David Crowley

David Crowley finished his college degree while running Milwaukee County and raising a family, returning to the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee nearly two decades after he first enrolled.¹ In December 2024, he received his degree in community engagement and education and delivered the commencement address at the same ceremony.¹

He grew up in Milwaukee’s 53206 neighborhood and attended Bay View High School; today he lives in the city with his wife, Ericka, and their three daughters.² Before winning the county executive’s office in 2020, he served in the Wisconsin Assembly, and his county election made him its first Black executive and youngest person to hold the job.³

As executive, Crowley advocated for the bipartisan Act 12 agreement that changed state revenue sharing and gave Milwaukee County additional taxing authority.² The resulting increase in its sales tax, from 0.5% to 0.9%, has become part of the debate over his fiscal approach.⁴ He also chairs the National Association of Counties’ caucus for large urban counties.²

Against Republican Tom Tiffany, Crowley proposes expanding BadgerCare, increasing school and child care support, and pausing data center development during environmental review.⁴ Their contest includes a concrete disagreement over the state surplus: Crowley emphasizes services and property tax relief, while Tiffany proposes returning the entire surplus to taxpayers.⁴⁵