Crowley Releases Badger Basics: A Governing Framework Built on Affordability, Care, and Opportunity
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County Executive and gubernatorial candidate David Crowley today released Badger Basics, his plan for Wisconsin as governor built on three pillars — Affordability, Care, and Opportunity — backed by proven outcomes and a record of delivery as the head of Wisconsin’s largest and most diverse county.
“In order to move Wisconsin forward, we cannot leave working families behind,” said Crowley. “Too many families are doing everything right and still falling behind. Rent is climbing faster than paychecks. Utility bills keep rising. Childcare is nearly impossible to find. Healthcare shows up after the crisis instead of before it. Badger Basics is my promise to Wisconsin that as governor, I will deliver on the fundamentals — because I have lived what happens when they’re missing, and I have spent my career making sure others don’t have to.”
Badger Basics is built on three interconnected pillars:
Affordability: Lowering the cost of living by tackling the biggest household budget pressures: housing and energy. Crowley’s plan builds more housing statewide through zoning flexibility and adaptive reuse, expands affordable homeownership, strengthens eviction prevention, cuts energy bills for families and renters, and requires data centers and large tech users to pay the full cost of grid upgrades they drive.
Care: Health care and child care that work before families hit crisis, not after. Crowley’s plan opens BadgerCare as a public option for every Wisconsin household, implements a statewide No Wrong Door mental health system, puts mental health navigators in all 72 counties, guarantees every family with a child under five a subsidized childcare slot, and caps childcare costs at 7% of household income.
Opportunity: Clear school-to-career pathways and a path to a good-paying job, with the stability to stay in Wisconsin and thrive. Crowley’s plan closes the special education funding gap, expands dual enrollment and apprenticeship programs, raises the minimum wage to $15 immediately and $20 by 2030, repeals Act 10 to restore workers’ collective bargaining rights, and scales his Building Bridges small business support program statewide.
Crowley grew up in Milwaukee’s 53206 — one of the poorest and most incarcerated zip codes in the United States — without stable housing, health insurance, or the safety net too many Wisconsin families still lack today. As Milwaukee County Executive, Crowley invested nearly $50 million in affordable housing, saved taxpayers $30 million through Housing First programs, and delivered results for one-sixth of the state’s entire population.
MAGA Republicans have had years to address these crises and have chosen, repeatedly, to look the other way. Wisconsin families aren’t failing — they’re being failed. That ends with David Crowley‘s administration.
The full Badger Basics plan is available here.
Crowley for Wisconsin
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Recent Press Releases by David Crowley
County Executive Crowley, Chairwoman Nicholson-Bovell Approve Legislation Upholding Milwaukee County’s Climate Commitments Amid Federal Rollbacks
Apr 1st, 2026 by David CrowleyResolution reaffirms the County’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and supports scientific conclusions of the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding
