David Crowley (Wisconsin politician)

Crowley is a lifelong Milwaukee resident who grew up in a working-class family; he attended Bay View High School and later earned a bachelor’s degree in educational policy and community studies from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.⁠[1][2]

During the 2026 campaign he recalled that his family faced evictions when he was a child.⁠[3]

Before holding office, Crowley worked as a community justice coordinator at Urban Underground, as an aide to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, as policy director for state Senator Nikiya Harris Dodd, and as an African-American statewide organizer for former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold.⁠[2]

Crowley served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly for District 17 from 2017 to 2020, resigning on June 18, 2020, after being sworn in as Milwaukee County executive.⁠[2][3]

On April 7, 2020, Crowley defeated Chris Larson in the Milwaukee County executive election, 50.0% to 49.5%, and took office on May 4, 2020. He is the youngest county executive in Milwaukee County history and the first Black person elected to the position.⁠[2][1]

Crowley advocated for the bipartisan 2023 law Wisconsin Act 12, the first reform of the state’s local revenue-sharing structure in more than two decades, which allowed Milwaukee County to raise revenue, reform its pension system and preserve key services. In the 2026 campaign he cited the law as evidence that he can work with both parties.⁠[1][3]

On April 2, 2024, Crowley was re-elected Milwaukee County executive, defeating Ieshuh Griffin 84.5% to 14.9%, for a term ending in 2028.⁠[2][1]

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers chose not to seek a third term. In July 2026 Crowley briefly ended his campaign for governor, saying polling and fundraising showed momentum for Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez; after Rodriguez left the race, Crowley returned with Evers’s endorsement after a 10-day suspension.⁠[3][4]

In the August 11, 2026, Democratic primary for governor Crowley won with 39.8% of the vote to 39.3% for state Representative Francesca Hong and 7.5% for state Senator Kelda Roys, with former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan also in single digits. The Associated Press called the race for Crowley at 2:34 a.m. on August 12.⁠[2][3]

In the November 3, 2026, gubernatorial election Crowley faced the Republican nominee, U.S. Representative Tom TiffanyTom TiffanyTom Tiffany (Thomas P. Tiffany, born 1957) is an American Republican politician who has represented Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district in the U.S. House since May 2020, after serving in the Wisconsin State Assembly and State Senate. He was the Republican nominee for governor of Wisconsin in 2026.Open the full entry. The Associated Press declared Crowley the winner at 10:30 p.m. on November 3; at the time of the call Crowley had just over 1.2 million votes and Tiffany just over 1 million.⁠[4][2]

He is scheduled to take office as governor of Wisconsin on January 4, 2027.⁠[2]

As county executive Crowley led Milwaukee County’s first countywide strategic plan in 20 years, centered on racial equity and on becoming the healthiest county in Wisconsin; he has also worked to expand access to mental health care, address the opioid epidemic and treat housing as a public health issue.⁠[1]

He chairs the National Association of Counties’ Large Urban County Caucus.⁠[1]

In the 2026 governor’s race Crowley said he favored economic development to grow the tax base, expanding the state’s BadgerCare health program and regulating data-center development; he opposed a proposed 190-mile transmission line and criticized Tiffany’s vote for the “Big Beautiful Bill,” saying it cut federal safety-net funding.⁠[4]

David Crowley for Wisconsin: Official website: https://www.crowleyforwi.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[5]

X: Public account: https://x.com/DavidCCrowley (opens in a new window).⁠[5]