Tom Tiffany
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 |
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 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. 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]
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.[7] Tiffany was sworn in on May 19, 2020.[8] 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[9] 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.[10][11][12] 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.[13] Representative Scott L. Fitzgerald joined Tiffany in this objection.[14]
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.[15]
Foreign policy
Tiffany was one of 49 House Republicans who voted to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.[16][17]
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."[18] Since being elected to the House, Tiffany has introduced legislation in every session to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan.[19][20][21] 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.[22][23]
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.[24][25]
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.[26]
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.[27] The Department of Transportation under Joe Biden granted $1B to this project.[28]
Tiffany has introduced a bill to raise the status of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore into a national park.[29]
Debt ceiling
Tiffany was among 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[30]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Republican Study Committee[32]
- Congressional Dairy Farmer Caucus[31]
- Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus[31]
- Freedom Caucus[33][34]
- Congressional Taiwan Caucus[35]
- Congressional Western Caucus[36]
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.[37] All of Tiffany's Republican colleagues from Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives have endorsed him.[38][39][40][41][42]
Personal life
Tiffany and his wife, Christine, have three children.[4]
Tiffany is a Protestant.[43]
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 | ||||
References
- ^ "Senator Thomas Tiffany". Wisconsin State Legislature. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ a b Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (2019). "Elected Officials: Legislature". Wisconsin Blue Book 2019-2010 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-7333817-0-3. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Andrea, Lawrence (September 23, 2025). "U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany enters the 2026 race for Wisconsin governor, 3rd Republican in the field". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
- ^ a b "Biography". Tom Tiffany for Assembly. Archived from the original on August 7, 2010 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b c "Tom Tiffany will seek northern Senate post". Antigo Daily Journal. March 29, 2012. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2020 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ Kirkby, Sean (November 7, 2012). "Republicans Take State Senate". The Badger Herald. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Schulte, Laura (February 18, 2020). "Tricia Zunker and Tom Tiffany advance to May special election for Wisconsin 7th Congressional District". Wausau Daily Herald. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- ^ Poltrock, Heather (May 19, 2020). "Tom Tiffany sworn in to U.S. House of Representatives". WSAW. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Chang, Alvin (January 7, 2021). "The long list of Republicans who voted to reject election results". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Bauer, Scott (January 7, 2021). "GOP Reps. Tiffany, Fitzgerald object to certifying Biden win". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ Grayer, Annie; Diaz, Danielle (June 16, 2021). "Congress passes bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday". CNN. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
- ^ "House votes to repeal 2002 Iraq War authorization". NBC News. June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ "Final vote results for roll call 172". clerk.house.gov. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- ^ "2023-1221: U.S. Must End Its "One China" Policy: Rep. Tom Tiffany; Taiwan Retains No.1 in Asia on Freedom Index; U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan". Formosan Association for Public Affairs. December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ "H. CON. RES" (PDF). Congress.gov. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ "H. CON. RES. 21" (PDF). Congress.gov. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
- ^ "H. CON. RES" (PDF). Congress.gov. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
- ^ "US House passes Taiwan WHO participation bill". Taipei Times. September 14, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ Everington, Keoni (June 28, 2024). "Congress approves amendment lifting limits between US, Taiwan officials". Taiwan News. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023". March 8, 2023. Archived from the original on September 19, 2024. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ "House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria". Associated Press. March 8, 2023. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ Metzger, Bryan (March 19, 2024). "These 9 House Republicans voted against a resolution condemning the Russian abduction of Ukrainian children". businessinsider.com.
- ^ Klobuchar, Amy; et al. (September 27, 2023). "Letter to President Biden Regarding Blatnik Bridge Replacement" (PDF). U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
- ^ "More than $1 billion awarded to Minnesota, Wisconsin bridge". Associated Press. January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ "H.R. 5497 — Apostle Islands National Park and Preserve Act". Congress.gov. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
- ^ Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Committees and Caucuses". Representative Tom Tiffany. July 1, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
- ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. December 6, 2017. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ Bowman, Bridget (February 11, 2020), Outside groups flock to Wisconsin race to replace Sean Duffy, Roll Call, archived from the original on November 25, 2020, retrieved May 20, 2020
- ^ Kapur, Sahil; Scott Wong (August 27, 2025). "Hard-right Freedom Caucus could be gutted as key members run for new jobs in 2026". NBC News. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
- ^ "Congressional Taiwan Caucus". Congressman Brad Sherman. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
- ^ "Caucus Memberships". Congressional Western Caucus. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ "Trump endorses Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin's open race for governor". AP News. January 28, 2026. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "Tiffany campaign: Congressman Scott Fitzgerald endorses Tom Tiffany's campaign for governor". WisPolitics. September 30, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ "Tiffany campaign: Congressman Glenn Grothman officially endorses Tiffany's run for governor". WisPolitics. October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
- ^ "Tiffany campaign: Congressman Bryan Steil endorses Tom Tiffany's gubernatorial run". WisPolitics. December 19, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ^ "Tiffany campaign: Tiffany campaign: Congressman Derrick Van Orden endorses Tom Tiffany's gubernatorial run". WisPolitics. October 16, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ "Tiffany campaign: Congressman Tony Wied formally endorses Tom Tiffany for governor". WisPolitics. September 25, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ^ Religious affiliation of members of 118th Congress (PDF) (Report). Pew Research Center. January 3, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ Results of Fall Primary Election - 09/14/2004 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 10, 2004. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Results of Fall General Election - 11/02/2004 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 1, 2004. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Fall General Election - 11/04/2008 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 24, 2008. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ 2010 Partisan Primary (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. October 4, 2010. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ 2010 General Election (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 1, 2010. pp. 17–18. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election - 11/6/2012 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 26, 2012. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 21, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2020 Spring Primary - 2/18/2020 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. March 3, 2020. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Schulte, Laura; Stringer, Megan (May 12, 2020). "7th Congressional District: Republican Tom Tiffany wins seat held by former Rep. Sean Duffy, beating out Tricia Zunker". Wausau Daily Herald. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ "Canvass Results for 2020 General Election" (PDF). Wisconsin Elections Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "Canvass Results for 2022 General Election" (PDF). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 30, 2022. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 15, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
- ^ "County by County Report 2024 General Election" (PDF). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 27, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
External links
- Congressman Tom Tiffany official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Tom Tiffany at Wisconsin Legislature
- Tom Tiffany at Ballotpedia
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN