Rick Crosson

Crosson was born into a working-class family, according to his campaign website, which describes a lifetime of service; a news report says he comes from a line of military veterans.[2][4] The Wisconsin Examiner reports that he is originally from Georgia.[6] He graduated from Lakes High School, earned a bachelor's degree from Seattle University in 1980 and a graduate degree from Golden Gate University in 1991.[3]

Crosson served in the U.S. Army from 1980 to 2000, retiring as a lieutenant colonel and master Army aviator.[3][2] His campaign says he flew surveillance missions along the Iron Curtain and served as U.S. Military Liaison to Mexico, working from the embassy.[2] His Ballotpedia survey says he held a diplomatic passport as military liaison to the government of Mexico and served in command and staff positions in combat aviation units.[3]

After retiring from the Army, Crosson spent nearly 20 years in logistics and transportation, first at Schneider National in Green Bay and later running a Wisconsin-based trucking company; Ballotpedia lists his profession as chief operating officer.[2][3] He served on the Green Bay Area Public School District Board of Education (at-large) until 2025, and his campaign says he helped guide decisions on school funding, boundaries and a local referendum.[3][2][4] According to his campaign website, he has also served on the Greater Green Bay YMCA Board, the Brown County Library Board and the UW-Stevens Point Business Advisory Council, and he is a father of three and grandfather of eight.[2][6]

Crosson announced his candidacy in September 2025 and won the August 11, 2026 Democratic primary with 35.2% over Mark Scheffler and Katrina deVille.[4][3] During the campaign, he ran on affordability, accountability and results.[2][3][4] He received 46.1% of the vote to Tony Wied's 53.9%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]