David Crowley Re‑enters Wisconsin Governor Race with Gov. Tony Evers Endorsement

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who suspended his campaign for Wisconsin governor two weeks ago to back Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, announced his return to the Democratic primary on Saturday. Rodriguez withdrew on Friday after a campaign‑finance scandal revealed significant shortfalls in her cash on hand. Crowley’s re‑entry comes with a last‑minute endorsement from Governor Tony Evers, who broke his long‑standing practice of remaining neutral in the primary. Evers praised Crowley’s record of job creation, a balanced county budget, a large property‑tax cut and a halving of local carbon emissions, calling him “the right candidate” to win the race and defeat likely GOP nominee Rep. Tom Tiffany. If elected, Crowley would become Wisconsin’s first Black governor. The primary on Aug. 11 will also feature democratic socialist Rep. Francesca Hong, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, state Sen. Kelda Roys and former administration aide Joel Brennan. The endorsement is seen as a move by moderate Democrats to prevent Hong’s progressive platform from becoming the party’s nominee, amid reports that the Republican Governors Association is spending millions to influence the primary. Democrats hope the endorsement helps secure a Democratic win in the November gubernatorial election and maintain control of the state legislature.