Dem gubernatorial candidates David Crowley and Tom Tiffany are up with new TV ads as they make their closing pitches to voters ahead of next week’s election with the race on pace to set a new spending record.

According to AdImpact, Tiffany and his backers have spent $60.8 million on paid media between the Aug. 11 primary and the election, compared to $41.8 million by Crowley and his backers. For the final two weeks, Tiffany and Republicans had $12.3 million in reservations, compared to $9.3 million on the Dem side.

For the full campaign, AdImpact has tracked more than $125 million in paid media alone.

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign tallied more than $164 million in spending in 2022.

In his new ad, Crowley charges Tiffany “sold out Wisconsin” and is part of “corrupt Washington.”

The spot, which began running Friday, opens with him driving as he says “we’re all getting less, even if you are making more.” He says Tiffany has “voted with Trump 100% of the time” and against releasing the Epstein files, calling it “corrupt Washington.”

Crowley says he balanced the budget and cut property taxes before closing the ad, “Tom Tiffany sold out Wisconsin. I’ll make it more affordable.”

AdImpact hadn’t yet tracked Tiffany’s new spot, which includes a hit on Crowley over an answer he gave in last week’s debate expressing an openness to tolling in Wisconsin.

The narrator says Crowley will raise income, property and sales taxes and now wants “toll roads across Wisconsin costing you more just to drive to work or the grocery store.”

The narrator closes the spot, “Another way to take your hard-earned money. We can’t afford David Crowley.”

Meanwhile, the Republican Governors Association is up with a new ad that accuses Crowley of “funneling tens of millions of tax dollars to his wife’s employer.”

The narrator in the new ad from the RGA’s Right Direction Wisconsin affiliate says Crowley has overseen higher sales and property taxes and “still has major financial issues.” The narrator adds now it’s been learned that Crowley has funneled millions to the employer of his wife, who “got a nice promotion” while “taxpayers got the bill.” The narrator closes the spot, “David Crowley, untrustworthy, unfit to be governor.”

The RGA has spent $17.9 million on independent expenditures in the governor’s race since mid-July, according to its filing with the state.

And a new slate of ads batter Tom Tiffany for his ties to Donald Trump and the president’s agenda. 

The Dem-aligned Wisconsin Ideas Project began running five new spots last week that target the GOP gubernatorial candidate for his votes on issues like healthcare spending, the Iran War and the Epstein files. 

The spots are set to run on YouTube and Meta’s platforms through Election Day, per a committee spokesperson. 

The closing ads are:

*A 15-second spot and 30-second spot that say “when Donald Trump calls, Tom Tiffany answers,” and highlight Tiffany’s votes in support of continuing the Iran War, cutting healthcare costs and protecting the president’s tariff policy. 

*A 30-second spot that, in tongue-in-cheek fashion, compares Wisconinites’ military service to Tiffany’s move “to bravely vote with Trump 100% of the time” to raise healthcare premiums, cut taxes for billionaires, block the release of the Epstein files, and go to war with Iran. 

*A 15-second spot and 30-second spot that tie Tiffany’s vote to cut healthcare spending and reduce taxes on the very wealthy to three billionaires’ financial support for his campaign. 

The group is also running a vertical short crediting Dem guv candidate David Crowley with negotiating the deal to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee until 2050.