MILWAUKEE, WI — Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley re-entered the Democratic primary race for Wisconsin governor Saturday, less than two weeks after dropping out, this time with the endorsement of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers.
Crowley made the announcement before a packed room of supporters in Milwaukee.
"I am re-entering this race to be the next democratic governor," Crowley said.
Crowley's return comes after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez's campaign fell apart in the last week following campaign finance reporting issues. Rodriguez, who Crowley endorsed when he dropped out, blamed her campaign manager before dropping out yesterday.
Evers posted his endorsement of Crowley on X after staying neutral for much of the campaign. Crowley said the governor's support reflects his record.
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
"At the end of the day, I think that Governor Evers has seen the work that I've done and the fact that I have not only governed here in Milwaukee county, but we've been able to build coalitions," Crowley said.
Crowley supporters were energized by his return. Marvin Walker, a Crowley supporter, said the stakes are too high to stay on the sidelines.
"I feel good, we need to win this election come November, we can not afford to have things go the way they are. We need a change of leadership, we need new blood, and more importantly, we need new ideas," Walker said.
Not everyone was enthusiastic. Braeden Hughes, a supporter of candidate Francesca Hong, expressed concern about a crowded field.
"It's a little bit disappointing to see so much division and I'm worried that there's too many candidates and that that's going to divide the vote," Hughes said.
Money is another challenge for Crowley's revived campaign. He said his campaign had roughly $300,000 to $315,000 cash on hand when it was suspended, but acknowledged there is work to do.
"We're going to continue to do fundraising, we suspended our campaign we had about, $300,000, $315,000 cash on hand, but we're going to continue to fundraise and we are building the momentum when it comes to down to having enough resources to win this election," Crowley said.
Other candidates are also responding to Crowley's return. Hong welcomed him back to the race, writing, "Competition is good for democracy."
With just over three weeks until the primary, the reversal is already reshaping the Democratic field.
This story was reported on-air by Brendyn Jones and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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