Reading Time: < 1 minute

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Wisconsin Republican running for governor, moved to reverse Democrat Joe Biden’s win over Republican Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Dec. 10, 2020: Signed a legal brief supporting Texas’ U.S. Supreme Court bid to overturn the results in Wisconsin and three other battleground states that backed Biden.

Jan. 5, 2021: Announced plans to vote against certifying the Electoral College results, claiming hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin votes were cast illegally, and later said he would have voted against certifying Wisconsin’s election results.

Jan. 6, 2021: Voted to object to counting electoral votes in Pennsylvania and Arizona, which supported Biden. 

May 18, 2026: Backed an FBI probe of Wisconsin’s 2020 election.

August 2026: Said he didn’t regret voting against certifying the election.

Sept. 4, 2026: Told Wisconsin Watch that Biden won but he still welcomes law enforcement investigations into Wisconsin’s 2020 election.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tom Tiffany among 106 House Republicans backing Texas lawsuit to overturn election
• U.S. Supreme Court: Motion for Leave to File Brief Amicus Curiae and Brief Amicus Curiae of U.S. Representative Mike Johnson and 125 Other Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in Support of Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave to File a Bill of Complaint and Motion for a Preliminary Injunction
• U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany: Tiffany to Object to Wisconsin Electors Amid Irregularities, Rule Violations
• Wisconsin Watch: Did potential Wisconsin US Senate candidate Tom Tiffany vote against certifying 2020 election results?
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tiffany backs FBI probe into 2020 vote, won't say whether Biden won
• Tom Tiffany campaign: Email

Did Tom Tiffany try to overturn the 2020 presidential election result? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: < 1 minute

In Wisconsin’s partisan primaries, like the one happening Aug. 11, voters must choose a party section and only vote for candidates within that column.

On a partisan primary ballot, voters must first select which party’s primary they want to vote in.

Instructions on Aug. 11 ballot templates explain that if voters mark a party at the start of the ballot, votes cast in any other party won’t be counted. 

If voters don’t make a party selection, then vote for candidates in more than one party, none of their votes will be counted.

State law requires polling places to prominently display these rules for partisan primaries.

So, if Republican voters want to strategically vote for a Democrat they think would lose to Tom Tiffany in the governor’s race Nov. 3, they forgo participating in GOP primaries for lieutenant governor, secretary of state and some state Legislature and congressional seats.

This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Wisconsin Elections Commission: Partisan primary
• Wisconsin Blue Book 2025-26: Elections in Wisconsin
• MyVote Wisconsin: What's on My Ballot
• Wisconsin Elections Commission: 2026 Partisan Primary Optical Scan Ballot
• Wisconsin State Legislature: Wis. Stat. 5.35(6)(b)
• Wisconsin Elections Commission: Election Law & Administration in Wisconsin: Effect of Crossover Voting at a Partisan Primary

Can you ‘cross over’ vote in multiple parties in a Wisconsin primary? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.