Left-wing journos at the 620 WTMJ and other liberal media mouthpieces rushed to pin the failure of a $1.8 billion tax relief and school funding package squarely on Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany, who has no vote in the Legislature, even as Gov. Tony Evers admitted he could not secure the three Democratic votes needed in the state Senate.
The bipartisan deal, negotiated between Evers and Republican legislative leaders, would have delivered property tax relief, rebate checks to taxpayers, elimination of state taxes on tips and overtime pay, and additional funding for schools. It passed the Assembly with some Democratic support but died in the Senate on an 18-15 vote late Wednesday night. All 15 Senate Democrats joined three Republicans in voting no.
Evers himself pointed fingers at his own party. In statements and interviews, the governor said he was “shocked” that Senate Democrats opposed the measure over “various things” and complained they would not support schools.
Tiffany defended his stance, arguing that the proposal was temporary and did not go far enough to permanently return money to taxpayers. “I think if I were governor, and those same people were in the legislature, they would vote to return all of the money to the taxpayers, and that’s what I plan to do when I become Governor,” he said during a campaign stop in the Green Bay area alongside former Gov. Scott Walker.
Left-wing journos amplified did their best to frame the story to blame Tiffany while ignoring the unanimous Democratic Senate opposition. WBAY ran a piece headlined “Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany defends role blocking school funding bill,” centering on Tiffany’s influence. Similar coverage from Wisconsin Examiner, WPR, and other outlets echoed the created narrative that Tiffany and a handful of Republicans “blew up” the bipartisan plan for political reasons ahead of the 2026 elections.
Even 620 WTMJ promoted segments featuring Tiffany’s interview on the failed bill, which appeared to overstate his role while he holds no seat in the Legislature. 620 WTMJ has since yanked its bogus framing, but the Heartland Post and others took screenshots.
Tiffany has consistently pushed for bolder, permanent tax relief rather than one-time rebates funded from the surplus. The episode underscores the difficulty Evers faced delivering votes from his own Democrat caucus despite months of negotiations with GOP leaders.
