaponization fund — a proposed $1.77 billion fund meant to provide financial compensation to those charged in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — Tiffany expressed his potential support for the fund.
Tiffany referred to defendants in the case as “victims” and said some could “possibly” be owed restitution, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The fund was later blocked by a federal judge.
Tiffany “voted to slash social security services:” FALSE
Tiffany voted in support of the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, which limits spending on programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as well as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. The bill only passed in the House.
Tiffany also voted in support of the Continuing Appropriations and Border Security Enhancement Act of 2024, but the bill did not contain any cuts to Social Security and failed to pass in the House.
Tiffany “co-sponsored a bill to ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest:” FALSE
Tiffany did co-sponsor the Heartbeat Protection Act of 2021 — a bill introduced, but not passed — that would fine doctors who performed abortions when they were aware of a detected heartbeat. The bill does include an exception when the life of the mother is in danger, but there are no references to banning exceptions for rape or incest.
The Heartbeat Protection Act of 2023, which was introduced and not passed, banned abortions for fetuses with detected heartbeats. The bill was co-sponsored by Tiffany and did include exceptions for rape and incest.
In a recent Marquette Law School poll — the first since the primary election on Aug. 11 — Crowley leads Tiffany by five points.
The midterm election is set for Nov. 3.
Staff writer
