Crowley and Tiffany Split on Wisconsin's $3 Billion Surplus but Agree on Data Centers

Wisconsin's two candidates for governor want to do very different things with the state's money. Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany told FOX 11 the state should return "every dollar" of its $3 billion surplus to taxpayers, while Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said a tax cut can come in the form of better public school funding that eases property tax pressure.¹ The interviews, part of FOX 11's Beyond the Podium series with Mark Leland, were published Sunday, 30 days before the Nov. 3 election.¹

The race is close. The Marquette Law School Poll released Sept. 30 had Crowley at 49% and Tiffany at 46% among likely voters, with 5% undecided and a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 points.² Among all registered voters it was 46% to 45%.²

Taxes, the Surplus and Schools

Tiffany pitched tax cuts as his main answer to the cost of living, pointing to his years in the Legislature, when he said lawmakers cut taxes every budget and still took in more revenue.¹ He said he would end what he called the "400-year property tax increase" and then freeze property taxes.¹ That's a reference to Gov. Tony Evers' 2023 partial veto, which extended a $325 per-pupil school funding increase through the year 2425 and was upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court 4-3 in April 2025. Republican leaders have argued it drives up property taxes.³

Crowley said relief should come through affordable housing, lower property taxes paid for by state school investment, and expanded childcare and health care so families keep more of what they earn.¹ He said he would consider tax cuts and wants every option on the table.¹ Both candidates said they back more school funding. Tiffany tied it to accountability, noting the state is spending more on education than ever and calling for higher standards, honest report cards and better pay for good teachers.¹ Crowley called for "incredible investments" in public schools that he said would naturally ease property taxes.¹

The surplus fight has already stalled once. In May, a $1.8 billion deal to send taxpayers rebates and spend more on schools failed in the state Senate.¹ Voters, meanwhile, are focused on prices. In Marquette's poll, 45% named inflation or the cost of living as their top issue, compared with 7% for property taxes, and only 16% said they're better off than a year ago while 43% said they're worse off.²

Common Ground on Data Centers

The candidates landed in nearly the same place on data centers. Crowley said the "free ride" big tech data centers have had in Wisconsin will be over if he wins, and that no community should be forced to accept one.¹ Tiffany said there should be "no data centers unless we get rid of the subsidies," with no electric rate increases for current customers, no nondisclosure agreements, local input and no more conversion of productive farmland.¹ Both are running with the public. In the same Marquette poll, 74% of voters said data center costs outweigh the benefits and 68% favored a one-year construction moratorium.²

Northeast Wisconsin and the Money

The statewide number hides a regional split. In the Green Bay/Appleton media market, Tiffany led Crowley 57% to 39% among likely voters.² Crowley led independents 44% to 18%, but 38% of them were undecided and his support among independents fell 11 points from August, WPR reported.⁴ Voters also got to know both men better in September, and the new impressions skewed negative. Crowley's favorability stood at 31% favorable and 44% unfavorable, compared with 39% and 45% for Tiffany.² Poll director Charles Franklin said many more voters formed an unfavorable opinion during the month than a favorable one.⁵

President Trump's approval in Wisconsin fell to 38%, with 60% disapproving, the lowest Marquette has recorded for him in the state, though Franklin said that hasn't much changed the governor's race.^2,4

Tiffany has a large cash advantage. He raised $26.3 million from July 1 through Sept. 23, compared with $10.2 million for Crowley.⁶ About $24 million of Tiffany's haul came from the Republican Party of Wisconsin, which was funded largely by $22 million from Illinois billionaires Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein and $5.6 million from Beloit's Diane Hendricks.⁶ Crowley's total included roughly $4 million from Democratic Party transfers, unions and PACs, plus a $565,000 transfer from Evers' campaign fund.⁶ Crowley said three billionaires are trying to buy the governor's office for Tiffany.⁶

What Comes Next

The candidates meet Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. on the Marquette University campus for a one-hour debate with no live audience, moderated by WISN-12's Matt Smith and Gerron Jordan.⁷ WBAY will carry it in Green Bay, and the listed topics are cost of living, taxes, immigration enforcement, data centers and election security.⁷ WTMJ-TV and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association proposed debates for Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, but the candidates hadn't committed to either as of early September.⁷ Fox Watershed covered the Democratic primary field in August.