David Crowley is hoping to pull off what no African American in the state of Wisconsin has ever done in this year’s gubernatorial election.
The 39-year-old Democrat, who is currently the Milwaukee County Executive, is campaigning in a crowded primary race to be the Badger State’s 47th governor. If he beats out the competition and wins the general election on Nov. 3, Crowley would become Wisconsin’s first Black governor–and only the 4th Black governor elected in U.S. history.
“The historic nature of this campaign is not lost on me,” Crowley told theGrio during an in-depth interview. “It’s more important that, even if I am the first, that I’m not the last.”
The gubernatorial hopeful said he wants to create a “long-lasting legacy of being able to get work done,” particularly for younger Wisconsinites, by creating new pathways of opportunity for them.
Crowley’s path to politics is unconventional compared to most. The Milwaukee native was born in the state’s poorest zip code, or as he describes it, “where struggle is a part of daily life,” to parents who battled with addiction and mental health challenges throughout his youth.
“My family and I were evicted three times before I graduated high school. For at least 15 years, I moved every single year of my life,” he shared.
Crowley said that, while he had loving parents, the only stability he had during his childhood was school and his neighborhood, where he found community in teachers and mentors. Through that support, he beat the statistical odds and graduated from high school. However, more challenges arose when he enrolled in college in 2006.
“I realized that still balancing college work with life and paying the bills, it was difficult. And so I had to take a pause,” he told theGrio. “Not just for my own mental health, but for my own financial health, because I had to make sure that I was working enough to pay the bills.”
Crowley took on various roles in state and national politics, including as policy director in the Wisconsin State Capitol. In 2016, he was elected to the state assembly, where he served until he was elected Milwaukee County Executive in 2019. Despite his political success, Crowley, a husband and father of three girls, vowed to his mother that he would return to school so that he wouldn’t follow in her footsteps by not obtaining his college degree.
In 2024, he not only received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee but also delivered the commencement address.
“I wanted to show my mother that I’m going to keep my promises, but I also wanted to show my daughters how important it was, and also show the community that it’s never too late,” said Crowley.
Unfortunately, Crowley’s mother passed away in 2023, and she never got to see him fulfill his promise. However, his quest for the governorship is a different kind of fulfillment for his mother.
“When I became the county executive, my mother was ecstatic,” shared Crowley, who noted that former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker served as Milwaukee County Executive before winning the governorship–the very same path he has now embarked. For Crowley, being elected governor would equally make his mother proud, in spirit.
Crowley said his early struggles inform his work as County Executive and his vision for how he would like to lead the state of Wisconsin if voters elect him governor.
“How do we eliminate the cycle of poverty that I see other young people and families going through every single day?” he queried. “I know that there’s so much more that we could be doing for working families, making sure that we’re tackling the affordability crisis, lowering utility prices, housing prices, creating greater access to childcare, and to healthcare.”
Being a Democratic governor during the second Trump administration would likely come with its own challenges, given President Donald Trump’s frequent clashes with them over policy differences, particularly on immigration. In Minnesota, for example, Trump has deployed thousands of ICE and federal law enforcement officers, resulting in violent and deadly outcomes.
“The fact that we have a federal government that says we’re going to come in and do what we want to do, that should concern all of us who live in this country, because that’s not what this country was built on,” said the gubernatorial candidate, who raised the most campaign funds out of all of his Democratic opponents in 2025 at $800,500.
Crowley asserted that the tools at the governor’s disposal, such as the Wisconsin National Guard and state and local police, can ultimately be utilized to keep Wisconsinites safe from potential federal abuses.
However, the gubernatorial candidate emphasized the need for pragmatic solutions and for working with the Trump administration when needed — something he has experience with, having begun his tenure as Milwaukee County Executive during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Just because we may disagree on policies and disagree…it doesn’t mean that we can’t sit at the table and figure out how to allocate resources the proper way,” he said. “I cannot say that I’m not going to focus on my responsibilities, because I disagree with the President of the United States.”
He continued, “When you walk into a restaurant, and you’re ordering your food, you’re not having a conversation with the cashier about the relationship with the cook. You just want to make sure that your food is hot and ready, that it’s delicious.”
Crowley added, “That’s the way that our government should be showing up for those that we represent.”
