By Catherine Fisher
This article will be updated periodically.
David Crowley has been elected the next governor of Wisconsin amid national Democratic victories.
David Crowley, alongside running mate Sarah Godlewski, won the race for governor in a landslide victory. Crowley, a former state representative and current Milwaukee County Executive, ran as a progressive alternative to GOP nominee Tom Tiffany. With about 54 percent of the votes, Crowley is projected to have the strongest showing for a gubernatorial candidate in more than a decade.
Crowley has centered his campaign on goals of expanding access to healthcare, building affordable housing, investing in climate-friendly infrastructure, and introducing taxpayer-funded childcare. In addition to these goals, Crowley also promised education reforms at the collegiate level.
According to crowleyforwi.com, Crowley wants to “expand apprenticeships, dual enrollment, and earn-and-learn partnerships starting in high school and continuing through technical colleges and UW campuses.” He also plans to “build targeted loan repayment pipelines for high-need professions like nurses, teachers, and mental health workers in underserved communities.”
Dual-enrollment and apprenticeship programs would allow students to kickstart their professional education early, therefore saving money on tuition later. Targeted loan repayment pipelines would help incentivize certain careers and eliminate financial barriers to entering chosen fields.
Republican Tom Tiffany and running mate David Varnam lost the election. Tiffany’s campaign focused on lowering taxes, reducing illegal immigration, increasing affordable housing, and protecting Wisconsin farm land.
Wisconsin citizens can expect Crowley’s election to preserve many of the same policies as incumbent Governor Tony Evers. While Evers has generally emphasized public education funding and expanding government investment in public services, Crowley has additional policy proposals. For example, Crowley wants to raise the minimum wage to $20 by 2030, expand subsidized child care, and offer a public BadgerCare option.
Democrats also swept the other statewide races. Josh Kaul was re-elected as the attorney general. JoCasta Zamarripa won the race for secretary of state, and Yee Leng Xiong won the race for state treasurer.
The Wisconsin congressional delegation will also look different come 2027. Republicans Scott Fitzgerald, Glenn Grothman, and Tony Wied won re-election, as did Democrats Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan. Republican Derrick Van Order lost re-election to Rebecca Cooke, while Republican Bryan Steil unexpectedly lost re-election to Mitchell Berman.
Additionally, Democrats won control of both houses of the state legislature. All campus-area districts were won by Democrats.
The Wisconsin referenda results have not yet been called as of the time of publication.