Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, along with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, spoke with UpNorthNews editor Pat Kreitlow about public safety efforts, affordability, public schools and AI policy on Oct. 14.
Kreitlow opened by emphasizing the upcoming election’s importance and the necessity of voting.
“It doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have a plan to vote,” Kreitlow said. The event, hosted at the Overture Center, featured representatives from Wisconsin Young Democrats, UpNorthNews, and Wisconsin Public Education Network. There was also a table for attendees voter registration.
Crowley took the stage with a wide smile and a quip about the Milwaukee Brewers playoff game happening that night, and he introduced himself to the crowd.
“I’m a husband,” Crowley said. “I’m a girl dad times three, but I also grew up in a working class family, so I know exactly what families are facing each and every single day.”
Crowley discussed removing the minimum mark-up law on gas prices, fully funding public schools, raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour and eliminating Act 10 and Right to Work.
Crowley said he would “absolutely” sign a recent Republican bill to remove current data center tax breaks, which the Legislative Fiscal Bureau had estimated to cost the state $2 billion after being in the last two budgets.
“If a community doesn’t want to have a data center, they will not be forced to have a data center. There’s no ifs ands or buts about that,” Crowley said.
In a similar vein, Crowley said he would aim to “[place] the burden” on AI companies to protect minors and seniors. He added that he would create legislation on AI protection as governor and work to stand up to tech billionaires.
“My fight is making sure that Washington D.C.’s culture of corruption doesn't creep into this state. We continue to fight back, and I call it the “Triple B”: beat back the billionaires,” Crowley said.
Community members pre-submitted questions surrounding childcare, public education and reproductive rights.
Crowley defined childcare as both a moral and economic issue. He said he plans to work with childcare providers, Head Start and tribal communities to further understand costs.
“We're going to cap childcare expenses for households at 7%,” Crowley said. “But I think it's also important that we make 4K, pre-K in the state of Wisconsin in general free, and it needs to be universally free.”
Crowley consistently highlighted the importance of achieving the “Democratic trifecta,” referring to Wisconsin Democrats winning the governor’s office, the Assembly and Senate in November, to support education and reproductive rights.
He also emphasized removing politics from healthcare settings, particularly reproductive rights and LGBTQIA+ communities in Wisconsin.
Crowley said housing is both a political and personal issue because he said he was evicted from his home three times before graduating high school. He plans to build affordable housing, sit down with local municipalities and incentivize zoning changes.
“No matter what option it is, whether that's renters, whether that's apartments, whether that's mobile homes, we need to provide those options in each community, so people can live with dignity, save more money in their pockets,” Crowley said.
Crowley ended with a message on unity and continued progress.
“We may have come here on different shifts, but we're all in the same boat now,” Crowley concluded.
Public safety and attorney general
Kaul first ran for attorney general in 2019 and is up for reelection on Nov. 3. He emphasized his last seven years in office and his priorities of protecting Wisconsinites.
“Public safety is my top priority… protecting consumers, protecting affordability, protecting our environment and protecting people’s fundamental rights,” Kaul said.
He emphasized the importance of having an attorney general that fights for the interests of Wisconsinites at a judiciary level.
“If you look at where a lot of change has happened in the last several years in the state, and at the federal level too, a lot of it is happening in the courts,” Kaul said.
As attorney general, Kaul has fought to reform sexual assault kit laws, address the opioid epidemic and reduce violent crime, which FBI statistics show has declined nationally. These accomplishments were highlighted as reasons to reelect Kaul.
One of the most heavily discussed issues between both Kaul and Crowley was affordability. Kaul pledged to protect consumers by challenging various antitrust lawsuits and “sweetheart deals,” such as with Ticketmaster and tariffs put forth by the Trump administration.
It’s important to consider affordability “when it comes to making sure that big, powerful corporations, special interests are not using their market power to jack up prices on people,” Kaul said. He added that the attorney general’s office has joined over 70 lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Kaul said he believes Wisconsin’s status as both an agricultural and political battleground state offers a valuable perspective in court that he hopes to ensure is represented in the federal judiciary.
“In a lot of these cases, if you’re not one of the states that’s involved, you don’t benefit from the relief that happens,” Kaul said. “I don’t want Wisconsin to be in a place where we’re not part of those suits.”
Kaul faces a challenge from Eric Toney in November. In a recent debate, Toney did not say if he would have joined any of the lawsuits that Kaul has engaged in against the Trump administration as attorney general.
The attorney general’s office is also committed to protecting free and fair elections in Wisconsin, Kaul said. He pointed to his track record during the 2020 presidential election.
“My administration defended those results. We defended the will of the voters,” Kaul said.
Wisconsin is set to acquire up to $313 million dollars from a recent Meta settlement addressing challenges with declining youth mental health as a result of social media platforms. Kaul said he plans to reinvest the money from the settlement back into programs that support youth mental health.
“There are a lot of good activities out there that get kids engaged, get them involved and support kids who are struggling. They are, frankly, significantly underfunded,” Kaul said.
Kaul finished with a call to action for Wisconsin voters.
“In Wisconsin, our margins are small, but the stakes are big,” Kaul said. “Getting out and talking to your friends matters. Not only do you have the power through your vote, but you have the power through your influence, through the people you talk to.”
The general election is on Nov. 3.
