President Trump won a very narrow victory over Kamala Harris in Wisconsin last November, with less than a percentage point separating the two. The deep blue enclaves of Milwaukee and Dane County are offset by the redder "WOW" counties (Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington), but America's Dairyland is firmly a purple swing state.
That's why Republicans must win the governorship in 2026. Outgoing Democratic Governor Tony Evers has left his successor a right mess to clean up. Thanks to Evers' greed, state taxpayers are on the hook for 400 years of school district tax increases. That's already causing sticker shock in communities where residents are receiving their tax bills. Nearly one-third of Wisconsin public school students can't read on grade level, and Black students in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) test at the bottom nationally in reading and math.
On top of that, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has investigated hundreds of educators for sexual misconduct, but kept parents and the general public in the dark until a bombshell report by the Cap Times blew the story wide open. Many of those educators got to keep their licenses and keep working in schools, by the way.
Last week, disgraced Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of felony obstruction for her role in hiding illegal immigrant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz from ICE officials when Flores-Ruiz appeared in Dugan's courtroom on domestic violence charges. Shortly before Dugan assisted Flores-Ruiz, the Evers administration issued a memo about how to deal with ICE agents in the state's courthouses and other public buildings. Was Dugan using that directive as a motive for her actions on April 18? We may never know.
Several Democrats have thrown their hat into the race for governor, including former Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes and current Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez.
But Wisconsin Congressional Rep. Tom Tiffany has also entered the race on the Republican side, and he's already hammered state Democrats on illegal immigration and other hot-button issues. Tiffany also spoke at AmFest about the importance of fighting to preserve Wisconsin in 2026.
Wisconsin is not flyover country — Wisconsin is the backbone of America.
— Tom Tiffany (@TomTiffanyWI) December 21, 2025
It’s up to us to fight like hell to protect our way of life in 2026. pic.twitter.com/OT5XxfpaCW
"We are one election away from losing Wisconsin and the home we know," Tiffany said. "And I refuse to allow Minnesota's madness and Illinois' insanity to take root in Wisconsin."
"We need a Wisconsin that thrives like Florida, Texas, and Ohio," Tiffany continued, "a state where freedom grows, jobs are strong, and young people are proud to call it home. Wisconsin dairy fed America. Our foundries armed America. Our timber built America. Our workers powered America through recessions and wars and every challenge that was thrown at us."
"Wisconsin is not flyover country. It is the backbone of the United States of America," Tiffany said. "And now we need to protect it. We already tailgate in ten degrees like we're in downtown Phoenix. If we can survive that, we can knock doors, we can make calls, we can fight and we can win."
"But you gotta fight like your future depends on it, because our very way of life is at stake. Wisconsin's comeback starts now, and Wisconsin's comeback starts with you," Tiffany added. "We're going red in 2026. We are going red again in 2028 and we will make Wisconsin great again."
"And I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I hope you will check out our movement in Wisconsin as we take the governorship in our great state at TomTiffany.com," he said before tossing an iconic foam Cheesehead into the crowd.
The likely Democratic frontrunner, Mandela Barnes, knows his radical Leftist agenda won't play well in Wisconsin. He's changed his tune on ICE, as well as defunding the police and cashless bail, since announcing his candidacy.