Democratic gubernatorial candidate Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley discussed the importance of youth participation in politics and his bid for governor in an interview with The Daily Cardinal Tuesday.
Crowley earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee while serving as Milwaukee County Executive, which made him an advocate for youth political involvement. He said they are one of the “lost voices” in the Democratic party today.
Crowley said he plans to bring young people into his campaign to ensure their voices are heard and valued.
“What you all need here at UW-Madison may be different than what they need in Whitewater, what they need in my alma mater at UWM,” Crowley said. “But it doesn’t mean that we can’t bring your voice to find solutions.”
Crowley became the second Democrat to launch his campaign for governor Sept. 9, joining Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. Other Democratic candidates include Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, former Rep. Brett Hulsey, Milwaukee Brewers beer vendor Ryan Strnad, former CEO Missy Hughes and Carthage College student Zachary Roper. Republicans include Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.
UW System
Crowley said he wants to strengthen the Wisconsin Idea, the philosophy that Wisconsin’s universities should serve the state’s public good and prioritize quality education to keep young people in Wisconsin.
When Crowley was in college, he said raising fees on issues that students weren’t going to benefit from was a large concern of his. To combat this, he said students, faculty and regents need to discuss raising costs together.
“If they're going to be increasing your student fees, it should be going to things that you're going to actually benefit from,” Crowley said. “Our students need to be at the table. Our regents need to be at the table so we can keep costs low and make sure that college is always affordable.”
Working on both sides of the aisle
Crowley got started in politics as a state representative in 2017. He became the youngest and first Black Milwaukee County Executive in 2020. Some of his prominent achievements include leading the passage of Wisconsin Act 12 and signing the largest property tax cut in Milwaukee County history.
To connect with voters across the state, Crowley said he wants to “build bridges” and discuss issues that bring people together.
“It’s about meeting people where they are,” Crowley said. “While we are seeing politicians all across this country focus on distractions, divisions and culture wars, it’s really about showing folks how you can deliver it for them.”
Crowley said he hopes to flip the Republican-controlled legislature, but his main concern is “to actually get things done.” He said his priority is to provide resources where they are needed rather than focusing on partisanship.
“No matter what side of the island you are on, a Democrat, Republican, Independent or don’t give a damn about politics, we need to make sure that their voices are heard,” Crowley said.
While Crowley said his eight years of experience in Wisconsin government helps his campaign, he pointed to his skills as a community activist where he was first introduced to politics. Crowley joined Urban Underground, a nonprofit organization building safe communities, after experiencing housing instability and struggles throughout his upbringing. He was also a staff member for the Milwaukee County Board and the state Senate before running for office, which he said helped him understand “how the sausage gets made.
Affordability crisis
Affordable housing is one of Crowley’s top campaign priorities. In August, the median statewide home price increased 5.3% to $338,000 compared to August 2024. A report from Realtor.com graded Wisconsin a “C+,” but ranked the state 16th nationally despite its lower grade.
Crowley said he understands housing instability, having been evicted three times before graduating high school and moving every year for 15 years. While he said there’s only so much he can do because of the “terrible policies” coming out of Washington D.C., he wants to build affordable housing to make sure “people have the ability to live with dignity.”
“It’s hard to deal with all the other challenges in your life if you don’t know where you’re going to lay your head down that night,” Crowley said.
Public schools and the state budget
Public school funding is another important issue in Crowley’s campaign. He said the state needs to invest more in public education after failing to do so in previous years.
“The state of Wisconsin broke its promise,” Crowley said. “We used to fund schools at the tune of about two-thirds, and now almost every community across our state have been having to go to referendum just to make sure that their kids have access to the resources that they need.”
Wisconsinites approved 53 school referendums this spring totaling about $950 million, the most funding approved in an off-year election since 1990, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum.
Crowley recently passed a budget for Milwaukee County that includes reductions in transit and health and human services to accommodate a $47 million deficit. He said transit is still a top priority for him despite these cuts.
He noted the $41.3 million cut to transit funding in Madison and Milwaukee by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2021 after receiving American Rescue Plan Act COVID-19 relief funds.
The state of Wisconsin is projected to face a structural deficit of $1.4 billion in its general fund if spending and revenue are the same over the 2027-29 biennium.
To combat this, Crowley said he wants a blue ribbon committee on taxes, bringing the UW system, local government, businesses and constituents together to discuss how the state brings in revenue and how it spends money. He also said he would look at what other states are doing and mimic what is working for them.
Abortion
Reproductive health is one of Crowley’s priorities, and he said abortion needs to be “protected at all costs.”
“As a father of three young girls, it is extremely important to me that they have at least the same rights as their mother and grandmother, not less,” he said. “We have to make sure that we are protecting the laws that are currently on the books.”
In 2017, Crowley co-sponsored Assembly Joint Resolution 10 which, if passed, would have declared abortion a form of health care in Wisconsin. Crowley said he wants to work with reproductive health advocates to revive the issue as governor.
“As a man, I don’t think that I have the right to lead on this,” Crowley said. “It’s particularly women in making sure that we’re making the best decisions possible.”
Marijuana
Crowley said he fully supports the legalization of marijuana in Wisconsin, with every bordering state legalizing marijuana for recreational or medical use. Wisconsin could generate an estimated $165 million in revenue annually if marijuana is legalized.
“We’re losing millions of dollars in revenue right now,” Crowley said. “This is a great opportunity for us... to increase our local economy and find ways to boost revenue for local units of government.”
Currently, there is a loophole in the 2018 Farm bill that allows the sale of delta-9 THC products in Wisconsin, but Republican lawmakers are trying to close it and end recreational use.
Crowley said the legalization of marijuana would help farmers too.
“This is a tool that we can use and give to many of our farmers all across this state for them to grow another crop,” Crowley said.
The primary is set to take place on Aug. 11, 2026.
