Wisconsin governor race: David Crowley launches campaign

MADISON, Wis. - Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley on Tuesday officially launched his campaign for Wisconsin governor.

Who is running for Wisconsin governor?

The backstory:

Crowley joins the battleground state's Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez as the two highest profile Democratic candidates in the 2026 race to replace Gov. Tony Evers, who is retiring after two terms. The race is open with no incumbent running for the first time since 2010.

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On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee businessman Bill Berrien are the only announced candidates.

Other Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and State Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering running. Tiffany has indicated that he will announce his decision later this month. Felzkowski said last week that she would not run if Tiffany gets into the race and she was undecided about a bid if he declined.

Another likely Democratic candidate is State Sen. Kelda Roys. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, a Democrat, is also mulling a bid. Attorney General Josh Kaul, 44, is also considering a run.

When is the election?

What's next:

The partisan primary is 11 months away in August. The general election is in November 2026.

1-on-1 with Crowley

What they're saying:

The last time a Milwaukee County executive ran for governor, he won. That was Republican Scott Walker. Now, Democrat David Crowley has a year to try to win the votes, and he’s getting ready to draft his next budget.

Crowley answered FOX6’s questions about tax dollars, roads, safety and more on Tuesday.

On path to victory

Calvi: What's your path to victory? When you look at out-state places, the country areas, they might be pretty skeptical of Milwaukee and a leader from Milwaukee.

Crowley: It's important to recognize as Milwaukee County executive, I represent the largest community in the state of Wisconsin. I represent close to a million people, which is a sixth of our entire state's population. And the work that we have done here in Milwaukee County aren't just Milwaukee issues, these are Wisconsin issues – balancing a budget, figuring out ways to cut taxes, being able to invest in affordable housing, tackling the opioid epidemic. We're going to continue to talk to the things that we have done here in Milwaukee County, and how we want to scale up many of those issues across the entire state in order to win this election.

On balancing a budget

Calvi: You talk about balancing a budget. I know one of the things you're really going to be wrestling with this upcoming fall, when you're putting together the next budget, is potentially a $40-plus-million budget deficit. People will see that and say: "Well, maybe he's not really balancing the budget."

Crowley: People need to understand the history of Milwaukee County and the history of the state of Wisconsin, not really keeping up with its obligations when it came down to funding all local municipalities. You know, we went across the entire state, and led a coalition to pass Act 12, which brought more money back to communities, their fair share from Madison, so they could invest in things that matter, like public safety, like fire and police, like fixing the roads, just quality services.

Now, while that was a historic moment for us in raising a shared revenue for every community across this state, it didn't solve all of our problems, and what we need is the political will to actually tackle our shared revenue problem, making sure that not only local governments, but also our public schools are fully funded moving forward.

On taxes

Calvi: When you look at your campaign video, you talked about the property tax cut and that you had put into place, but you also supported the MPS referendum, which made a major boost to taxes in the city of Milwaukee, plus the added sales tax, which you approved. How do you reconcile this: Lowering taxes, but at the same time higher taxes?

Crowley: When state government and federal government makes a decision not to actually make the investments that it was obligated to make, that makes us have to actually step up as a community. And so, as a county executive, we have been working in partnerships. You know, I represent 19 different municipalities, right? So, I don't have just one school district. We have multiple school districts here within Milwaukee County. And so it is our jobs to make sure that we're working in partnerships with our local units of government, making sure that it has the resources it needs to deliver the quality services that their residents demand. And I'll make sure to continue doing that as governor. 

We need that political will, and so it's important, not only me winning this governor's race, but if we have that, we have a real opportunity to flip the state Senate, flip the state Assembly with Democratic control, where we can tackle these issues directly, making sure that we can lower costs and take care of our obligations when it comes down to local units of government, as well as our public schools. 

On the balance of power

Calvi: You talked about potentially having that trifecta in the state house – the governor, Senate and Assembly, potentially. If you had that trifecta of Democrats in Madison, would you go forward with redistricting mid-cycle?

Crowley: No, we're not going forward with redistricting mid-cycle. I believe in our democracy, we have to protect our democracy, and what we're seeing happening around this country, there's a reason why we need to fight back. It's one of the reasons why I'm getting into this race. There are a lot of folks who are quite frankly, frustrated, not just with the Democratic Party, but frustrated with the Republican Party. They see the tyranny that is being sold on American residents all across this country, and we have a Democratic Party, quite frankly, that hasn't been able to respond with a cohesive message to galvanize the troops. It's not just about fighting against – we need something to fight for.

With the work that we have done around affordable housing, around the opioid epidemic, around, you know, making things that much more affordable. We need to be focusing on those kitchen table issues moving forward to make sure that there's space in this campaign for everybody. I'm looking to be the governor for all. So that includes rural, urban and suburban communities. 

On ‘extremist’ Republicans

Calvi: You talk about wanting to be the governor for everybody, but in your campaign video, you criticize – you call them "extremist" Republicans in Madison. Is that the way to reach out to maybe the moderates and people that are looking for a change in Madison? 

Crowley: These are personal attacks, right? We hear Republicans talk about Democrats every single day, but I've also been a county executive under both Trump administrations as well as the Democratic administration with Joe Biden, and I've had to work directly with the Republican-controlled legislature, and so I am willing to work with anyone. We've bought billions of dollars from both the federal government as well as state government, so we can make incredible investments right here at home, and I will continue to do that as the next governor of Wisconsin. 

Calvi: At the same time, you call Republicans in Madison extremists?

Crowley: That has not stopped us from getting work done. 

On criticism of President Donald Trump

Calvi: As far as the president, you're asking for him, hoping that he'll declare this disaster for the flooding we saw here in Milwaukee and across the state. At the same time, your campaign video criticizes the president and calls him out for what you called cruelty and and chaos. Are you worried that criticizing the president's going to mean he's going to say, "no," not going to approve the funding?

Crowley: First of all, if the president is not going to approve funding from FEMA to help out thousands of residents, not just here in Milwaukee County, but in Washington County, in Ozaukee County or Waukesha County, we have a bigger problem, because that means that it's not about the people, it's about the politics, and that's why we have to show the stark contrast as far as what I'm bringing to the table, and what others may be focusing on. This is about how we make sure that all families can get ahead and move forward and invest in their children, invest in their own future. And right now, we're seeing different types of reports nationwide where people don't feel that that opportunity is there for, especially with our Gen Z population. And so, whether folks agree with me or not, we need to be focusing on bringing resources (that are) going to impact on positively every Wisconsinite, across the state, and that's what we're going to focus on.

Calvi: So you don't think criticizing the president is going to lead to him taking action against Wisconsin right now?

Crowley: Again, if the president is upset with criticizing he should be upset with himself, because he criticizes everybody on both sides of the aisle. But I'm not here to debate politics when it comes down to residents getting the assistance that they need. This isn't – this shouldn't be about politics. This should be about making sure that families can recover and then get back to a space where they once were.

On the National Guard

Calvi: If you're elected in 2026, you will have President Trump as your president, as governor. We've seen him bring in the National Guard in blue states, California, and he's talking about bringing it in Illinois. What are you going to do if he throws out the idea of bringing troops to Wisconsin?

Crowley: We have to consistently fight back, right? We cannot fight – we have to fight back because we do not want tyranny in our country. There's a reason why we have this separation of powers. We have states’ rights. The federal government has its role to play as well, and so if the president wants to help move our state forward, he should be looking to figure out how to do that in partnership. Right? We have to go and talk to the families on the ground to learn about how to give them the best access to good-paying jobs, to health care, to a public school that they can believe in, and the only way to do that is by coming together and creating partnerships. 

I've done it as Milwaukee County executive, working with business leaders, community leaders, other elected officials across this state to deliver, and that's what we should be focused on. The political rhetoric that we're seeing in this country is not putting more food on people's tables, it's not making rent and mortgage that much more affordable, it's not bringing on more housing stocks for all incomes to be able to buy a home and invest in their future. And that's what we should be focusing on. How do we bring people together to make sure that when the tide rises, all the boats rise.

On affordability

Calvi: What are you going to do on affordability? 

Crowley: We have to make sure that we're investing in good-paying, family-sustaining jobs, union-type jobs in every corner of Milwaukee County. But it's also about how are we putting our young people in the best position to actually fill many of these jobs? We can only do that by fully funding our public education system. But even when you think about the mentality, in order for me to get a good job or for me to go to school and be able to focus, it's hard to do that when you don't know where you're going to lay your head down at night. We have to talk about both affordability and attainable, attainable homes. When it comes down to housing, we need affordable homes for those who, quite frankly, can't afford some of the rising rates that we have seen. But we also need to make sure that we're bringing on housing options for those at all income levels who are looking to move into a home themselves, and unfortunately, the housing stock isn't there.

On school vouchers

Calvi: As the governor, what would be your stance on vouchers? I know when you ran for county executive, you really appealed to more moderate and even conservatives in Milwaukee County, and really won the election because of their support for you. Will you still support vouchers as the governor?

Crowley: I believe that we should fully fund our public school system, and as a public school graduate – all three of my daughters went to public schools – I know how important public schools are to every community across this state. But if there's going to be any school that's going to be receiving any public funding, we need to be transparent. They need to be held accountable, and we need to make sure that they're held to the same standards of other schools.

When it comes down to outside groups and what they do, we don't have any control as far as how outside groups spend their money. Unfortunately, we have too much money in politics today, and so we're going to focus on running a grassroots campaign, talking to every community in the state. 

Calvi: Would you continue funding the vouchers? It sounded like you wanted to have more transparency. If there was more transparency, would the voucher system stay if you have a Democratic trifecta in Madison?

Crowley: We need to focus on how we fully fund our public schools. Without a public school system that is fully funded, there's no way that we can get rid of the voucher system in the state of Wisconsin.

On marijuana

Calvi: Medical and recreational marijuana. Is that coming to Wisconsin? 

Crowley: I believe that we should legalize marijuana. We are on an island by ourselves. Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois – they’ve all passed it, and we're losing millions of dollars in revenue. So, if we want to see increased investments in things like public safety, public schools. This is an opportunity for us to do this, and this is also a great way to help our farmers as well.

On guns

Calvi: Guns. What are you going to do on guns, if you're a governor? 

Crowley: We have to figure out how we can get illegal guns off the street. You know, we see the level of gun violence, not just that's happening all across this country, and I would love to see our president do something about things that's making people die every single day, versus trying to figure out how you can get his own political wins.

Candidate interviews

What they're saying:

FOX6 News previously interviewed candidates Berrien, Schoemann and Rodriguez. Watch their interviews below.

Official statements

What they're saying:

Crowley's campaign, along with those of three other candidates in the race for governor, issued the following statements on Tuesday.

David Crowley, Democrat candidate and Milwaukee County executive:

"I know what it’s like to struggle, and I know families across our state feel like they’re falling behind," said Crowley. "With costs shooting up, we are all getting less, even if  we’re making more. As Governor, I’ll fight every day to make sure that everyone in our state has access to what they need to succeed: good-paying jobs, more money in their pockets, affordable health care and housing, and fully funded public schools. Together, we can build a Wisconsin that works for all of us.

"As a legislator, I fought to protect the rights of people across our state, and as County Executive, I’ve led Wisconsin’s largest and most diverse county. The challenges I’ve addressed in Milwaukee County aren’t specific to one county or one political party; these are issues that communities face all across Wisconsin. I’ve balanced budgets, protected our environment, improved public safety, invested in small businesses, and made government more accessible to our residents, all while guiding us through a global pandemic. I’m running for Governor because, now more than ever, Wisconsin needs proven, experienced leadership. I will work every single day to improve the lives of people across our state."

Bill Berrien, Republican candidate for governor:

"Surprise, surprise; another career politician has jumped into the race for governor of Wisconsin. After years of failed leadership from bureaucrats like David Crowley and Tony Evers, Wisconsinites are ready for a builder to take the reins and lead our state to a bright and prosperous future. It doesn’t matter who the Democrats nominate – I plan to beat them." 

Josh Schoemann, Republican candidate and Washington County executive:

"Aside from our low taxes, accessible middle class housing, good schools and conservative reforms, Milwaukee County's dysfunction is the greatest advertisement for Washington County. Good luck to County Executive Crowley in the Democrat primary. Seriously."

Sara Rodriguez, Democrat candidate and lieutenant governor:

"I respect anyone who wants to serve Wisconsin. This moment calls for someone with statewide experience and a proven record of fighting for families in every corner of our state — and that’s exactly what I bring to this race."

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