Tom Tiffany Bio
Thomas P. Tiffany (born December 30, 1957) is an American businessman and Republican politician who has served as the United States Representative for Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district since 2020. A Wisconsin native raised on a dairy farm, Tiffany worked in petroleum distribution and small business before entering public office in north-central Wisconsin. He is known for conservative positions on national security, foreign policy, and U.S. relations with Taiwan, and he has represented the Badger State in the State Assembly, the State Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. In September 2025, Tiffany announced a campaign for governor of Wisconsin for the 2026 election.
Early Life and Background
Thomas P. Tiffany was born in Wabasha, Minnesota, and raised on a dairy farm near Elmwood in Pierce County, Wisconsin. He grew up in a large family with five brothers and two sisters, an upbringing that shaped his lifelong ties to rural Wisconsin. Tiffany graduated from Elmwood High School in 1976 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls in 1980.
His agricultural background and education informed his early professional path, which centered on rural commerce and energy distribution across the Upper Midwest. Tiffany remained in the region after college, taking on management roles that prepared him for a future in business and public service.
Path to US Politics
Before entering politics, Thomas P. Tiffany managed the petroleum division of a farm cooperative in Plainview, Minnesota. In 1988, he moved to Minocqua, Wisconsin, to manage petroleum distribution for Zenker Oil Company. Since 1991, he and his wife, Christine, have operated an excursion business on the Willow Flowage, building deep roots in northern Wisconsin’s tourism economy.
Tiffany’s entry into elected office began at the local level when he served as Town Supervisor of Little Rice, Wisconsin, from 2009 to 2013. He also served as an appointed member of the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation. In 2004 and 2008, he ran for the 12th district seat in the Wisconsin State Senate, narrowly losing both races to sitting incumbents. These early campaigns established him as a persistent grassroots candidate in northeastern Wisconsin politics.
Tom Tiffany Career
Early Career (2010–2012)
In 2010, Thomas P. Tiffany ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly after incumbent Donald Friske retired. He won the Republican primary and defeated Democratic nominee Jay Schmelling in the general election, taking 58.09 percent of the vote to Schmelling’s 41.81 percent. The victory launched his tenure in the Wisconsin State Assembly representing a northeastern Wisconsin district.
In 2012, Tiffany chose not to seek reelection to the Assembly and instead set his sights on the Wisconsin State Senate after Senator Jim Holperin announced he would not run again. He won the seat by defeating Democrat Susan Sommer, 56 percent to 40 percent, marking his transition from the lower chamber to the upper chamber of the Wisconsin Legislature.
Wisconsin Senate Breakthrough (2012–2020)
Thomas P. Tiffany served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 2013 to 2020, representing the northeast region of the state. He built a reputation as a conservative voice on fiscal and regulatory issues, frequently engaging with constituents in rural communities across his district. His Senate tenure made him one of the more recognizable Republican figures in northern Wisconsin politics.
Tiffany’s Senate career positioned him as a leading candidate for higher office. By 2019, he had spent nearly a decade in the Wisconsin Legislature and was ready to compete for a seat in the United States Congress.
U.S. House of Representatives Era (2020–Present)
Following the September 2019 resignation of Representative Sean Duffy, Thomas P. Tiffany announced his candidacy in the special election to represent Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district. He won the February 18 Republican primary and defeated Wausau attorney Tricia Zunker in the May 12 special election. Tiffany was sworn in on May 19, 2020, becoming the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district.
Later that year, he defeated Zunker again in a November rematch, this time earning 60.7 percent of the vote. In December 2020, Tiffany was one of 126 House Republicans to sign an amicus brief supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania, a case challenging the 2020 presidential election results, and he was among 120 House members who objected to counting electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania. In June 2021, he was one of 14 House Republicans to vote against legislation establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, and the next day he was one of 49 House Republicans who voted to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq.
Throughout his tenure, Tiffany has championed closer U.S. ties with Taiwan. In 2023, he authored an op-ed in The Washington Times calling for an end to what he described as a tired charade in U.S.–Taiwan policy, and he has introduced legislation in every congressional session to establish formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. In 2024, his legislation supporting Taiwan’s full participation at the World Health Organization and restricting State Department enforcement of restrictions on high-level communications with Taiwanese officials both passed Congress. In 2023, he was among 47 Republicans who voted for H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days, and among 71 Republicans who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. On March 19, 2024, he was one of nine Republicans to vote against a House resolution condemning Russia’s abductions of Ukrainian children during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Thomas P. Tiffany’s signature moments in Congress are his winning a hotly contested special election in 2020 and quickly establishing himself as a leading Republican voice on foreign policy in the Upper Midwest. His repeated legislative efforts on Taiwan have made him a prominent congressional advocate on U.S.–Taiwan relations.
Tom Tiffany Career Wins
Thomas P. Tiffany has built a record of electoral victories spanning more than a decade in Wisconsin and federal politics, beginning with his 2010 State Assembly win and continuing through his 2020 congressional victories.
U.S. House of Representatives Highlights
Tiffany’s first congressional victory came in the May 12, 2020 special election, when he defeated Tricia Zunker to claim Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district seat. He cemented that win in the November 3, 2020 general election, defeating Zunker in a rematch with 60.7 percent of the vote. He has since held the seat and continued to represent the district.
Other Wins & Achievements
Beyond his federal victories, Tiffany won election to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2010 and to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2012, serving in the latter chamber for two terms. He has also built a record of legislative accomplishments on Taiwan policy, with two bills related to Taiwan’s international participation and U.S. communications with Taiwanese officials passing Congress in 2024.
Tom Tiffany Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Thomas P. Tiffany was raised on a dairy farm near Elmwood, Wisconsin, in a large family with five brothers and two sisters. His rural agricultural roots shaped his early career in farm cooperatives and petroleum distribution across the Upper Midwest.
Personal Life
Thomas P. Tiffany is married to his wife, Christine (Sully), and the couple has three children. The family lives in northern Wisconsin, where they have operated an excursion business on the Willow Flowage since 1991. Tiffany is a Protestant.