Tipsheet

David Crowley Exits Wisconsin Governor's Race, and Here's Who He's Endorsing

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  July 09, 2026 8:00 AM

And then there were five.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced yesterday that he's dropping out of the Wisconsin Governor's race, despite being considered a favorite and leading in fundraising in January. The campaign said it could not overcome the frontrunners, former Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes and Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong.

Here's more:

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is bowing out of the race for governor and throwing his support behind Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.

Crowley was considered a favorite to win by Democrats early in the race, and posted the highest fundraising haul in January, but ultimately failed to gain enough traction to overcome the field's frontrunners, Francesca Hong and Mandela Barnes.

His departure comes the same week Rodriguez announced a $1 million ad buy as she seeks to raise her position, which is within striking distance of Hong and Barnes.

"It has become clear that I will not be the Democratic nominee for Governor, so today I am stepping out of this race, but I am not stepping away from the work," Crowley said in a statement.

Despite dropping out, Crowley's name will still appear on the ballot for the August 11 primary.

According to WISN, Crowley was the leading fundraiser among Democrats, but he still lagged far behind Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee. According to the most recent campaign finance reports, Crowley reported raising $789,281 and Tiffany had $2,122,489.

Crowley is reportedly going to endorse current Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez.

He's the second Democrat who endorsed Rodriguez after dropping out of the race. Missy Hughes, who dropped out on June 22, also endorsed Rodriguez, saying in a statement, "Sara is someone who has chosen difficult missions, as a Peace Corps volunteer, an emergency room nurse, and a CDC intelligence officer."

"I deeply believe that Sara is the best candidate we can put forward to win in November," Hughes added.

There has been talk that Wisconsin Democrats are desperate to thwart the campaign of socialist Francesca Hong, fearing she will lose the general election to Republican Tiffany.