The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit challenging the landmark collective bargaining law known as Act 10.
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How the 2026 Democratic big blue wave washed over Wisconsin Democrats won a trifecta with David Crowley and majorities in the state Legislature. Transcript Shawn Johnson: If there was a […]
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Tuesday's lopsided election was not the kind that left people guessing about the general mood of the country. And if you were a Republican on the ballot, there's a chance you felt its sting.
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Democrats have won both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature for the first time in 18 years, setting up single-party control of state government.
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In a Wisconsin primary for governor that was as wild as they come, it's only fitting that the person who won the Democratic nomination was considered a failed candidate just a month ago.
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Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has won the Democratic primary for governor, a shocking outcome for a candidate who briefly suspended his floundering campaign roughly a month ago.
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A state appeals court has upheld the landmark collective bargaining law known as Act 10, likely sending the case challenging the law to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
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A group of Democrats is suing the Wisconsin Elections Commission in an attempt to let voters change their absentee ballots before the August primary.
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Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley jumped back into the race for governor Saturday in a last minute attempt to take control of the contest just 24 days before the August primary.
Crowley’s campaign also got a boost with an endorsement from Gov. Tony Evers, who had previously declined to back a candidate in the Democratic primary.
The late maneuvering underscored a schism in the state Democratic Party between traditional Democrats and Madison Rep. Francesca Hong, the democratic socialist who has energized the party’s progressive base.
This past week, a group tied to the Republican Governors Association began running a multi-million dollar ad campaign that many Democrats viewed as an attempt to boost Hong in the Democratic primary.
What worries some Democrats is that Hong’s brand of politics is too liberal for a general election and would ensure a victory in November by Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.
At his campaign re-launch in Milwaukee, Crowley said the RGA is “bankrolling millions of dollars, not to attack a Democrat, but to boost one up” without mentioning Hong by name.
“Democrats cannot afford to head into this general election with a nominee who lacks the experience, who lacks the record, or the coalition necessary to win this race, especially with Republicans actively trying to hand us that exact outcome,” said Crowley. “This election is too important to gamble on, and that’s why today I am re-entering this race.”
Crowley said it’s time for Wisconsin Democrats “to make our choice” and fight back.
“My record proves that I can do it, and I am ready for this fight on day one!” said Crowley.
In a statement, Hong said she welcomed Crowley back to the race, and looked forward to the perspective he’d bring as the candidates make their cases to voters in the next three weeks.
“Competition is good for democracy, and voters deserve a substantive debate about the future of our state,” Hong said.
Not all Democrats were as understanding.
While the theory of Crowley’s return to the race is that he’ll unite the party and prevent Hong from advancing and losing in the general election, there’s also a clear chance it could divide Hong’s Democratic opponents just enough to ensure she wins the primary.
The campaign of former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who was the only candidate to come close to Hong the last time Marquette University released a public poll on the race, issued a statement that criticized Crowley, titled “David Crowley Left This Race For A Reason.” The statement noted that Crowley had only received 3 percent in three Marquette surveys on the race.
“With just 3 weeks until Election Day and after nearly 70,000 people have voted, this Hail Mary serves no purpose other than playing spoiler and handing our state to Trump’s handpicked candidate in Tom Tiffany,” said Barnes Campaign Manager Darby O’Connor.
One factor Crowley will have going for him in this home-stretch run that he didn’t have earlier is the public backing of Evers.
In a social media post Saturday, the governor said he didn’t plan to endorse anyone in the race, “because I know each of the candidates” and wanted to give them time to make their case to Wisconsin residents.” But he said in a tight race, Democrats need to rally behind Crowley to prevent Tiffany from winning the governorship.
Today, I'm endorsing @DavidcCrowley to be Wisconsin’s next governor.
— Tony Evers (@Tony4WI) July 18, 2026
I'm urging Wisconsinites to join me in uniting and supporting David in the upcoming August 11 primary and the November election.
We’ve got a lot to do and only a short time to do it, folks. Let’s get to work! pic.twitter.com/KvArA2cZdt
“Wisconsin only knows one direction to go, and that’s Forward, and let’s unite to make sure David is our next governor so we can keep building the future our kids and grandkids deserve,” said Evers. “We’ve got a lot to do and only a short time to do it. Let’s get to work.”
The governor declined to get involved in the primary earlier, despite several candidates in the race who’d held prominent roles in his administration.
That includes Barnes, Evers’ first lieutenant governor, and current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, who ended her campaign for governor Friday amid financial turmoil. It also includes Joel Brennan, the former secretary of Evers’ Department of Administration, whose campaign said he would remain in the race.
“Joel Brennan is in this race to win it,” read the statement. “Wisconsin needs a candidate who can beat Tom Tiffany in November and get to work for Wisconsin families from day one. That was true yesterday, and it’s still true today — no matter who else is in or out.”
Madison Sen. Kelda Roys has also said she’ll remain in the race, regardless of who gets in.
“I have a lot of respect and affection for David, but I would hope that he makes the right choice for the party, which is that we should be moving forward,” Roys said during a Friday interview with WISN-TV. “What I am hearing from people is that they want to see consolidation of support behind a candidate who can actually win this primary.”
Republicans seemed to relish the last-minute scramble by Democrats, which has given Tiffany the chance to run millions of dollars in ads boosting his brand.
“Remember,” said state GOP Chair Brian Schimming on X, “for all the absurd antics among Wisconsin Democrats right now, there is an irrefutable, undeniable fact: it’s all about stopping #FrancescaHong. All. Of. it. Full stop.”
This story was produced by WPR.
David Crowley returns to governor’s race in last-minute effort to win Democratic primary is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley jumped back into the race for governor Saturday in a last minute attempt to take control of the contest just 24 days before the August primary.
The post Crowley returns to governor’s race in last-minute effort to win Democratic primary appeared first on WPR.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez has ended her bid to be Wisconsin's next governor, capping a tumultuous string of events that saw her campaign fall apart seemingly overnight.
The post Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez ends bid for Wisconsin governor appeared first on WPR.
Campaign finance reports due Wednesday will show how much candidates raised in the first half of this year, and may show signs of who is entering the final days with wind at their back.
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Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a Democratic candidate for governor, has fired her campaign manager less than a month before the Aug. 11 primary, citing “serious mismanagement and inaccuracies” in the campaign finance reports she prepared.
The post Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez campaign short hundreds of thousands after campaign accounting errors appeared first on WPR.
Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow has died after a long battle with cancer, the county announced Wednesday. He was 61.
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The Democratic primary for governor got a little less crowded Monday as Missy Hughes suspended her campaign, throwing her support behind Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.
The post Democrat Missy Hughes suspends campaign for governor, endorses Sara Rodriguez appeared first on WPR.
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