Former GOP governor: ‘Wisconsin is a blue state’

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) declared the Badger State blue in a post-election interview Wednesday, pointing to recent statewide defeats for the GOP — including in its gubernatorial race.

“Wisconsin is no longer a purple state,” Thompson told Wisconsin Public Radio. “We haven’t won a statewide race for a long time. Wisconsin is a blue state, and it was before I got elected governor. And it’s gone back to that.”

Thompson was first elected in 1986 and served for four terms — making him the longest-serving governor in the state’s history. While the former governor won his race by wide margins, this year’s GOP candidate, Rep. Tom Tiffany, lost the race to Democrat David Crowley by 8 points on election night.

Republicans have won statewide races in Wisconsin in recent years — notably President Trump’s wins in 2016 and 2018 as well as Sen. Ron Johnson’s 2016 and 2022 victories. Thompson wrote the GOP’s recent success off as an anomaly, pointing to races for state supreme court that conservative-aligned candidates lost by wide margins.

“Trump was an aberration, but Wisconsin is still a blue state,” Thompson said. “You guys have got to realize that. And nobody can convince me this is a purple state anymore when you lose the supreme court justices by 15, 20 percent … and you lose the governorship by 8 points.”2

A conservative-aligned justice has not won election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court since 2019, and liberal-aligned candidates have claimed clear victories in 2020, 2023, 2025 and, most recently, a 20-point victory in 2026. In some cases, the races have received outsized attention, such as when Elon Musk poured $25 million into the contest in 2025 to support conservative candidates, but liberal-leaning Susan Crawford ended up winning by 10 points.

Though Wisconsin’s presidential races have remained close. Excluding former President Obama’s two races, where he carried the state easily, no presidential candidate has received a majority of the vote while winning Wisconsin since Michael Dukakis in 1988. In the last three presidential elections, the winning candidate claimed victory by less than one point.

Going forward, Thompson said the GOP needs to “rebuild,” arguing state Republicans have ignored Dane County — which includes the state’s capital, Madison — and Milwaukee County, two of the most populous and bluest counties in the state.

“I probably am the only Republican that’s ever carried Dane County when I was governor, and I carried Milwaukee County twice. And that’s because I spent a heck of a lot of time there,” Thompson said.

“If you want to overlook these counties you’re never gonna win,” he added. “Simple as that.”