U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany declared himself the GOP frontrunner in the 2026 race for governor after businessman Bill Berrien dropped out.
Berrien’s departure leaves the Minocqua congressman and Washington County Exec Josh Schoemann as the top two Republican candidates.
“I do believe I’m the leader at this point, yes,” Tiffany said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics-State Affairs. “I took a few years to really evaluate is this the best thing to do, and I asked two questions. One, where can I do the most good for the people of the state of Wisconsin, and am I the best candidate? And I believe that I am the best candidate to provide the leadership that the state of Wisconsin needs.”
Tiffany, who launched his campaign last week, said he didn’t believe he needs President Donald Trump’s endorsement to win the GOP nomination. The primary is in August 2026.
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“That’s the president’s call,” Tiffany said. “The president’s going to make the decision whether he chooses to endorse or not. I have not asked for his endorsement. The president is going to decide what he’s going to do. I’m going to stay focused on what I can control, and we’re going to be out there visiting people all over the state of Wisconsin, working our butts off and trying to lead this state in the right direction.”
Tiffany will face questions about his previous positions on abortion, including backing a ban after six weeks.
“I think there’s been some back and forth, like any piece of legislation, that there’s various proposals that are put out,” Tiffany said. “But the law now in Wisconsin is you can have an abortion up to five months. I voted for that bill 10 years ago when I was in the state Legislature. I stand by that vote, and I’ll stand by it as governor.”
When asked whether he would sign legislation more restrictive than the current law, Tiffany said, “I’d have to evaluate it, but it is not my goal to change anything.”
Tiffany, who voted to create the Wisconsin Elections Commission as a state lawmaker, also said the agency “may need to be changed.”
“I’d have to review it,” he said.
State Dem Chair Devin Remiker says the party will have a “very robust, aggressive strategy” targeting the Republican gubernatorial candidates, specifically Tiffany.
“I think he is the biggest threat to working-class Wisconsinites,” Remiker told the show. “Certainly, he’s someone who I think has done a lot of loyal service to Donald Trump.”
The party launched an immediate ad buy targeting Tiffany, which aired through Sunday night on broadcast, cable and during the Green Bay Packers game.
“I think we’re going to have a very robust, aggressive strategy in partnership with Gov. Tony Evers to make sure that not only do we have the support that we need for our nominee next August, but that we hold Republicans like Tom Tiffany accountable,” Remiker said.
Seven Democrats are currently running, including WEDC chief Missy Hughes, who announced her candidacy today.
“I don’t have any concern about the candidates that we have in the race right now,” Remiker said. “I think what we have are competing visions for the future of the Democratic Party, competing visions for the future of our state and country. I think that certainly there are differences in opinions and what that direction should be, but that is the point of a primary, is to let voters weigh in and decide, and I trust the voters to make the right decision about what they want to see moving forward.”
Republican strategist Bill McCoshen says Bill Berrien had no other option but to drop out of the race, while Dem strategist Joe Zepecki said the move helps Democrats target Tiffany.
“I think the campaign struggled from the jump,” McCoshen told “UpFront.”
He added: “I don’t think he found his groove. He wanted to be the outsider in the race, and there’s an outsider lane on the Republican side of the aisle, but in order to fill that, you’ve got to have unlimited resources. You’ve got to be able to buy a base. He didn’t have a base. He never did.”
Zepecki said Berrein dropping out allows the Dem Party to focus its efforts on Tiffany.
“I think it helps us focus our fire on Tom Tiffany, who is the immediate front-runner for the nomination on the Republican side,” Zepecki said. “We saw the state Democratic Party of Wisconsin really go at him in a big way. That allows us to focus our messaging efforts and try to define Mr. Tiffany, who, while he’s known in northern Wisconsin, does not have a lot of statewide name recognition. That’s going to be the fight for him is how does he introduce himself across the state, and Democrats are not going to let him do that on his own terms.”
McCoshen said an endorsement from Trump would be a game-changer in the Republican primary, if an endorsement happens.
“I’ve watched all the candidates do interviews with you guys, and they all sort of waffle on that,” McCoshen said. “The answer is if he does endorse, it’s the end of the primary. I think we learned that in 2022. He came in and endorsed Tim Michels four days before the primary. Michels ended up winning by 5%, so he is the 800-pound gorilla on our side of the aisle.”
Zepecki is watching whether other key Democrats decide to join the race, like Attorney General Josh Kaul.
“He would still have to earn it,” Zepecki said. “Josh Kaul would not be a field-clearer by any stretch of the imagination. I appreciate the attorney general taking his time to make the right decision for him and his family. Josh is a young guy. He’s about my age. He’s got a long career ahead of him and a really important job right now in court, standing up to the Trump administration on countless issues, so whether or not he runs for governor, Josh Kaul has a really important role to play for my party and for the state of Wisconsin for years to come.”
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