Tom Tiffany
American politician (born 1957)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas P. Tiffany (born December 30, 1957)[1] is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district since winning a special election in 2020. A member of the Republican Party, he is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, considered the most conservative bloc in the chamber.
Tom Tiffany | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 7th district | |
| Assumed office May 19, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Sean Duffy |
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 12th district | |
| In office January 7, 2013 – May 18, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Holperin |
| Succeeded by | Mary Felzkowski |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 35th district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 7, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Donald Friske |
| Succeeded by | Mary Felzkowski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 30, 1957 Wabasha, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Christine Sully |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Wisconsin, River Falls (BS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
He previously served seven years in the Wisconsin Senate and two years in the State Assembly, representing the northeast region of the state.[2]
He is a candidate for governor of Wisconsin in the 2026 election.[3]
Early life and education
Tiffany was born in Wabasha, Minnesota, and grew up on a dairy farm near Elmwood, Pierce County, Wisconsin, with five brothers and two sisters.[4] He graduated from Elmwood High School in 1976 and earned his B.S. in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls in 1980.[2]
Early political career
Tiffany managed the petroleum division of a farm cooperative in Plainview, Minnesota, before moving to Minocqua, Wisconsin, to manage Zenker Oil Company's petroleum distribution in 1988. He and his wife, Chris, have operated an excursion business on the Willow Flowage since 1991.[5]
Tiffany served as the Town Supervisor of Little Rice, Wisconsin, from 2009 to 2013, and is an appointed member of the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation. In 2004 and 2008, he ran to represent the 12th district in the Wisconsin State Senate, first against Senator Roger Breske, and then Jim Holperin, losing both times in close elections.
Wisconsin Legislature
In 2010, he ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly after incumbent Donald Friske retired. Tiffany won the primary and defeated Democratic nominee Jay Schmelling, 58.09% to 41.81%.[5]
In 2012, Tiffany chose not to seek reelection to the Assembly and instead to run again for the Senate after Holperin announced he would not run for reelection. He defeated Democrat Susan Sommer, 56% to 40%, in the general election.[5][6]
In the state Senate, Tiffany was chair of the Senate Committee on Sporting, Heritage, Mining and Forestry and a member of the Joint Finance Committee.[7] In these roles, Tiffany used his role to favor businesses and property owners over conservation advocates.[7] He supported mining operations, advocated more logging, and proposed reduced funding for the state Department of Natural Resources.[7][8] He also had a role in transferring powers over to the Legislature from the DNR on issues like operating rules for controversial dams in Vilas County.[9] Tiffany was proud to earn the enmity of the Wisconsin chapter of the League of Conservation Voters and called organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama "radical."[7]
U.S. House of Representatives
Incumbent Representative Sean Duffy resigned on September 23, 2019, after his youngest daughter was diagnosed with a heart condition. Tiffany announced that he would run in a special election to succeed him. He won the February 18 Republican primary and defeated Wausau attorney Tricia Zunker in the May 12 special election.[10] Tiffany was sworn in on May 19, 2020.[11] Tiffany defeated Zunker in a rematch in the November 3 general election with 60.7% of the vote.
Tenure
In his first year in the House, Tiffany supported defeated president Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election. In December 2020, Tiffany was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[12] incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[13][14][15] Tiffany was also among the 120 House members, all Republicans, who objected to counting Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.[16] Representative Scott L. Fitzgerald joined Tiffany in this objection.[17]
Opposition to Juneteenth
In June 2021, Tiffany was one of 14 House Republicans to vote against legislation to establish June 19, or Juneteenth, as a federal holiday.[18]
Foreign policy
Tiffany was one of 49 House Republicans who voted to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.[19][20]
Throughout his tenure, Tiffany has expressed support for recognition of Taiwan as a state. In 2023, Tiffany authored an op-ed in the Washington Times, stating that "the United States should lead by example and end this tired charade."[21] Since being elected to the House, Tiffany has introduced legislation in every session to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan.[22][23][24] In 2024, Tiffany introduced legislation expressing support for Taiwan's full participation at the World Health Organization, as well as legislation restricting the Department of State from using funds to enforce restrictions on "high-level communications" with Taiwanese officials. Both pieces of legislation were passed by Congress.[25][26]
In 2023, Tiffany was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[27][28]
On March 19, 2024, Tiffany voted against a house resolution condemning Russia's abductions of Ukrainian children during the Russo-Ukrainian War. He was one of nine Republicans to do so.[29]
Support for district
Tiffany has supported some efforts for infrastructure in his district. He joined a bipartisan group of legislators to request a replacement for the Blatnik Bridge connecting Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin.[30] The Department of Transportation under Joe Biden granted $1B to this project.[31]
Tiffany has introduced a bill to raise the status of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore into a national park.[32]
Debt ceiling
Tiffany was among 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[33]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
Tiffany is a member of the Freedom Caucus, considered the most conservative bloc in the chamber.[35][36] He is also a member of the following caucuses:
- Republican Study Committee[37]
- Congressional Dairy Farmer Caucus[34]
- Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus[34]
- Congressional Taiwan Caucus[38]
- Congressional Western Caucus[39]
2026 gubernatorial campaign
On September 23, 2025, Tiffany announced his campaign for governor of Wisconsin in the 2026 election.[3] He was endorsed by Donald Trump in January 2026.[40] All of Tiffany's Republican colleagues from Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives have endorsed him.[41][42][43][44][45]
Personal life
Tiffany and his wife, Christine, have three children.[4]
Tiffany is a Protestant.[46]
Electoral history
Wisconsin Senate (2004, 2008)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Primary Election, September 14, 2004 | |||||
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 8,909 | 60.44% | ||
| Republican | Gary Baier | 2,998 | 20.34% | ||
| Republican | William E. Raduege | 2,828 | 19.19% | ||
| Scattering | 5 | 0.03% | |||
| Total votes | 14,740 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 2, 2004 | |||||
| Democratic | Roger Breske (incumbent) | 47,287 | 53.47% | ||
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 41,119 | 46.49% | ||
| Scattering | 38 | 0.04% | |||
| Plurality | 6,168 | 6.97% | |||
| Total votes | 88,444 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 4, 2008 | |||||
| Democratic | Jim Holperin | 85,125 | 66.11% | +12.64% | |
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 43,595 | 33.85% | −12.64% | |
| Scattering | 50 | 0.04% | |||
| Plurality | 41,530 | 32.25% | +25.28% | ||
| Total votes | 128,770 | 100.0% | +45.59% | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Wisconsin Assembly (2010)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Primary Election, September 14, 2010 | |||||
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 3,708 | 63.77% | ||
| Republican | Jeremy Cordova | 2,107 | 36.23% | ||
| Scattering | 0 | 0.00% | |||
| Total votes | 5,815 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 2, 2010 | |||||
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 11,830 | 58.09% | ||
| Democratic | Jay Schmelling | 8,515 | 41.81% | ||
| Scattering | 21 | 0.10% | |||
| Plurality | 3,315 | 16.28% | +2.79% | ||
| Total votes | 20,366 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Wisconsin Senate (2012, 2016)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 6, 2012 | |||||
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 51,176 | 56.24% | +22.39% | |
| Democratic | Susan Sommer | 36,809 | 40.45% | −25.65% | |
| Independent | Paul O. Ehlers | 2,964 | 3.26% | ||
| Scattering | 45 | 0.05% | |||
| Plurality | 14,367 | 15.79% | -16.46% | ||
| Total votes | 90,994 | 100.0% | -29.34% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
U.S. House of Representatives (2020–present)
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican Primary Election, February 18, 2020 | |||||
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 43,714 | 57.44% | ||
| Republican | Jason Church | 32,339 | 42.50% | ||
| Republican | Michael Opela (write-in) | 18 | 0.02% | ||
| Scattering | 29 | 0.04% | |||
| Total votes | 76,100 | 100.0% | |||
| Special Election, May 12, 2020 | |||||
| Republican | Tom Tiffany | 109,592 | 57.22% | −2.89% | |
| Democratic | Tricia Zunker | 81,928 | 42.78% | +4.27% | |
| Plurality | 27,664 | 14.44% | -7.16% | ||
| Total votes | 191,520 | 100.0% | -40.68% | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Tiffany (incumbent) | 252,048 | 60.7 | |
| Democratic | Tricia Zunker | 162,741 | 39.2 | |
| Write-in | 218 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 415,007 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Tiffany (incumbent) | 209,224 | 61.8 | |
| Democratic | Richard Ausman | 128,877 | 38.1 | |
| Write-in | 167 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 338,268 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Tiffany (incumbent) | 273,553 | 63.6 | |
| Democratic | Kyle Kilbourn | 156,524 | 36.4 | |
| Write-in | 307 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 430,384 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
