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Jul 17, 2026, 6:21 PM CT
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Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is getting back in the race for governor with just 25 days to go until the Democratic primary election.
The decision comes on the heels of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropping out following constant scrutiny for inaccurate campaign finance reports. Crowley endorsed Rodriguez after he dropped out.
Following the finance scandal, Democratic Party insiders encouraged the Milwaukee native to get back in the race and sources told the Milwaukee Courier on July 17 that Crowley has committed to another run. His relaunch event is scheduled for July 18.
Some local media reported that Gov. Tony Evers was weighing whether or not to endorse Crowley during the Democratic primary, which would be a rare step for a sitting governor. Evers’ office didn’t immediately respond to questions on July 17.
Crowley, a north side native, has strong support in Milwaukee’s Black community. He has struggled with name recognition outside of the county, but managed to hold his own in fundraising numbers compared to his opponents at the end of June. In January, he led the field in fundraising.
Polling suggests he has a lot of ground to make up. Francesca Hong and Mandela Barnes appear to be the frontrunners. And they also had the largest donor bases among Democrats.
Barnes reacted to news of Crowley’s reentry by going on the attack.
“David Crowley left this race for a reason. After nearly an entire year in the race, the only attention he received was for a major healthcare scandal that threw Milwaukee residents off their insurance. He and his allies spent nearly a million dollars but gained absolutely no traction and was stuck in the low single digits,” said Barnes’ campaign manager Darby O’Connor.
“With just 3 weeks until Election Day and after nearly 70,000 people have voted, this Hail Mary serves no purpose other than playing spoiler and handing our state to Trump’s handpicked candidate in Tom Tiffany.”
Barnes’ news release then cites three Marquette University Law School polls that showed Crowley was polling at 3%. “From day one through his exit, David Crowley gained absolutely no support,” O’Connor said.
Hong, on the other hand, took a more cordial approach.
“I welcome David Crowley back into the race, and I look forward to the perspective he’ll bring as we each make our case to Wisconsinites over the next three weeks,” she said. “Competition is good for democracy, and voters deserve a substantive debate about the future of our state. Our campaign will remain focused on building the working-class coalition it will take to defeat Tom Tiffany and deliver permanent affordability for Wisconsin families.”
The other two candidates in the race are Joel Brennan and Kelda Roys. Election Day is Aug. 11.
Drake Bentley is an award-winning investigative journalist who has worked for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin State Journal, Newsweek, Heavy and The Sporting News. He is a northside Milwaukee native, former political staffer and graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the University of Nebraska.
