Milwaukee County executive David Crowley jumped back into Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor Saturday, just about three and a half weeks before the Aug. 11 election, ending a stretch that saw him drop out, endorse a rival, and then watch that rival’s campaign collapse under a finance scandal.
Crowley suspended his own campaign roughly a week earlier, on July 7, and backed lieutenant governor Sara Rodriguez. Rodriguez withdrew July 17 following scrutiny over inaccurate campaign finance reports and the firing of her campaign manager. Crowley’s return puts him back in a field that includes state Rep. Francesca Hong, former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes, State Senator Kelda Roys, and Joel Brennan, a Milwaukee nonprofit leader who previously served as Gov. Tony Evers’ Department of Administration secretary. The winner will face U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee, in November.
Crowley’s relaunch carried the added weight of an endorsement from Evers, who had stayed neutral in the primary until Saturday.
In an interview, Crowley described the decision to get back in as one made with his wife, Ericka, after days of pressure from supporters and Dem insiders as Rodriguez’s campaign finance woes came to light early last week, days before she actually dropped out.
“My wife was very explicit in our prayer to ask God to not be subtle, but give us an obvious sign,” Crowley said. “And so when Friday came around and the lieutenant governor dropped out, my wife called me up, and she’s the one who broke the news to me… My wife pressed on me and said, ‘David, I think it’s time that we get back into this race.’ And we had the conversation and made the decision to get back in.”
On the governor’s decision to endorse him, Crowley pointed to Evers’ two terms in office.
“The endorsement, quite honestly, it shows his confidence, not just in my leadership, but in my judgment, in my experience, that I’ll be able to bring more people to the table to make sure that when the tide rises here in the state of Wisconsin, all the boats rise,” he said.
Crowley said his platform hasn’t shifted since he first entered the race: investment in public schools, more accessible child care, expanding BadgerCare, repealing Act 10 and Wisconsin’s right-to-work law, and raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour. He argued his time running Milwaukee County sets him apart from the rest of the field heading into the final stretch.
“I’m the only candidate in this race that not only has written laws, from a legislative staffer standpoint and as a state representative, but I’m the only candidate that has actually run government,” Crowley said. “And I know that on day one, I’ll be ready.”
The other Democratic candidates offered a mixed response to Crowley’s return.
Hong, whose campaign has led or placed near the top of recent public polling, said she welcomed Crowley back into the race.
“Competition is good for democracy, and voters deserve a substantive debate about the future of our state,” Hong said in a statement. “Our campaign will remain focused on building the working-class coalition it will take to defeat Tom Tiffany and deliver permanent affordability for Wisconsin families.”
Responding to Evers’ endorsement of Crowley specifically, Hong said she respects the governor’s decision but added that “the real power belongs to Wisconsin voters, and they have made their preference clear, too.”
Barnes’ campaign was more pointed. Campaign manager Darby O’Connor said Crowley “left this race for a reason,” noting that he and his allies “spent nearly a million dollars but gained absolutely no traction and was stuck in the low single digits” in recent polls.
Brennan, reacting on social media after Evers’ endorsement was announced, struck a more measured tone: “I’m ready to go toe-to-toe with Tom Tiffany and win.”
Crowley, for his part, said his focus is on the general election rather than his primary opponents. “This isn’t about any of the other primary candidates,” he told reporters Saturday. “This is about making sure that we have the best candidate that can defeat Tom Tiffany and his extreme MAGA agenda.”
Recent Marquette University Law School polling has shown Hong and Barnes leading the Democratic field, with Crowley and Rodriguez each polling in the low single digits before Crowley’s exit. Undecided voters have consistently topped the field in that same polling, a dynamic Crowley pointed to as reason for optimism.
“When we look back at the polls that we have seen throughout this time, who has been leading is undecided voters,” Crowley said. “So we need to make sure that we don’t leave any stone unturned.”
