Wisconsin Gubernatorial Primary Results
In a surprising turn of events during Wisconsin’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, backed by establishment figures, narrowly defeated socialist candidate Francesca Hong to secure the Democratic nomination.
With almost all votes tallied, it became clear that Crowley won by a margin of less than one percentage point.
Notably, he had stepped away from the tumultuous campaign on July 8, only to re-emerge shortly after to take the place of Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez after the race was canceled due to a financial scandal. Crowley ran with the backing of outgoing Governor Tony Evers, who had a hand in forcing Mandela Barnes to drop out amid scrutiny over his treatment of women.
This chain of events left Crowley as the sole option for the Democratic establishment in Wisconsin, especially in light of Hong’s controversial views.
Crowley’s professional background is almost entirely political. He began as a field staffer for former Senator Russ Feingold and later served in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Although he faced setbacks in previous campaigns, including an unsuccessful bid for a city government role in Milwaukee in 2016, he eventually won a state House seat and was elected County Executive in early 2020.
As County Executive, Crowley has demonstrated a tendency toward liberal fiscal policies. In 2023, he partnered with Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson to impose tax increases on county residents, resulting in Milwaukee having the highest total sales tax in the state at 7.9 percent.
Milwaukee County has dealt with considerable financial challenges, incurring a $47 million deficit partly due to overspending. Under Crowley’s leadership, the county enacted the largest property tax hike in two decades to help cover this gap, which cost $9.8 million from reserve funds.
Throughout his campaign, Crowley made efforts to appeal to the progressive faction within the state’s Democratic Party, asserting that he and Hong share similar policy views. He remarked, “To be honest, there aren’t that many policies that we actually differ on. I think one of the problems I used to have in all these forums is that they’re saying the exact same thing in different ways… The issue has nothing to do with policy. The issue should be who can make it happen,” responding to Hong’s proposals to cut funding for law enforcement and school choice programs.
Crowley’s official biography indicates his involvement with the ACLU and the Milwaukee NAACP, further underlining his political affiliations. He is set to face Republican Representative Tom Tiffany in the November general election.
