Election denier Tom Tiffany wins Wisconsin GOP nomination for governor

By Jen Rice

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany talks to supporters during a campaign event, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Kenosha, WI. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Rep. Tom Tiffany (R), an election denier and longtime ally of President Donald Trump, on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for Wisconsin governor, clearing the way for a high-stakes general election fight in a major swing state.  

Tiffany voted against certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania — and, citing Trump’s claims of illegal voting – said he would have voted against certifying Wisconsin’s election results had that come up for a vote, as well.

At the time, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) called Tiffany’s objection to certifying election results a “betrayal” of his oath of office. 

Tiffany, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2020, said he supports a federal probe into Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential race. In May, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) questioned officials with Milwaukee County elections and the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

“So clearly they have found something that is worth investigating, and so I just believe they should be allowed to complete the investigation,” Tiffany told a local reporter. “If there’s nothing there, then that’ll go away. If they do find something, then they can investigate that even further to make sure that there’s been no problems.”

Tiffany argued the probe isn’t an intimidation tactic. 

“Let’s make sure that we have all the facts on this stuff,” Tiffany said. “And sometimes it takes years to be able to figure out exactly what happened.”

Asked earlier this summer whether Biden won the 2020 election, Tiffany answered: “Who was president on January 20, 2021, to January 20, 2025? It was Joe Biden. He was the president. That’s how I always addressed him.”

If he’s elected governor in November, Tiffany would have the authority to appoint the state’s top election officials on the Wisconsin Elections Commission, giving him the ability to install election deniers to oversee voting. 

Wisconsin will likely remain a key swing state in 2028. Trump won Wisconsin by a narrow margin in 2024, winning just 49.6% of the vote.