MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- David Crowley, the 40-year-old Milwaukee County executive, is the projected winner of Wisconsin’s race for governor. 

Crowley's path to victory was circuitous. He originally announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor on Sept. 9, 2025. But on July 8, 2026, amid stagnant poll numbers, he dropped out of the race.

A campaign release at the time said Crowley made the decision to drop out because it became clear he would not be the Democratic nominee in the fall.

Less than 24 hours later, he endorsed Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez, saying at the time Rodriguez "has the ability to build the coalition Democrats need in order to win our race and to win our state Assembly and state Senate."

But when Rodriguez dropped out of the race herself just days later due to a financial scandal involving her campaign manager, Crowley re-entered the primary, with the backing of current Governor Tony Evers.

Crowley said, “When I made my decision to suspend this campaign, it was based off of the data and the facts that we had at that moment." He added, "We learned that that data, those set of facts, were false. So, we got back in the race because this is not about me, this is about the people of Wisconsin.”

Throughout the rest of the primary campaign, Crowley trailed State Representative Francesca Hong in virtually every poll.

But in the early morning hours of Aug. 12, the day after the primary election, Crowley scored a narrow victory over Hong by about 3,700 votes.

Hong joined Crowley the next morning for a Democratic Party unity breakfast as the party coalesced behind him.

Tuesday's victory means Crowley will be the first Black person to serve as governor in Wisconsin history.

Crowley was raised in Milwaukee by an electrician father and a mother who worked in service industries. Crowley has openly said when he was a child, both his parents battled addiction and mental health struggles. His family faced eviction, losing their home when he was 10 years old.

Crowley attended Milwaukee public schools, graduating from Bay View High School.

He attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee starting in 2006, eventually graduating in 2024.

He worked on the political campaigns of various Democratic candidates.

In 2017, he was elected state representative in Wisconsin's 17^th Assembly district.

Crowley was first elected Milwaukee County executive in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024.

Crowley and his wife, Ericka, live in Milwaukee and are raising three daughters.