David Crowley

David Crowley was born in Milwaukee in 1986 and grew up in the city's 53206 ZIP code; his family was once homeless.[1][3] He graduated from Bay View High School and first attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2006, returning to his studies intermittently and, while serving as county executive, earning a bachelor's degree in community engagement and education in December 2024.[1][3]

Crowley began working in politics as a campaign organizer for U.S. Senator Russ Feingold's 2010 re-election campaign, then worked as a legislative aide to Milwaukee County Supervisor Nikiya Harris Dodd and, after she was elected to the state Senate in 2012, as her policy director.[1] He finished third in the February 2016 nonpartisan primary for the Milwaukee Common Council, then entered the race for the open 17th Assembly District and won the Democratic primary with 56% of the vote.[1] He was unopposed in the general election, took office on January 3, 2017, and was re-elected in 2018.[1]

In November 2019, after incumbent Chris Abele announced he would not seek re-election, Crowley announced his candidacy for Milwaukee County executive.[1] He defeated state Sen. Chris Larson by 1,026 votes in the April 2020 election and was sworn in on May 4, 2020, as the first Black person to hold the office and, at 33, the youngest.[1][3] He resigned his Assembly seat effective June 18, 2020, as required by a 2015 Wisconsin law prohibiting a person from serving as both a legislator and county executive, and he was re-elected county executive in 2024.[1] In 2021 he signed legislation creating Right to Counsel Milwaukee, a program providing free legal representation to eligible residents facing eviction or foreclosure.[1] After the state enacted 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, which authorized an additional 0.4-percentage-point county sales tax, the County Board approved the increase in July 2023 and Crowley signed it; county officials said the revenue was needed to address pension obligations and avoid further cuts to county services.[1]

Crowley announced his campaign for governor on September 9, 2025, saying his background and experience in office made him prepared for the job.[3] He won the Democratic nomination in the August 2026 primary.[1]