As he teases a run for governor, Tom Tiffany wades into campaigning at the Wisconsin State Fair
- Rep. Tom Tiffany is likely to announce a run for Wisconsin governor in the next 30 to 60 days.
- Tiffany visited the Wisconsin State Fair, engaging with conservative groups like Moms for Liberty, and criticized Gov. Tony Evers on education and transgender issues.
- He expressed his opposition to transgender girls participating in girls' sports, aligning with other Republican candidates.
WEST ALLIS – While he didn’t walk around the Wisconsin State Fair enthusiastically shaking hands with voters like an official candidate for governor, Republican U.S Rep. Tom Tiffany worked conservative groups' booths to make himself known.
His appearance is the latest indication Tiffany plans to run for governor, though he has pushed back his timeline for announcing a possible campaign. Tiffany previously said he'd make his decision after July but now plans to announce his decision in the next 30 to 60 days.
In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at the fairgrounds on Aug. 4, Tiffany said he doubted he’d decide before Labor Day.
“The decision is going to be made by the end of September. I’m not going to drag this out beyond then,” he said.
An ongoing straw poll conducted at the Milwaukee County Republican Party booth had Tiffany running in fourth place, with former U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde leading the pack after about 400 votes cast.
Tiffany's day at the fair included a stop at the Moms for Liberty booth, a parental rights group that has gained influence within the Republican Party and launched candidates for school board seats in Wisconsin.
Tiffany criticized Democratic Gov. Tony Evers for lowering academic standards, a reference to state Superintendent Jill Underly changing state test score benchmarks. Evers has called the changes a “mistake” but vetoed a bill to reverse them.
Moms for Liberty representatives also questioned Tiffany about transgender students participating in youth sports.
“As a girl dad, that hits home. All three of my daughters competed in interscholastic sports. They shouldn’t have to compete against guys,” Tiffany said.
Evers has used his veto several times to block Republican-authored bills that would have banned transgender youth from participating in girls' sports or using girls' locker rooms.
Those bills are under consideration again in the state Capitol but have not yet reached Evers' desk.
In February, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association changed its policies, not because of state legislation but in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump.
The WIAA policy now says students whose sex is assigned male at birth may practice but not compete. The organization has previously said they do not track the number of transgender athletes in Wisconsin and had not received complaints about a specific athlete.
At the state level, the bills could see a different fate depending on which Republican or Democrat replaces Evers, who is not running for reelection in 2026. Some national Democrats have shifted their position on transgender rights, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The two declared Republican candidates for governor have also focused on transgender youth. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann's campaign website says he will "end woke overreach in education and restore common sense."
And Navy SEAL veteran and manufacturing CEO Bill Berrien's campaign launch video, he says: "Take it from a dad and a coach, I will keep boys out of our daughters' sports and locker rooms."
In a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Abigail Swetz, Executive Director of Fair Wisconsin, said Wisconsin voters “should be ready to reject any ploy for power on the backs of trans children.”
“The use of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and partnerships with extremist organizations is just one more example of politicians using children as political pawns in a game of ‘who can use disinformation to win an election,’ and it is disheartening that candidates for elected office are preying on such vulnerable Wisconsinites,” Swetz said. “Our trans youth are vital members of our communities; as children, they deserve our love and support.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center classified Moms for Liberty as an anti-government extremist organization in 2023. In a video filmed for the group at the booth, Tiffany told members, “If somebody yells at you, like the Southern Poverty Law Center, just ignore them or tell them your story.”
Tiffany told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the group’s focus on a loss of educational attainment during the pandemic also resonates with Wisconsin parents.
“There’s kind of these fundamental things that society is throwing at parents, saying ‘We’re going to change the norm. We’re going to change how society operates.’ And people are pushing back, saying no, this is unacceptable,” he said.
Republicans also zeroed in on transgender rights issues in 2024 races for U.S. Senate and state legislative seats, painting Democrats as extreme and out of touch with voters. The Marquette University Law School poll asked Wisconsin voters about the issue just once, in 2022.
In that survey, 62% said transgender athletes should only be allowed to play on teams that match their sex at birth, and 22% said they should be able to play on teams that match their gender identity. Another 14% didn't know.