Crowley and Tiffany Clash Over Taxes and Abortion in Wisconsin

Economic policy, abortion rights and election integrity dominated the only televised debate between Wisconsin gubernatorial candidates David Crowley and Tom Tiffany on Wednesday night. The Milwaukee County executive and Republican congressman faced off in an hourlong event hosted by WISN-12 ahead of the Nov. 3 election, offering competing approaches to affordability, state spending and the future of Wisconsin's government.

The contest to succeed retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers remains competitive. A recent poll cited by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel showed Crowley leading Tiffany 49% to 46% among likely Wisconsin voters. The debate also took place one day after in-person absentee voting began in the state's 2026 midterm election.

Taxes and the cost of living emerged as central dividing lines. Tiffany advocated reversing tax increases and returning surplus funds to residents, while Crowley argued for a tax structure that would finance education, transportation and infrastructure. Crowley also criticized Tiffany's support for President Donald Trump's policies, including tariffs and a 2025 tax and spending law that reduced funding for health care and food assistance programs in many states.

Crowley connected Tiffany's economic agenda to wealthy donors and Trump's administration, arguing that federal policies had contributed to higher costs. He also challenged Tiffany to explain how proposed tax cuts could coexist with commitments to public services.

“When Congressman Tom Tiffany says he’s focusing on affordability, let’s be very clear: He voted for the big, ugly bill that [helped] some of the highest earners here in the state of Wisconsin,” said Crowley, referring to the 2025 legislation.

Crowley said he opposed bringing Washington's policy direction into Wisconsin and accused Tiffany of serving Trump and wealthy campaign donors. Tiffany countered that his priority was reducing the tax burden rather than expanding government programs.

“while my opponent” was “consistently focused on being against Donald Trump, I’m for Wisconsin — and rather than creating a bunch more programs that are going to end up taxing the people of Wisconsin more, I want to put more money in the taxpayers’ pockets,” Tiffany said.

Tiffany also criticized Crowley's political positioning after the Democrat's primary contest against state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist. Crowley had defeated Hong by fewer than 4,000 votes and sought to emphasize party unity.

“I think it’s really important to know that he said there’s very little difference between me and Francesca Hong,” Tiffany said. “That sounds like a socialist to me.”

State budget questions exposed differences over revenue and spending priorities. Crowley did not specify whether he would establish a new tax bracket for the wealthiest residents or provide a precise school funding target. Instead, he proposed working with lawmakers on a fairer tax system and establishing a commission to examine education funding.

“We need to make sure that we have a fair tax system, a simpler tax system that allows people to get ahead,” Crowley said.

Tiffany argued that Wisconsin could maintain funding for essential services despite his proposed income and property tax cuts. He pointed to a state surplus and recent spending increases totaling $15 billion but did not provide a detailed explanation of how he would prevent cuts if revenue declined.

“We are going to have sufficient money in this budget to be able to fund the things that are important to Wisconsinites — education, transportation and infrastructure, health care. We’re going to have money there,” Tiffany said.

Transportation funding provided another contrast. Tiffany opposed new vehicle registration and title fees, tolls and indexing the gas tax to inflation. Crowley rejected indexing the gas tax but remained open to additional user fees and tolling. Tiffany pledged to increase transportation funding through the budget process, while Crowley questioned how the state could raise enough revenue after repeated tax cuts.

The candidates also disagreed over private school vouchers. Tiffany said he would consider raising the income limits for Wisconsin's statewide voucher program. The existing limit for a married couple with two children is $77,730. Crowley pledged to veto legislation eliminating Milwaukee's voucher program, the nation's oldest, while opposing an expansion of voucher offerings.

Election integrity prompted a tense exchange over Tiffany's support for efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Tiffany cited private election-related grants associated with Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and concerns about the Dane County clerk's treatment of voters classified as “indefinitely confined.” Wisconsin voters subsequently banned private funding for election administration through a 2024 ballot measure.

“One of the reasons that I did that is Zuckerbucks,” Tiffany said.

Crowley argued that Tiffany's explanation undermined confidence in his commitment to honoring voters' decisions. He criticized the congressman's willingness to challenge election results over disagreements about how election administration money was spent.

“Let’s be very clear — the congressman just said that the only reason why he was willing to throw away hundreds of thousands of votes here in the state of Wisconsin is because he disagreed on how somebody spent money,” Crowley said.

Both candidates ultimately committed to certifying the results of the 2028 presidential election regardless of the winner.

Abortion policy was another major point of disagreement. Tiffany said he would uphold Wisconsin's current law permitting abortion through 20 weeks of pregnancy, despite previously supporting legislation in Congress that would have restricted abortion access at approximately six weeks. Crowley reiterated his intention to work with lawmakers to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution but declined to specify whether he would sign legislation allowing abortion without gestational limits.

“I don’t believe a law like that would ever actually reach my desk,” Crowley said.

Crowley argued that women should not have to worry about abortion restrictions changing with each election and maintained that medical decisions should remain between patients and their doctors. Tiffany responded that he would preserve access under the existing 20-week law, distinguishing his gubernatorial position from his previous congressional votes.

Immigration enforcement also exposed opposing approaches. Tiffany said he would require local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, while Crowley opposed that mandate. Their disagreement added another policy divide to a debate shaped by economic concerns, national political tensions and Wisconsin's closely contested governor's race.