David Crowley ’s political pitch starts at the kitchen table, not the state Capitol.
He grew up in a household where evictions, hunger and a potential electricity shutoff were concerns, and he says Wisconsin government needs to focus on the costs families can barely afford.
He has proposed raising Wisconsin’s minimum wage to $20 and wants government to be targeting costs families with working members have to bear. His campaign’s economic program, which he calls Badger Basics, is focused on public education , affordable health care, childcare, housing, higher wages and infrastructure. Crowley also campaigns heavily on public safety , pointing to investments in Milwaukee County’s courts, law enforcement and efforts to prevent crime before it happens. Republicans have attacked his record in Milwaukee, making crime one of the central fault lines of the campaign. His candidacy is significant beyond policy, Crowley would become Wisconsin’s first Black governor if elected, after becoming the first African American to lead Milwaukee County. The biggest challenge is translating a Milwaukee political identity into a statewide coalition. With Tony Evers retiring, Crowley is trying to convince voters far beyond Wisconsin’s largest city that his personal story and his definition of affordability reflects their lives, too.
