Milwaukee County Exec David Crowley today ended his campaign for governor, telling WisPolitics in a statement that it has become clear that he won’t be the Dem nominee.
Crowley said the most important thing now is for Dems to come together to defeat GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Tom Tiffany.
“Tiffany’s record in Washington does not reflect Wisconsin’s values, and the people of this state deserve a governor who will fight for working families, protect our natural resources, invest in our communities, and be beholden to the people of our state, not Donald Trump,” Crowley said.
Crowley, a former lawmaker, is the second Dem gubernatorial candidate to drop out of the race in the last few weeks. Like former WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, Crowley has trailed the top candidates in publicly released polling.
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Hughes backed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez after dropping out. Crowley didn’t signal an intention to support one of his former Dem rivals in today’s statement.
In launching his campaign, Crowley touted his time as Milwaukee County exec and made the pitch that it had prepared him to become governor. But he’s dealt with issues such as the lapse of a healthcare contract covering insurance for thousands of county employees as well as projections that Milwaukee County could face a cumulative $168 million budget deficit by 2031.
Meanwhile, significant outside support for his campaign has failed to materialize. The group Wisconsin Future Rising spent more than $117,000 on media buys to boost his campaign, according to AdImpact. But it has essentially been dark for the past month.