Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced Wednesday that he is ending his campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor of Wisconsin, narrowing the field to five candidates. Crowley will remain Milwaukee County Executive, a post he has held since 2020.
“When we launched this campaign, we set out to talk with people in every corner of Wisconsin about the future of this state, and that is exactly what we did,” Crowley said in a statement, adding that “people want leaders who show up, tell the truth, and get things done.”
Crowley said he was ending his bid because “it has become clear that I will not be the Democratic nominee for Governor,” but said he plans to keep working on the policy priorities he raised during the campaign, including affordability, child care costs, school funding and “clear paths to careers.” He said those issues do not “leave this race just because I do.”
He urged Democrats to unite behind whoever wins the nomination to defeat Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November, saying the party needs “a governor who will fight for working families, protect our natural resources, invest in our communities, and be beholden to the people of our state, not Donald Trump.”
Crowley’s exit comes a day after he took part in a candidate forum at The Black Business Hub on Madison’s South Side, hosted by Blacks for Political and Social Action of Dane County, where he and five other Democratic candidates fielded questions on racial disparities, health care, environmental justice and other issues. Read Madison365’s coverage of the forum.
The remaining Democratic candidates are Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, state Rep. Francesca Hong, state Sen. Kelda Roys, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and former Administration Secretary Joel Brennan. The primary election is August 11 and the winner will take on Tiffany on November 3.
Crowley made history in 2020 as the youngest person and first African American elected Milwaukee County Executive and was reelected in 2024.
