David C. Crowley (born May 14, 1986) is an American politician and the 7th County Executive of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. He is the first African American to serve as the county's top official, and, at age 33, also the youngest.[1] He previously represented Milwaukee as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving from January 2017 until June 2020.[2][3][4]
David Crowley | |
|---|---|
 Crowley in 2023 | |
| 7th Executive of Milwaukee County | |
| Assumed office May 4, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Abele |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 17th district | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – June 18, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | La Tonya Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Supreme Moore Omokunde |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 14, 1986 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Ericka |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee |
Biography
editBorn in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Crowley's parents struggled with narcotics addiction in his youth and lost their home when he was just ten years old. His parents eventually divorced, and he suffered eviction from two more homes before graduating high school. Under the mentorship of Reggie and Sharlen Moore, and their community organizing group, Urban Underground, Crowley became interested in issues of policing and local government. Crowley graduated from Bay View High School and attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee from 2008 to 2012, though did not obtain a degree.[1]
He worked as an organizer for United States Senator Russ Feingold on his 2010 re-election campaign, then became a legislative aide to Milwaukee County Supervisor Nikiya Harris Dodd. When she was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate, he worked as her policy director in Madison.[1]
Crowley made his first attempted at elected office in 2016, when he ran for Milwaukee City Council. He came in third in the February nonpartisan primary election and did not advance to the general. However, later that month, his employer, Senator Nikiya Harris Dodd, announced she would not seek re-election in the 6th district seat. The move prompted Assembly member La Tonya Johnson to declare for that office, creating an open race in the 17th Assembly District. Crowley jumped into the race and won the Democratic primary with 56% of the vote.[5] He was unopposed in the general election and entered office on January 3, 2017.[1] He would go on to win re-election in 2018.
In November 2019, after incumbent Chris Abele announced he would not seek re-election, Crowley announced his candidacy for Milwaukee County Executive.[6][7] In the February primary election, Crowley came in a close second to state senator Chris Larson, defeating County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr., and businesswoman Purnima Nath.[8][9] Crowley received the endorsement of outgoing executive Chris Abele, who had been challenged by Larson for his seat in 2016. Abele would go on to spend heavily on behalf of Crowley in 2020 through his Leadership MKE political action committee.[10] The April election was significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, but when the votes were tallied on April 13, Representative Crowley narrowly defeated Senator Larson.[3]
Crowley was sworn in as County Executive on May 4, 2020, from his front yard, due to ongoing shelter-in-place policies in the state.[11] He resigned his seat in the Assembly effective June 18, 2020, as required to comply with a 2015 Wisconsin law prohibiting a person from simultaneously serving as a member of the legislature and a county executive.[4][12]
In January 2021, Crowley was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal's "40 under 40" class of 2021.[13]
Personal life and family
editCrowley's parents recovered from their addiction struggles and remain involved in his life. He married his wife, Ericka, in 2016, they have two daughters together as well as a daughter from Ericka's previous relationship.[1] Crowley is the vice chair of the Milwaukee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a member of the Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals, and the Milwaukee NAACP.[6]
Electoral history
editMilwaukee City Council (2016)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Election, February 16, 2016 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Khalif Rainey | 1,351 | 31.51% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Michael Bonds | 1,116 | 26.03% | ||
| Nonpartisan | David Crowley | 962 | 22.44% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Randy Jones | 613 | 14.30% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Vivian Redd-Fehr | 228 | 5.32% | ||
| Scattering | 17 | 0.40% | |||
| Total votes | 4,287 | 100.0% | |||
Wisconsin Assembly (2016, 2018)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Primary Election, August 9, 2016 | |||||
| Democratic | David Crowley | 3,303 | 56.48% | ||
| Democratic | Kim Burns | 1,116 | 27.96% | ||
| Democratic | Marcus Hart | 887 | 15.17% | ||
| Scattering | 23 | 0.39% | |||
| Plurality | 1,668 | 28.52% | |||
| Total votes | 5,848 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, November 8, 2016 | |||||
| Democratic | David Crowley | 21,715 | 99.07% | ||
| Scattering | 204 | 0.93% | |||
| Plurality | 21,511 | 98.14% | |||
| Total votes | 21,919 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Milwaukee County Executive (2020)
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Election, February 18, 2020 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | Chris Larson | 42,154 | 36.34% | ||
| Nonpartisan | David Crowley | 39,756 | 34.27% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Theodore A. Lipscomb, Sr. | 19,252 | 16.60% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Purnima Nath | 14,218 | 12.26% | ||
| Scattering | 624 | 0.54% | |||
| Total votes | 115,380 | 100.0% | |||
| General Election, April 7, 2020 | |||||
| Nonpartisan | David Crowley | 96,714 | 50.05% | ||
| Nonpartisan | Chris Larson | 95,688 | 49.52% | ||
| Scattering | 837 | 0.43% | |||
| Plurality | 1,026 | 0.53% | |||
| Total votes | 193,239 | 100.0% | |||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Glauber, Bill (May 4, 2020). "'People felt like this was my path': David Crowley's journey to becoming the first African American elected as Milwaukee County executive". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ "Wisconsin spring election results". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
- ^ a b Bice, Daniel (April 14, 2020). "State Sen. Chris Larson concedes to Rep. David Crowley in the Milwaukee County exec's race". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ a b "Rep. Hintz Statement on Rep. Crowley's Final Day in the State Assembly" (PDF). Office of Representative Gordon Hintz (Press release). Madison, Wisconsin. June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via The Wheeler Report.
- ^ "Taylor easily defeats Barnes in primary". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 9, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ a b "Rep. David Crowley announces bid for Milwaukee County Executive". Crowley for Milwaukee (Press release). Milwaukee. November 4, 2019 – via Milwaukee Courier.
- ^ Spicuzza, Mary; Dirr, Alison (October 16, 2019). "In a reversal, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele announces he will not seek re-election". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Glauber, Bill; Dirr, Alison (February 18, 2020). "Chris Larson, David Crowley advance to April 7 election in Milwaukee County executive race". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Bice, Daniel (February 19, 2020). "Bice: Winners and losers on a strong election night for African American candidates". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Bice, Daniel (March 31, 2020). "Bice: Chris Abele-funded group has spent staggering $755,000 for David Crowley and other preferred candidates". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Dirr, Alison (May 4, 2020). "David Crowley sworn in as next Milwaukee County executive". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Dirr, Alison (May 5, 2020). "Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to resign seat in state Assembly". Retrieved May 6, 2020.
- ^ "Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley among Milwaukee Business Journal's 2021 "40 Under 40" class". WTMJ. 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2016 Partisan Primary - 8/9/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. September 30, 2016. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2016 General Election - 11/8/2016 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. December 22, 2016. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 7, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ 2020 Spring Primary (Report). Milwaukee County Election Commission. February 18, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ 2020 Spring Election and Presidential Preference Vote (PDF) (Report). Milwaukee County Election Commission. April 21, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.