Tuesday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany launched a sharp new statewide television advertisement highlighting David Crowley’s record of raising taxes and warning voters that if Crowley becomes governor, they will have to give up more of their earned money.
The 30-second advertisement, titled “Tax It All,” begins with Crowley holding a calculator against a background of tax forms and saying, “Say hello to David Crowley and goodbye to your money.” The ad points out that Crowley nearly doubled the Milwaukee County sales tax and introduced five property tax increases as county executive. It also notes that Crowley voted in the Legislature against tax relief for working families, including a 10% reduction in the middle-class income tax.
“David Crowley wants more of your money. I want you to keep it,” Tiffany says in the ad. “Crowley nearly doubled Milwaukee County’s sales tax, raised property taxes five times, and voted against tax relief for working families. The money you earn. The home you own. The things you need. David Crowley wants to tax it all. Wisconsin families cannot afford to take his tax-hiking record statewide.”
The release comes as Tiffany prepares to outline his “Keep More of Your Hard-Earned Money” agenda at a Milwaukee press conference later Tuesday. The eight-point plan focuses on lowering taxes, cutting costs, and returning more money to Wisconsin households.
Crowley’s record in Milwaukee County has become a central focus on the campaign trail. Property taxes rose in five of his six years in office, and the county still faces significant budget pressures. Tiffany’s campaign argues that the same approach of higher taxes instead of spending restraint would be disastrous statewide, especially as families already face rising prices for groceries, energy, and housing.
Tiffany is running f as the candidate who will freeze property taxes, end the long-running increases that occurred under Democratic control, and prioritize fiscal discipline. Crowley, by contrast, has defended his county record as “incredible work” even as taxes climbed and deficits loomed.
The new ad is Tiffany’s eighth statewide television buy and continues a focused effort to define Crowley by the numbers from Milwaukee rather than campaign rhetoric. For voters who have watched taxes climb under Democratic leadership in Madison and Milwaukee, Crowley has already shown what he does when given power over the checkbook. Wisconsin cannot afford to find out what happens if that record goes statewide.
