Tom Tiffany (Republican) and David Crowley (Democrat) are the candidates for governor of Wisconsin in the November 3, 2026 general election. Semblen has analyzed 51 ads in this race; 39 used at least one manipulation technique, most often loaded language and name calling.
Tom Tiffany (REP), David Crowley (DEM). On the ballot as listed by Ballotpedia. 51 ads analyzed, 39 with at least one technique in the copy. Newest first. The paid-for-by line is the advertiser's own filing. Updated 2026-10-08.
As of 2026-10-08. Counts are of distinct ads; the same text run many times is one ad.
A small box with these findings and the newest ads, updated as new ads are analyzed. Free for newsrooms, blogs and campaigns alike; it links back here.
An email when new ads come in from either side or the outside groups: the techniques, the words doing the work, and who paid. And each debate's analysis the morning after. One-click unsubscribe.
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Each side is the campaign plus the groups backing it. How a group is placed is explained below the table.
| Side | Ads | With at least one technique | Most common |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiffany (R) | 17 | 14 of 17 (82%) | Loaded Language (12), Appeal to Prejudice (9), Name Calling (9) |
| All from the campaign; no ads here from groups placed on this side. | |||
| Crowley (D) | 11 | 8 of 11 (73%) | Loaded Language (6), Name Calling (6), Appeal to Fear (4) |
| Crowley's campaign | 10 | 7 of 10 (70%) | Loaded Language (6), Name Calling (5), Appeal to Fear (4) |
| 1 group backing Crowley | 1 | 1 of 1 | False Urgency (1), Name Calling (1) |
| Not placed on a side (6 sponsors) | 23 | 17 of 23 (74%) | Loaded Language (9), Appeal to Fear (8), Black-and-White Fallacy (7) |
Read this before comparing the sides. Ads that attack an opponent use these techniques far more often than ads that introduce a candidate, whoever runs them, so the side running more attack ads shows a higher share. A technique is about wording, not about whether an ad is true. These are online ads only (Meta and YouTube), not television.
| Paid for by | Side | Ads | With at least one technique | Most common |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiffany for Wisconsin | Tiffanythe campaign | 16 | 13 of 16 (81%) | Loaded Language (11), Appeal to Prejudice (8), Name Calling (8) |
| Restoration of America | — | 13 | 11 of 13 (85%) | Appeal to Fear (6), Loaded Language (6), Black-and-White Fallacy (5) |
| Crowley for Wisconsin | Crowleythe campaign | 9 | 6 of 9 | Loaded Language (6), Name Calling (5), Appeal to Fear (4) |
| Forward Solutions LLC | — | 6 | 4 of 6 | Appeal to Fear (2), Loaded Language (2), Appeal to Prejudice (1) |
| Chamber of Mothers - Wisconsin Chapter | — | 1 | 1 of 1 | Appeal to Prejudice (1) |
| David Crowley for Wisconsin | Crowleythe campaign | 1 | 1 of 1 | Exaggeration/Hyperbole (1), Glittering Generalities (1) |
| DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF WISCONSIN | Crowleythe party's own committee | 1 | 1 of 1 | False Urgency (1), Name Calling (1) |
| Hunter Nation, Inc. | — | 1 | 0 of 1 | |
| Ray For Wisconsin | — | 1 | 0 of 1 | |
| Tom Tiffany | Tiffanythe campaign | 1 | 1 of 1 | Appeal to Fear (1), Appeal to Prejudice (1), Black-and-White Fallacy (1) |
| Zimmerman for WI | — | 1 | 1 of 1 | Appeal to Prejudice (1), Black-and-White Fallacy (1), Card Stacking (1) |
How a group is placed: by its own filings with the Federal Election Commission. A group is with a candidate when it reported spending to support that candidate, or to oppose the other one in the general election. The parties' own committees are with their nominee. Spending against a candidate in a primary places a group nowhere, and neither does our reading of its ads: a group with no such filing is listed as not placed. The sponsor table gives the reason for each.
Not everyone would call every technique manipulation. Untick the ones you'd call ordinary persuasion and the count updates.
76% of the 51 ads here use at least one of the techniques ticked below (39 ads).
Leaving out the softer ones (loaded language, glittering generalities, slogans, exaggeration, repetition): 69% of ads.
The words that show up most in phrases our model flagged as loaded language or name calling in this race's ads, by number of ads.
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Candidates for governor report their fundraising to Wisconsin's state campaign-finance office, not the FEC. This page doesn't cover those reports yet, so it shows no money figures.
51 ads, newest first. Video transcripts are shown as the model read them, without caption cues like [music].
Showing the 9 ads paid for by Crowley for Wisconsin. Show all 51 ads
Thank you, President Obama, for your kind words. I am deeply honored to have your support in this race to be Wisconsin’s next Governor.
If you don’t have a seat at the table, then you’re on the menu.
I don't know if you've heard but billionaires are trying to buy this election for Tom Tiffany. But money power is no match for people power. On November 3rd, we're going to show up at the polls and prove that WI won't be bought.
Loaded Language: The phrase 'buy this election' uses emotionally charged language implying corruption and illegitimacy rather than neutral description of campaign financing — for example: buy this election
Appeal to Fear: The claim that billionaires are trying to 'buy' the election creates anxiety about democratic integrity being undermined, implying a dire threat to fair elections — for example: billionaires are trying to buy this election
Scapegoating: Billionaires as a class are singled out as the source of electoral corruption, assigning blame to a specific group for a complex systemic issue — for example: billionaires are trying to buy this election
Appeal to Prejudice: The phrase 'we're going to show up' invokes in-group identity, implying a unified 'us' (Wisconsin voters) standing against outside money or influence — for example: WI won't be bought
An email when new ads come in from either side or the outside groups: the techniques, the words doing the work, and who paid. And each debate's analysis the morning after. One-click unsubscribe.
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Tom Tiffany and the billionaires backing him are trying to buy this election, but Wisconsinites can’t be bought.
Loaded Language: The phrase 'buy this election' uses emotionally charged language implying corruption and illegitimacy — for example: buy this election
Appeal to Prejudice: Contrasts 'billionaires' as an out-group with 'Wisconsinites' as an in-group to foster local identity and resentment — for example: Wisconsinites can't be bought
Scapegoating: Blames billionaires as a singular group for attempting to corrupt the democratic process — for example: the billionaires backing him are trying to buy this election
Name Calling: Uses 'billionaires' as a derogatory label to discredit Tom Tiffany by association rather than addressing policy — for example: the billionaires backing him
FACT: MAGA billionaires love Tom Tiffany. Why? Because they know that if he wins, Trump’s MAGA agenda will infect Wisconsin for years to come and continue to line their own pockets. MAGA billionaires and dark money groups are spending millions of dollars to buy the Wisconsin Governor’s seat. We can’t let that happen. 🟦 I’m David Crowley, and I’m running for Governor of Wisconsin to put people, not billionaires, first. If we’re going to win this seat, we need the resources in order to compete in this race. Will you chip in just $10 right now to help keep the Wisconsin Governor’s seat blue?
Name Calling: The label 'MAGA billionaires' is a derogatory compound label used to discredit both the donors and by association Tom Tiffany, rather than addressing any substantive argument — for example: MAGA billionaires
Loaded Language: The term 'MAGA billionaires' combines a politically charged acronym with a class-resentment trigger word to provoke an emotional reaction rather than convey neutral facts — for example: MAGA billionaires love Tom Tiffany
Conspiracy Appeal: The phrase implies hidden self-interested motives ('line their own pockets') suggesting a shadowy coordinated scheme among unnamed actors — for example: 'continue to line their own pockets'
False Urgency: The phrase 'We can't let that happen' creates an immediate imperative, pressuring the audience to act without deliberation — for example: We can't let that happen
Appeal to Fear: The sentence implies a dire, imminent threat to democratic governance that must be stopped, designed to provoke anxiety and compel a response — for example: We can't let that happen
My race for Governor of Wisconsin could not be closer. And my opponent, Tom Tiffany, told his supporters that their campaign could not be outspent. Why? Because he has MAGA billionaires and dark money groups supporting his campaign. We’re only a few weeks away from Election Day and every dollar spent against us reaches undecided voters who will decide this neck-and-neck race. Help me send a message to MAGA Republicans: Wisconsin can’t be bought. Will you chip in just $10 today to offset billionaire spending and prove we won’t hand the Governor’s seat over to the highest bidder? →
Name Calling: The label 'MAGA Republicans' is used as a derogatory identifier to discredit the opposing group rather than address their policy positions — for example: MAGA Republicans
Appeal to Prejudice: The phrase 'Wisconsin can't be bought' invokes in-group identity and pride to rally residents against an out-group framing — for example: Wisconsin can't be bought
Appeal to Fear: The warning about 'billionaire spending' and handing the Governor's seat to 'the highest bidder' creates anxiety about plutocratic takeover to compel a donation — for example: hand the Governor's seat over to the highest bidder
Loaded Language: Words like 'billionaire spending' and 'highest bidder' are emotionally charged to trigger resentment and urgency rather than convey neutral facts — for example: highest bidder
David Crowley here. With only a few weeks til Election Day, my campaign is doing everything we can to reach voters all across Wisconsin. But how many doors we can knock, how many ads we can air, and how much mail we can send directly correlates to how much support my campaign has. → Tom Tiffany’s campaign is funded by MAGA billionaires and dark money groups who are trying to buy the seat for him. → My campaign is funded by grassroots donations from the people: the ones who should truly be deciding who wins this seat. Please, chip in whatever you can today to help us reach more voters before it’s too late!
Name Calling: The label 'MAGA billionaires' is a derogatory political label used to discredit the opponent's funding sources rather than address policy — for example: MAGA billionaires
Loaded Language: The phrase 'dark money groups' is emotionally charged language designed to trigger suspicion and distrust rather than convey neutral factual information — for example: dark money groups
Conspiracy Appeal: The claim that shadowy billionaires and dark money groups are 'trying to buy the seat' implies a hidden sinister plot to subvert democratic outcomes — for example: trying to buy the seat for him
Appeal to Prejudice: The phrase 'the people: the ones who should truly be deciding' invokes an in-group identity of authentic, legitimate voters to contrast with the implied illegitimate out-group funding the opponent — for example: the people: the ones who should truly be deciding
Glittering Generalities: 'Grassroots donations from the people' uses vague, emotionally positive language to imply democratic virtue and authenticity without substantive detail — for example: grassroots donations from the people
Black-and-White Fallacy: The sentence implicitly frames the election as a binary choice between corrupt billionaire money and pure grassroots democracy, ignoring the complexity of campaign finance — for example: the ones who should truly be deciding who wins this seat
MAGA billionaires and dark money groups are pouring millions of dollars into electing Tom Tiffany because they think Wisconsin is for sale. I’m David Crowley, and I’m running for Governor of Wisconsin to put Wisconsinites first. But I don’t have MAGA billionaires or dark money groups supporting my campaign, and with Election Day just a few weeks away, we can’t afford to miss a single fundraising goal. Please, will you rush $10 right now to help us keep MAGA Republicans OUT of Wisconsin? →
Name Calling: The label 'MAGA billionaires' is a derogatory political label used to discredit donors rather than address their arguments — for example: MAGA billionaires
Loaded Language: The phrase 'dark money groups' uses emotionally charged language to trigger suspicion and negative associations rather than neutrally describing outside spending groups — for example: dark money groups
Conspiracy Appeal: The framing implies a shadowy, coordinated effort by wealthy hidden actors to secretly purchase political outcomes, invoking the idea of sinister behind-the-scenes manipulation — for example: pouring millions of dollars into electing Tom Tiffany because they think Wisconsin is for sale
False Urgency: The phrase 'rush $10 right now' creates artificial time pressure to prevent deliberation and prompt immediate action — for example: rush $10 right now
Appeal to Fear: The framing of keeping a group 'OUT of Wisconsin' implies a threatening invasion or takeover that must be stopped, creating anxiety to drive action — for example: keep MAGA Republicans OUT of Wisconsin
I’m sick of filming political ads – just as much as you’re sick of seeing them 😅 So trust me when I say that these ads are important. Political ads work, and with only a few weeks until Election Day, I need your help to reach as many undecided voters as possible. When you donate to this ad, you help my team knock on doors, send out mail, and run ads that will reach the voters who will decide this tied race for Governor. If you could chip in whatever you can today, it would give my campaign the resources we need to win this seat and keep Wisconsin blue. Can I count on you?
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