David Crowley (D) defeated Tom Tiffany (R) and nine other candidates in the general election for governor of Wisconsin on November 3, 2026.

Incumbent Tony Evers (D) did not run for re-election. Evers endorsed Crowley on July 18, 2026. In 2022, Evers was re-elected 51.1%–47.8% and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) was re-elected 49.3%–48.5%. President Donald Trump (R) defeated Kamala Harris (D) 49.6%–48.7% in the 2024 presidential election in Wisconsin. As of November 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Toss-up or Lean Democratic.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Craig Gilbert wrote, "Polling suggests Democratic voters are more energized than Republicans, which could portend a Democratic turnout advantage. Republicans in the Trump era have had little margin for error in Wisconsin. ... At the same time, Democrats are trying to do something they have never done in the state’s 178-year history – hold the governor’s office for more than eight consecutive years, as well as win a rare trifecta by also recapturing the two chambers of the state Legislature."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Molly Beck wrote, "The two major candidates running to be Wisconsin's next governor are battling to gain the upper hand on an emerging issue that neither political party owns yet: data centers. ... Democrat David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany are each seeking to portray the other as friendlier to big tech." Wisconsin Public Radio's Joe Schulz wrote, "While Republicans have traditionally had a pro-business reputation, Tiffany has called for ending state subsidies for data centers and creating additional protections for ratepayers and the state’s farmland and water." The Wisconsin Examiner's Baylor Spears wrote, "The Crowley campaign has responded to Tiffany’s attacks by sharing videos of Crowley explaining his positions on data centers, including highlighting his support for allowing local communities to decide whether they want a data center."

Crowley was elected Milwaukee County Executive in 2020. He represented the 17th District in the Wisconsin Assembly from 2017 to 2020 and earlier worked as an organizer and political staffer. In a press release, Crowley said his "campaign has been about what comes next for Wisconsin: making life more affordable, strengthening our schools, creating good-paying jobs, and making sure opportunity reaches every corner of our state. ... We can move Wisconsin forward with leadership focused on solving problems, or we can bring the division and extremism of Tom Tiffany and Donald Trump to Wisconsin." Crowley's running mate was Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski (D).

Tiffany was first elected to represent the 7th District in the U.S. House in 2020. He served in the Wisconsin Senate from 2013 to 2020, the Wisconsin Assembly from 2011 to 2013, and the Little Rice Board of Supervisors from 2009 to 2013. He was the former owner and operator of Wilderness Cruises. Tiffany's campaign website said he was "running for governor to make sure every Wisconsin family has the same shot at the American Dream he was given. He has stood up to unelected bureaucrats and coastal elites in Washington, D.C. As governor, he will fight every day for families, for farmers, and for the hardworking people who make this state great." Tiffany's running mate was Lancaster Mayor David Varnam (R).

Write-in candidates were Jamie Jo Carothers (I), Brayden Donnelly (I), Ieshuh Griffin (I), Mark Grimek (I), David King (I), Christine Kirchmiller (I), Mary Morgan (I), Chad Muellenberg (I), and Reese Wood (I). Wood's running mate was Daniel Wagner (I). The other write-in candidates did not have running mates.

The election influenced Wisconsin's trifecta and triplex status. Heading into the election, neither party had a trifecta in Wisconsin because Gov. Tony Evers was a Democrat and Republicans held majorities in both the Wisconsin Senate and the Wisconsin Assembly. Democrats had a triplex because the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state were all Democrats. In 2026, Wisconsin held elections for all three triplex offices as well as 17 of 33 seats in the Wisconsin Senate and all 99 seats in the Wisconsin Assembly.

Because Crowley won the gubernatorial election and Democrats won the elections for attorney general and secretary of state, Democrats maintained their triplex in Wisconsin. Democrats gained a trifecta in Wisconsin because Crowley won the gubernatorial election and Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and Assembly elections. If Tiffany had won the gubernatorial election, Democrats would have lost their triplex and been unable to gain a trifecta in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin holds separate gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial primaries, but the nominees run together on a single ticket in the general election.

This was one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2026.