David Crowley to endorse Sara Rodriguez in race for governor
The Milwaukee County Executive ended his campaign today, and plans to endorse the Lieutenant Governor tomorrow.
The Recombobulation Area is a 19-time 21-TIME! Milwaukee Press Club award-winning opinion column and online publication founded by Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley will be endorsing Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez in the Democratic primary in the race for governor, sources tell The Recombobulation Area.
An announcement for the endorsement is scheduled for the morning of Thursday, July 9, in Milwaukee.
Crowley ended his campaign for governor on Wednesday, June 8, saying, “It has become clear that I will not be the Democratic nominee for Governor, so today I am stepping out of this race, but I am not stepping away from the work.”
This leaves five candidates remaining in the field of Democrats running for governor. Along with Rodriguez, candidates include State Rep. Francesca Hong, State Sen. Kelda Roys, former Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan, and former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes.
Wisconsin’s partisan primary is on Aug. 11.
Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. He worked with Civic Media from 2024 to 2026. He’s written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 24 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.
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What a fascinating race. Glendale’s mayor (Kennedy) did videos interviews with all the candidates recently. His first question to each candidate was I think a telling one….(paraphrased): “We are on an elevator together…you have 30 seconds to tell me why you would make a great Governor.” From the answers to that question alone I made my determination as who will get my vote in the primary. I thought one candidate’s response showed the most “electability”….for me that’s the most important qualification. Needless to say, anyone from this impressive field will get my vote in November.
Well, now it'll be doubly interesting to see where he lands in your ranked-choice poll. I'm certain this won't be the last time we see him on the statewide stage.