David Crowley wins Wisconsin governor’s race, becoming state’s first Black governor

Democrat David Crowley won Wisconsin’s governor’s race, defeating Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany and becoming the first Black person elected to lead the state. The Milwaukee County executive’s victory keeps the governor’s office under Democratic control as two-term Gov. Tony Evers leaves office.

Crowley, 40, is also the youngest person elected Wisconsin governor in nearly a century, NBC News reported. His win followed a narrow Democratic primary victory and a general-election campaign in which Tiffany held a substantial financial advantage.

Crowley centered his campaign on lowering costs for working families, including childcare, health care and housing. He proposed increased state spending to address those expenses and emphasized protecting Medicaid funding and affordable housing. He also promised to bring more jobs to Wisconsin and described himself as a “deal-maker” willing to work across party lines.

At a campaign stop at the Walworth County Fair, Crowley acknowledged the significance of becoming Wisconsin’s first Black governor. “But I’m running to be a governor for all of us,” he said, according to NPR. “And it doesn’t matter what zipcodes you live in, who you love, or where you come from. I want to make sure that we can move our entire state forward.”

Crowley drew on his childhood in a poor Milwaukee neighborhood, where his family experienced poverty and homelessness and his parents struggled with addiction. He later worked as a community organizer and political aide, served in the state Assembly and was elected Milwaukee County executive in 2020.

Tiffany, who represents a largely rural northern Wisconsin congressional district, was endorsed by President Donald Trump. Crowley’s ads linked Tiffany to the president and argued that Tiffany’s support for Trump’s agenda had raised costs. A September Marquette University Law School poll found that 60% of Wisconsin voters disapproved of Trump, CBS News reported.

Tiffany and his Republican allies criticized Crowley over property and sales tax increases during his time as county executive and statements supporting undocumented immigrants. Tiffany also sought to portray Crowley as a socialist. Three billionaire donors contributed millions of dollars to efforts supporting Tiffany, helping give his campaign a large spending advantage.

The contest came after a turbulent Democratic primary. Crowley left the race in July and endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, then returned after she withdrew. Evers endorsed Crowley, who defeated state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, by fewer than 4,000 votes in August. Tiffany faced no similarly competitive Republican primary.

Crowley received support in the general election from Evers, former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Strong backing in Milwaukee and Dane counties, Wisconsin’s two most populous and heavily Democratic counties, provided a critical boost to his campaign.