Democrat David Crowley will be Wisconsin’s next governor, making history as the first Black person to hold the office.
Crowley, who is Milwaukee County’s executive, defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua. Tiffany conceded in a speech at 9:45 p.m. The Associated Press had not yet called the race.
All results are unofficial until they’re certified by elections officials in coming weeks.
Crowley’s victory seemed impossible just this summer, when he briefly dropped out of the race for governor, only to drop back in.
His path to the office represents an extraordinary ascent from a difficult childhood in one of Milwaukee’s most troubled neighborhoods. As a candidate, he often discussed his parents’ struggles with addiction and a childhood marked by multiple evictions as motivation for his political work.
He began his career working on former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold’s 2010 reelection campaign, and worked as a staff member in county and state government before being elected to the state Assembly in 2016.
In 2020, he became Milwaukee County’s youngest and first Black county executive. While in office, he returned to school and became the first person in his family to graduate from college.
But his bid for governor failed to gain momentum this year, and he exited the race in early July. Ten days later, after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez ended her campaign, he reentered, this time with the backing of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers. It was a clear effort by mainstream Democrats to pose an alternative to Madison Rep. Francesca Hong, the democratic socialist who had run at the front of the pack for months.
Crowley’s primary win against Hong, by less than a percentage point, came as a middle-of-the-night shock. He emerged a battle-tested candidate, someone many Democratic voters said would have a better chance of winning the general election in November.
Wisconsin Democrats had high hopes going into this election cycle, expecting Trump’s low approval ratings and rising frustration with high prices and a war with Iran to translate into a midterm “blue wave.”
But a decisive victory for Crowley was not a certainty. A September poll showed his race with Tiffany was tightening, as Republicans bombarded Crowley with negative ads and Tiffany distanced himself from Trump, who had endorsed him.
Tiffany’s campaign focused on Crowley’s record in Wisconsin’s most populous and diverse county, with messaging about Milwaukee’s crime and tax rates. His ads cautioned that a win for Crowley would export Milwaukee’s urban challenges statewide. And one of Crowley’s core victories as county executive — a deal struck with legislative Republicans that allowed Milwaukee city and county to raise sales taxes to increase revenue — offered easy attack fodder at a time that voters expressed deep concern about high costs.
Crowley and his supporters countered by tying Tiffany to Trump at every turn, and Crowley repeatedly hammered Tiffany’s connection to the president in the pair’s only debate. While Tiffany’s ads presented him as a get-along candidate, his conservative voting record stretched back years, in both state and federal government.
Tiffany’s loss ended a winning streak for the northern Wisconsin congressman dating back to his election to the state Assembly 16 years ago. It was the first time he had run statewide.
Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Crowley’s running mate, was also elected Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor Tuesday. The two will take office in January.
Editor’s note: This story will be updated.
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