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David Crowley
David Crowley.jpg
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 (1986-05-14) May 14, 1986 (age 38)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse Ericka
Children 3
Education University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

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. He previously represented Milwaukee as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving from January 2017 until June 2020.

Biography

..... 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.

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.

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. He was unopposed in the general election and entered office on January 3, 2017. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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. 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.

In January 2021, Crowley was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal's "40 under 40" class of 2021.

Personal life and family

Crowley'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. 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.

Electoral history

Milwaukee City Council (2016)

Milwaukee City Council, District 7 Election, 2016
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)

Wisconsin Assembly, District 17 Election, 2016
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%
Democrat hold

Milwaukee County Executive (2020)

Milwaukee County Executive Election, 2020
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%
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