Crowley Coasts Into Second Term

David Crowley. Photo from the candidate’s website.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley easily secured a second term Tuesday.

Unofficial results show Crowley running away with the election, securing approximately 84.5% of the vote and defeating Ieshuh Griffin (14.9%).

Crowley was widely expected to win the race. Griffin, a perennial candidate, was not only running for county executive but also for the city of Milwaukee Common Council. She ran for four separate offices during the primary.

While the office is non-partisan, Crowley did not draw any major challenges from candidates affiliated with either major party. Crowley himself served as a Democratic member of the State Assembly before running for and winning his first term as county executive in 2020, narrowly beating State Sen. Chris Larson. He replaced former county executive Chris Abele, who was a major backer of Crowley’s first campaign. Crowley became the youngest Milwaukee county executive in history, at age 33.

Heading into his second term as county executive, Crowley is still riding high on a historic policy win in 2023. Along with Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Crowley led a coalition of local business leaders in negotiations with the state seeking additional revenue for local governments. The result was Wisconsin Act 12, which allowed the county to add a new 0.4% sales tax, averting massive budget deficits in the near term, and reforming its pension system.

The push for a sales tax to shore up the county’s finances had a long history among county policymakers, but it was Crowley who succeeded in getting the policy passed.

In his first term, Crowley created a strategic plan for the county. The stated goal, which the county executive calls out any chance he gets, is to make Milwaukee County the healthiest in the state by achieving racial equity. The effect of the strategic plan has been to create a new set of standards by which policymakers and departments evaluate the government’s business. Specifically, how does this or that action, policy or program help the county achieve its goals.

Crowley is also leading a historically diverse cabinet, appointing many women and people of color as heads of county departments.

When Crowley took office the United States was in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. This would prove both a blessing and a curse for the county executive. He did not enjoy an uneventful transition, finding himself sitting atop a government grappling with the effects of a global pandemic. But, when Crowley took office, the county was on the precipice of major budget cuts and the pandemic sent a deluge of federal and state funding into the county’s coffers. This federal funding played a role in staving off major budget cuts, particularly in transit, buying the county executive time to pursue a sales tax deal with the state.

Federal funding didn’t just plug the county’s budget gaps. Under Crowley, the county directed millions into emergency rental assistance and affordable housing projects. It also developed a novel mentorship program for youth who are at-risk or already involved in the criminal justice system called Credible Messengers.

It’s possible this will be Crowley’s last campaign for county executive. It is widely rumored the county executive, who will turn 38 in May, is interested in running for governor, and he gave an interview to Dan Shafer in December where he said he was “possibly” interested in running for the office in 2026. That, of course, is assuming current Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat who is 72, will not run for reelection to a third term.