You can just talk to me.
If there's a major issue, then we can, well, we can edit, but otherwise, don't worry about
it.
We'll just have a good conversation here.
Yeah.
All right.
Well, David Crowley, thanks for joining us.
So happy to be here.
Thank you for having me.
So for voters who don't know you, give us the 30-second elevator pitch.
Introduce yourself, and why are you running?
Well, I'm a husband.
I'm a father.
I'm the Milwaukee County Executive, and the lifelong Wisconsinites, and I was born and
raised in the city of Milwaukee, and I know there's so much that our entire state has
to offer.
And so I'm running a for governor, because I believe in the state.
I believe in his people.
But more importantly, I know how to deliver results, and I know that there are a lot of
people who are dealing with the affordability crisis, and, you know, there are many families
who are getting less, even if they're making more money to more money today.
And so with life getting more expensive and families getting streets, it doesn't mean that
we can't help Wisconsinites out, and that's where I'm running for governor to be a governor
for all of us.
Is there a single issue that drives you, or perhaps a lane within a Democratic party
that defines you?
Well, I think the affordability crisis specifically, right, because things are rising in costs,
whether we're talking housing, whether we're talking groceries, or seeing any of the utilities,
and people are seeing the horizon of inflation under this current administration, and they
want somebody who's going to be there for them, not just a governor who's going to listen,
but who's built solutions from the ground up, who's going to make sure that people
are at the table who are directly impacted by the issues we face to make sure that they
can be a part of the decision-making at the same time.
How much money do you need to raise in order to be competitive and win this primary?
Well, I'll be the first to tell you that it's unfortunate how much money is being spent
in elections to this day.
We've seen that we have been breaking many, many different records when it comes down
to campaign spending.
We've seen that in the two Supreme Court races here locally, but I also don't think that
we should play behind the eight ball.
So I'm going to continue to fundraise here locally to make sure that we have enough resources
to get us over, not just the primary election, but to get us through the general as well.
We haven't seen a competitive Democratic primary in a while.
Do you think you'll be able to compete against your other Democratic opponents in terms of
fundraising?
Well, I think it's great for our democracy to have this many amount of candidates in
this race, right?
Gives our voters the options that, you know, what is the agenda that folks are going to
be putting on the table?
And I do think that this is going to be good for our democracy, but it's also going to
make the nominee that much better.
And so my job is to make sure that I'm continuously knocking on doors, making as many phone calls
as possible in order to earn every single vote that is out there.
When it comes to a primary like this, what is the line for you personally between negative
campaigning against a member of your own party versus defining maybe some flaws or some issue
differences between you and an opponent?
You know, these elections are opportunities for the electorate to know who each person
is.
And so we're going to just stick to the facts, stick to the things that, you know, we have
done on this campaign trail, what I have done as the Markey County executive, this isn't
about muds linking.
This is really about focusing on how we are going to deliver results for those that we
represent.
No matter if you live in an urban, suburban or rural area, this is about how to make sure
that we're going to make life easier for those families, for those individuals, for
those workers every single day.
And that's what we're going to focus on because that's what matters.
That's not a Republican or a Democratic agenda.
It's about the Wisconsin agenda.
So for voters who only care about winning, of seeing their party win, do you think they
should be focusing more on the issues that candidates represent or simply electability?
Well, we got to focus on both.
We got to focus on the issues that are affecting communities all across this entire state, but
we also need someone who has experience.
You know, I bring a very unique executive leadership spending seven years in the state
capital, but also serving as the county executive for the past five years.
And so I'm the only candidate in this race that has experienced in the legislature, but
actually running a government, balancing billion dollar budgets and really tackling the issues
head on.
So I think it's a combination of both, but it's about how do we continue again to step
outside of our comfort zone, go all across the entire state of Wisconsin to let voters
know what we're putting on the table.
Most of the Democrats in this race have connections, either to Madison or Milwaukee.
How do you reach the rest of the state, rural Wisconsin, outstate Wisconsin?
Well, I think it's no secret.
I'm uniquely positioned to bring out more Democratic votes out of Milwaukee County than
any other candidate in this race, especially winning with 85% of the vote with my last
reelection just in 2024.
But it's about showing up.
I just want a governor who's going to listen, who's going to be there for them, and make
sure that they're at the table when it comes down to figuring out those solutions.
And I'm the only candidate that has a proven track record that I can deliver on the things
that we're talking about throughout the campaign trail.
And 2023, you know, I worked together to build a coalition all across the state of Wisconsin,
building stakeholders, government, business leaders, to pass Act 12, which allowed for
more money to come from Madison to go to every local municipality, no matter its size,
so they can invest in things that matter for them.
Things like fire, police, housing, transportation, the quality of life issues that matter to
those local residents.
And I'm going to continue to do that as the next governor of Wisconsin.
What impact do you think Donald Trump will have on this primary, first of all, and on
the election in general?
Well, I think that, you know, no matter who is in the highest office in the land, whether
it's Democratic Joe Biden or President Donald Trump, they're going to put their thumb on
this scale.
But I think it's extremely important that it's not just about fighting back against
many of these dangerous policies that we're seeing coming out of Washington, D.C.
It's about what vision, what agenda as Democrats are we going to put on the table?
I know that I'm frustrated with who's occupying the White House, like many others, but also
as a healthy level of frustration with Democrats and Republicans not being able to put an
agenda on the table, not bringing a cohesive message to really energize the base and put
something, put an alternative out there.
And we're going to do this on this campaign, making sure that folks understand that this
is going to be a new campaign, whether you're a Democrat, Republican, or an independent,
don't care about politics in general.
There's room on this campaign race for you.
The Democratic field is an incredibly diverse field of candidates, but it seems like there
still must be some people in the Democratic party that are looking for a white guy to
run.
Is that a sentiment or why?
Why is that?
Well, I think that folks want to make sure that we have, you know, as many candidates
out there as possible to make sure that the options are out there.
You know, whether there's a black, white, or whatever color that candidate is, we need
to be focusing on the issues at hand.
That's about how do we make sure that we're putting more money in the pockets of families
all across the state?
How are we making sure that childcare is not just accessible, but it's affordable?
That our public schools have enough funding to make sure they can take care of our children
and be the best cornerstone of learning for every student that is out there.
That's what really matters.
And when I think about my campaign, this is about making sure that we bring as many people
up to the table as possible, letting them know that their voices will be heard and they
will have a seat when it comes down to figuring out the solutions for their community.
If elected as governor, you could have a legislative majority in the Democrats behind
you, what would your AB1 be?
What do you want?
The first thing you want to sign?
Well, the first thing I want to sign is about, you know, how do we really tackle this affordability
crisis?
You know, I would love for us to focus on affordable and attainable housing in every
quarter of the state of Wisconsin.
I would like for us to focus on fully funding our public schools, making sure that there
are good paying jobs no matter where they are in our state and making sure that our young
people are ready for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
I want Wisconsin to be the healthy community and not just when it comes down to the physical
and mental health, but having a home over, a roof over your head is health.
Having access to public transportation is health.
Having access to clean water and clean air is health and those are the things.
These aren't partisan issues.
It's not a Milwaukee agenda.
This is not a Democratic or Republican agenda.
It's something that all Wisconsin guys can get behind.
It's also possible that the Republicans still control one or more houses in the legislature.
What's your track record for working across the aisle?
You know, I spent seven years in the state capital.
So, you know, having worked under both Governor Evers administration as well as Governor Walker's
administration, I've had to navigate these political landmines, if you will.
And as the county executive of Milwaukee County, I've worked with the Republican control legislature,
not only to benefit Milwaukee, but every community across the state with the passage
of Act 12, but continue to work across the aisle.
Even in this most recent budget, where we're going to receive reimbursements for our highway
patrol, giving us the ability to invest in our public safety building in our courtrooms
to make sure that we can deliver justice for those who need it and take care of those who
are in our care.
And so, I'm going to always show up and deliver for those that I represent and I want communities
all across the state to know I'm going to be a governor for everybody, not just one
party.
Right now, the Public Service Commission is looking at rate increases across the state
for ratepayers.
There's data center proposals all across that could use more energy and land.
What's your policy?
What would you like to see happen as far as data centers, utility regulations to make
sure that the average rate payer doesn't be paying for this?
I believe that we should have growth happening here in the state of Wisconsin.
This is a great opportunity to look at what this economy looks like in the near future,
but that doesn't mean that we have to give up the farm.
We also need to make sure that there are environmental protections, there are protecting the environment
that is around us, but also protecting those individuals who also live in those communities.
This is an opportunity for us to utilize new technology, leverage the legacy industries
that we have here locally when you think about manufacturing and agriculture and water
technology and things of that nature to really make it a community benefit.
Bringing in tech centers and data centers and AIs can be good, but we have to make sure
that we have those protections in place while also making sure that there's community benefits
that are going to be tied to this level of development.
How do we utilize this for our schools?
How do we utilize this to expand broadband?
How do we utilize this to expand the access that our entrepreneurs have in every corner
of the state of Wisconsin?
You've referenced increased funding for public education.
Is that just more money or do you think there needs to be an overhaul in how the money gets
spread out to different districts?
I think in recent years we've all seen how the state of Wisconsin has really backtracked
on its promise not just to local governments, but also our schools, right?
Local units of government, cities, towns, villages, counties aren't getting enough
shared revenue to pay for the services that are either mandated by the state or they know
that their residents care for every single day.
And the same goes for our school systems.
We used to fund our public schools to the tune of two thirds and we no longer do that.
And now not just our teachers, but our young people are hurting every single day.
And I think that we need to actually take a step back.
We need to take a step back and look at not just our revenues, but how we're spending
money.
I think that we should put in place a blue ribbon commission on taxes.
This isn't something.
This is something that hasn't happened since the mid 80s, but this gives an opportunity
for university officials to be at the table, business leaders, government folks, you know,
just the public to have a transparent conversation.
What's working in other states?
What can we bring here to make sure that we have a system of revenue and spending that
works for everyone and works to the future?
What would you like to see in terms of vouchers?
Obviously, they started in Milwaukee.
Would you like to continue the expansion?
Should they be rolled back?
I think one, we need to fully fund our public school systems.
You cannot get rid of the voucher system unless our schools are in the place to actually
educate all of our students in every community across Wisconsin.
And that means fully funding our public school systems, but any system that is receiving
public dollars should be held to the same standards of our public schools.
They need to be transparent.
They need to be held accountable, and they need to make sure, again, to be held to the
same standards that public schools are held to no matter what community they're in in
Wisconsin.
Sorry.
We got to do that last question again.
Okay.
Just give me a second there.
It was that bad.
No.
It was that bad.
No.
I thought you'd go after that.
No.
We've all beensummed, I more than 20 years now.
No.
I'm going to check the panel just to make sure we've got what we thought we were recording.
So Governor Evers plays Euchre on election night, do you have a card game or what's your
past the time?
I have not thought about that.
I actually learned how to play Euchre with the governor.
Oh really?
Yeah.
Okay.
It's a fun game.
It is a fun game.
When his first election, he would host game nights actually in the mansion at the governor's
mansion.
And that's when I actually learned how to play Euchre.
There were a number of people.
Is that girl?