Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has announced he will re-enter the Wisconsin governor's race and that Governor Tony Evers will endorse Crowley for the upcoming August 11 primary.
Crowley, who suspended his campaign last week, was tapped to get back into the race after current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez suspended her campaign amid serious financial issues that had gone unnoticed until earlier this week. Rodriguez fired her campaign manager on Monday and dropped out of the race yesterday.
Rodriguez's departure sent the Wisconsin Democrats (WisDems) into full-blown panic mode, and yesterday there was serious talk about recruiting Crowley to try to take out Francesca Hong, the Democratic Socialist frontrunner on the Democratic side of the aisle.
Democrats believe Hong cannot win the general election.
WISN 12: Democrats say Mandela Barnes is down in private internals and that Francesca Hong will not win a general election
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) July 17, 2026
That’s why Wisconsin Democrats are seeking to bring David Crowley back into the race. #WisconsinGovernor pic.twitter.com/BWxICZCBZD
This sure looks like another desperate attempt by Democrats to undermine the will of their voters in order to win an election, doesn't it?
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is jumping back into the Democratic primary a week after dropping out as the party desperately tries to stop socialist Francesca Hong from running away with the nomination. Read more: https://t.co/JVBNbJenUZ pic.twitter.com/3Qrra5Uy3O
— The Heartland Post (@HeartlandPostWI) July 17, 2026
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley will officially re-enter the governor’s race at a rally in downtown Milwaukee Saturday morning, capping a wild week that saw a campaign finance scandal end Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s run and a frantic dash to stop socialist Francesca Hong from running away with the party’s nomination.
Crowley had dropped out of the race last week and endorsed Rodriguez, calling her the strongest candidate in the field and urging other candidates to follow his lead and consolidate votes behind a single candidate who could stop Hong’s socialist insurgency.
Democratic Party officials are concerned that Hong will lose the general election to Republican Tom Tiffany, but also that her winning the primary would lead to a takeover of the party itself by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The DSA has racked up a series of primary wins in New York and Colorado and a DSA candidate leading a Democratic ticket in a swing state like Wisconsin would be the party’s biggest victory this year.
Evers will reportedly make an endorsement of Crowley this afternoon. This has to be a sore spot for both Sara Rodriguez and Mandela Barnes, both of whom served under Evers as Lt. Gov. during his time in office.
NEW this AM: @DavidCCrowley camp confirms @GovEvers will make a public endorsement for Crowley this afternoon.
— Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) July 18, 2026
And ICYMI here’s my story on his return to the race with reax from the other Dem campaigns:https://t.co/vzL7006vLY
Crowley will relaunch his campaign at an 11 AM event in Milwaukee.
Crowley camp confirms Gov. Evers will endorse David Crowley this afternoon. Crowley is re-launching his campaign during an 11 a.m. event in Milwaukee https://t.co/DDE0AXyk9M
— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) July 18, 2026
This is a new pattern emerging in the Democratic Party, that of swapping out a candidate at the last minute.
Dems should not make a habit of swapping candidates out at the last possible moment https://t.co/RVh20VA5gi
— Bill Please 🌹 (@Bill_Plz) July 17, 2026
But they will, it seems, when they think they'll lose.
So, their plan is to force someone out of the race whose voters slightly probably break for Hong anyways, and run some new Black guy from Milwaukee to eat into Barnes’ vote share. Genius idea! 😂 https://t.co/ohG14qc5B1
— Red Eagle Politics (@RedEaglePatriot) July 17, 2026
No one accused them of being smart.
Crowley has an uphill battle, remember. Last December, under his watch, the County let a $450 million contract with UnitedHealthcare expire, leaving county employees, retirees, and their dependents without coverage.
In a bid to block the socialist who wants to abolish the police and prisons, Democrats have handpicked David Crowley.
— Tom Tiffany (@TomTiffanyWI) July 18, 2026
This is the same David Crowley who was just as asleep at the wheel over Milwaukee County’s health care contract as Sara Rodriguez was over her campaign finances. https://t.co/WYAG6PKT4S
Mandela Barnes is also displeased.
Statement from @TheOtherMandela campaign manager @darby_oc on @DavidCCrowley’s return to the Dem gov primary:
— Jessie Opoien (@jessieopie) July 18, 2026
“…this Hail Mary serves no purpose other than playing spoiler and handing our state to Trump’s handpicked candidate in Tom Tiffany.” pic.twitter.com/e5jWFjN57R
Meanwhile, Tom Tiffany just raised $10 million in campaign donations and is sitting on a healthy amount of cash. The chaos on the Democratic side of the aisle will only help voters see that Tiffany is the best choice in November.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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