Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley holds an early four-point lead over U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in the 2026 Wisconsin governor’s race, according to a new Badger Battleground Poll conducted immediately after the state’s primaries.
The Platform Communications survey found Crowley leading Tiffany 48% to 44% among 500 likely general-election voters interviewed by live telephone Aug. 12–13. The polling materials do not list a margin of error.
Crowley’s advantage was stronger among independents, where he led Tiffany 42% to 30%, and in the poll’s battleground State Assembly district sample, where he led 54% to 35%. Tiffany led among voters without a college degree, 52% to 38%, while Crowley held a 58% to 35% advantage among college graduates.
The candidates each drew near-unanimous backing within their parties, but the survey indicates Tiffany begins the general-election campaign with more difficult personal ratings. Thirty-eight percent of voters viewed Tiffany favorably, while 43% viewed him unfavorably. Crowley was viewed favorably by 43% of respondents and unfavorably by 26%, though 31% said they did not know enough about him to form an opinion.
“Wisconsin voters are not particularly happy,” Tanya Bjork, a Democratic strategist and Badger Battleground Poll adviser, said in the accompanying release. “That creates an opening for both candidates.”
Bjork said Crowley must still persuade voters that Democrats deserve another term in the governor’s office, while Tiffany has “an opportunity to make the election about change” but must first overcome his negative ratings.
The poll found broad dissatisfaction with the direction of both Wisconsin and the country. Fifty-one percent of respondents said the state is on the wrong track, compared with 35% who said it is headed in the right direction. Nationally, 61% said the country is on the wrong track.
The generic State Assembly ballot also favored Democrats narrowly, with a generic Democrat leading a generic Republican 47% to 44%.
Keith Gilkes, the Republican strategist and executive chairman of Platform Communications, said the numbers show a competitive race rather than a settled one.
“Tom Tiffany is starting slightly down, but a four-point deficit in August is hardly insurmountable,” Gilkes said. “The question for Republicans will be whether Tiffany can turn that dissatisfaction into a compelling case for change.”
