Trending
Wisconsin primary voters today will help decide the candidates for governor and U.S. Congressional seats that advance to the general election Nov. 3.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. No elected positions in Florence or Marinette counties have primary opposition, but the federal races do.
The Democratic candidates for governor include --
-- Joel Brennan, 56, making his first run for public office but previously was secretary of the Department of Administration during Gov. Tony Evers’ first term. He stepped down in December as president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee to run for governor.
-- David Crowley, 40, has been Milwaukee County executive since 2020, after seven years in the state Assembly. He dropped out of the race July 8 to back state Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, only to resume his campaign -- with Evers’ endorsement -- when Rodriguez quit 10 days later over mishandling of campaign finances.
-- Francesca Hong, 37, is a chef, former restaurant owner and democratic socialist lawmaker who has represented her liberal Madison district in the state Assembly for about six years. Polls have shown her as leading in the race.
-- Kelda Roys, 47, is a state senator representing Madison who has spent about nine years in the Legislature, including time in the Assembly. She also is an attorney, the founder of a real estate tech company and previously led NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin.
On the Republican side, four-term U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany of the Minoqua/Hazelhurst area is being opposed by Andy Manske of Greenfield near Milwaukee.
Tiffany, 68, previously served in the state Assembly and state Senate before winning a special election in the 7th U.S. Congressional District in 2020. Manske, 27, is a medical service technician making his first run for public office.
Five Republicans and three Democrats are vying to replace Tiffany for the open 7th U.S. Congressional District.
The Republicans are --
-- Michael Alfonso, 26, of Hayward, is a newcomer to politics who is married to Evita Duffy, the daughter of former district U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, now U.S. secretary of transportation. He has Trump's endorsement. He said during a July 7 debate that he currently is an accountant for the Diocese of Superior and also worked as a producer for "The Dan Bongino Show."
-- Niina Baum, 31, of the Town of Crescent, is owner of Valo Media, a marketing agency. She co-founded Northwoods Young Professionals, which aims to retain talent in rural Wisconsin. She is also a musher, and the owner of Sled Dog Central, an online platform for mushers.
-- Jessi Ebben, 36, of Stanley, lists her occupation as manufacturing strategist who previously worked in rural health care across northwest Wisconsin.
-- Kevin Hermening, 66, of Wausau, is a certified financial planner for Hermening Financial Group but is perhaps best known for, as a U.S. Marine, being among the Americans taken prisoner by Iranian terrorists in 1979 and held captive for 444 days. He was a past Mosinee School Board member, with several years as board president, and Republican Party of Marathon County chairman for 24 years.
-- Don Raihala, 57, of Superior, is a construction contractor. This is his fourth time running for the 7th District seat; he previously ran for mayor of Duluth.
On the Democratic side are --
-- Chris Armstrong, 60, of New Richmond, has owned a small IT industry business for 30 years, with offices in Hudson and New Richmond. A community organizer, he founded the New Richmond chapter of Indivisible, which works against the "rise of authoritarianism," according to its website.
-- Fred Clark, 67, of Bayfield, worked in forestry and as a land manager, according to his campaign website. He was a Wisconsin Assembly member from 2009 to 2015. He was appointed to the Natural Resources Board in 2019 but stepped down to avoid a conflict of interest, as he was executive director of the environmental group Wisconsin's Green Fire until 2025.
-- Ginger Murray, 56, of New Lisbon, was appointed Crandon city attorney in 2001 and later elected, and was a circuit court commissioner in Forest and Oneida counties. She also served as Laona’s town attorney. She is board chairperson and the lead family law attorney at Your Family Law Center.
In the region, the 7th Congressional District includes all of Florence, Forest, Oneida and Iron counties.
In the 8th Congressional District, which includes Marinette County, 50-year-old Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Wied of De Pere is unopposed on the Republican side. He came into office in November 2024, after U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher resigned.
On the Democratic side, the candidates are --
-- Rick Crosson, 68, a former Green Bay School Board member. He was in the U.S. Army for 20 years before retiring as a lieutenant colonel and a master U.S. Army aviator, then worked running large transportation and logistics.
-- Katrina deVille, 50, of the Neenah area, is a professional musician who has campaigned on being a political outsider and democratic socialist.
-- Mark Scheffler, 57, of Appleton, is a former wealth adviser in the Fox Valley area who's billed himself as a progressive independent.
The 8th Congressional District also includes Green Bay, Door County and the Fox Valley area. It has not elected a Democratic representative since 2008, when U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen won the seat before losing in 2010 to Republican Reid Ribble.