Democrat David Crowley will be Wisconsin's first Black governor after defeating Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany, according to a race call by the Associated Press.
The Milwaukee County executive's campaign for governor focused on "lowering costs for working families" and bringing more jobs to Wisconsin.
Tiffany's campaign massively outspent Crowley's, but ultimately that spending didn't get the congressman over the finish line.
With endorsements from outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and former President Barack Obama, Crowley was able to mobilize Democratic voters after narrowly besting democratic socialist Francesca Hong in the primary.
Crowley's razor-thin win over Hong in August capped a tumultuous Democratic primary. Crowley dropped out of the race at one point, endorsing Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, only to re-enter after she withdrew. He scored the endorsement of Evers, a popular Democratic governor, a factor that some credit as a major contributor to his primary win.
Crowley pitched himself as a "deal-maker," who can work across the aisle. Along with Evers and legislative Republicans, he was involved in the push for a bipartisan bill to allow the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County to raise their sales tax rates and earn more revenue for their respective governments. Evers said Crowley also played a large role in negotiations on a $500 million deal to upgrade the baseball stadium where the Milwaukee Brewers play and to keep the team in the city through 2050.
Tiffany had a fundraising advantage in the gubernatorial race, as three billionaire donors contributed millions to the effort to get him into office. He was endorsed by key Republicans including President Donald Trump, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, and even former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.
Meanwhile, ads promoting Crowley touted Trump's historic unpopularity, tied Tiffany to Trump, and argued that Tiffany's votes for Trump's agenda have resulted in costs going up. Crowley also argued that having Tiffany as governor would lead to income tax cuts for his billionaire donors. One Crowley ad proclaimed, "Wisconsin's not for sale, but Tom Tiffany is, and it'll cost ya."
Crowley made defending Medicaid funding and preserving affordable housing central pillars of his platform. The 40-year-old Crowley also talked about his own experience growing up in poverty and with working-class parents who battled substance abuse and mental health issues during the city's crack-cocaine epidemic. He described working his way out of those hardships through education and community organizing jobs, eventually landing in the Wisconsin legislature, and later, the county executive's office.
Crowley said the historic nature of the race — the fact that he will be the state's first Black governor — is not lost on him. "But I'm running to be a governor for all of us," he said at a campaign stop at the Walworth County Fair. "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."
Maayan Silver is a reporter for WUWM.
