David Bowen (Wisconsin politician) facts for kids

David Bowen (born January 28, 1987) is an American politician. He is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He represented the 10th Assembly district from 2015 to 2022. Before that, he was on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.

Early Life and Education

David Bowen was born in Milwaukee. His parents were immigrants from Jamaica. He finished Bradley Tech High School with honors in 2005.

He joined a youth leadership program called Urban Underground. This was a non-profit group in Milwaukee. He also took part in the Americorps program, Public Allies. This program helps people serve their communities.

While studying at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, he volunteered with Urban Underground. He studied how to get people involved in their communities. He also studied education.

At the university, Bowen became a program director at Urban Underground. He also helped on important committees. These included the Medical College of Wisconsin's Violence Prevention Initiative Steering Committee. He also served on the City of Milwaukee's Homicide Review Commission. These groups worked to make the community safer.

Serving in Public Office

In April 2012, David Bowen was elected to the County Board for District 10. The County Board helps manage local government. At that time, he was the youngest person on the board. He was also one of the youngest Black elected officials in the Milwaukee metropolitan area's history.

He helped create a "living wage" bill. This bill said that companies working with Milwaukee County had to pay their employees at least $11.32 an hour. This amount was considered a living wage. It meant people could afford basic needs. The County Executive tried to stop the bill. But the board voted to pass it anyway.

In 2014, the person holding the State Assembly seat decided not to run again. David Bowen was one of four people who wanted the job. He won the first election, called the primary. Then, he ran in the main election and had no opponents. He was re-elected in 2016, 2018, and 2020. Each time, he ran without an opponent.

In 2022, Bowen ran for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. He later decided to stop his campaign. Another Democrat, Darrin Madison, was elected to take his place in the Assembly. In 2023, he ran for a seat on the Milwaukee Common Council. He lost that election by a very small number of votes.

Political Involvement

David Bowen was a "superdelegate" at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. A superdelegate is a special kind of delegate. They can vote for any candidate at the convention. He supported Bernie Sanders at this event. He was a superdelegate because he was a leader in the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

In 2019, he ran to be the chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. This is a top leadership role in the state's Democratic Party. He was not elected for that position.