NBC News, based on AP data, projects David Crowley as the winner of the Wisconsin governor's race against Tom Tiffany. At 05:59 CET the count stood at 53.2 to 46.8 percent with 87.5 percent c
NBC News, based on AP data, projects David Crowley as the winner of the Wisconsin governor's race against Tom Tiffany. At 06:05 CET the count stood at 53.2 to 46.8 percent with 87.8 percent counted. Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, declined to run for a third term, which makes this the first Wisconsin governor's race without an incumbent since 2010 and one of five Democratic-held governorships on the ballot in states Trump won in 2024. If elected, David Crowley would be the state's first African-American governor.
Wisconsin governor race: the key facts
Wisconsin closed its polls at 03:00 CET. We estimate about 286,000 votes are still out, most of them in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Portage. County reporting moves unevenly, so a lead at this stage can still shrink or grow, and in a state decided by 0.9 points two years ago the order of reporting can change the picture several times.
Source: AP via NBC News, own estimate
Milwaukee County went from D+38.4 in the 2024 presidential race to D+46.6 now, with 79 percent counted. Dane County, around Madison, went from D+51.5 in the 2024 presidential race to D+60.3 now, with 95 percent counted. Waukesha County, in the Milwaukee suburbs, went from R+19.7 in the 2024 presidential race to R+15.3 now, with 86 percent counted. Brown County, around Green Bay, went from R+7.5 in the 2024 presidential race to D+2.2 now, with 95 percent counted. Across the larger areas with at least half of the count in, the margin moved 7.1 points toward Democrats on average. These figures compare a partial count with a full presidential count, so the final swing can still change in either direction.
County Trump vs Harris 2024 Tiffany vs Crowley 2026 Counted Dane D+51.5 D+60.3 95 % Milwaukee D+38.4 D+46.6 79 % Waukesha R+19.7 R+15.3 86 % Brown R+7.5 D+2.2 95 % Outagamie R+10.2 R+0.7 92 % Washington R+36.2 R+33.4 90 % Racine R+6.2 D+4.1 90 % Rock D+7.3 D+17.6 94 %
Source: AP via NBC News, 2024 results via NBC News
David Crowley has been Milwaukee County executive since 2020 and won the Democratic primary with 39.8 percent in an upset over state representative Francesca Hong. Tom Tiffany has represented Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District since 2020, belongs to the Freedom Caucus and won the Republican primary with more than 95 percent after an endorsement from Trump.
Wisconsin once made crypto headlines as a state pension fund buying BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF. That chapter is over: the State of Wisconsin Investment Board's latest 13F filing, as of 30 June 2026, shows no IBIT and no other spot Bitcoin ETF. What it does show is 113,005 Coinbase shares worth $16.5 million, 135,369 Strategy shares worth $11.8 million and 350,759 Riot Platforms shares worth $9.6 million. The filing for 30 September is due by mid-November.
The candidates are far apart on the record. Stand With Crypto gives Tiffany a score of 100 on the basis of his entries for the CLARITY Act, the GENIUS Act and FIT21. Crowley has a profile on the site with no rating so far. A governor does not write crypto law, but the office shapes what a state does with public money and how it regulates money transmission, which is why the industry watches these races too.
Wisconsin has no automatic recount. A losing candidate can request one if the margin is 1 percent or less. County canvasses are due to the Wisconsin Elections Commission by 17 November, and the state certifies by 1 December, according to a certification guide by Protect Democracy.
Wisconsin has no Senate race this year, but Trump won it by only 0.9 points, so it is a clean test of how far the state has moved since 2024. For the national picture, all calls and the full tables are in our midterm results live ticker. The bill the crypto industry cares about most, the CLARITY Act, failed 49 to 50 in the Senate on 15 September; our CLARITY Act explainer follows what comes next. More from the states: Michigan and its $20 million crypto ETF stake and the biggest changes since 2024.
With the race called, the prediction market has little left to price. The open question for traders is the balance of power in Washington. If you hold coins through a week like this, compare regulated crypto exchanges and crypto brokers first. This article is not investment advice.
