electing Tom Tiffany as governor.
>> Thank you so much for having me.
you'll get to know those running in the August
primary for governor. Last week, you heard from two
Republicans in the race. Up next, Zach sits down with
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
>> David Crowley, thanks for joining us.
>> So happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
>> So for voters who don't elevator pitch, introduce
running? husband. I'm a father. I'm
the Milwaukee County executive and a 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 for
in the state, I believe in its 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 and more money today. And so
with life getting more expensive and families
getting Streu's, it doesn't mean that we can't help
Wisconsinites out. And that's why 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 the Democratic Party that
defines you? affordability crisis
because things are rising in costs, whether we're
talking housing, whether we're talking groceries,
we're seeing utilities and people are seeing the rise
in inflation under this current administration, and
they want somebody who's going to be there for them,
not just the 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 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?
to tell you that it's unfortunate how much money
is being spent in elections 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. And
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. >> 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, on this campaign trail, what I have
done as Milwaukee County Executive. This isn't about
mudslinging. 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
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 >> Well, we got to focus on
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 Capitol, but also
serving as the county executive for the past five
years. And so I'm the only candidate in this race that
has experience 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 it's a combination of both, but
it's about how do we 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
>> 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. Folks 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 who has to, that has a proven track record
that I can deliver on the things that we're talking
campaign trail in 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?
know, no matter who is in the highest office in the
land, whether that's a 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 independent, or don't care
about politics in general. There's room on this