David C. Crowley (born May 14, 1986) is an American Democratic politician serving as the 7th and current county executive of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin since 2020.
He is the first African American to serve as Milwaukee County's top official, and also the youngest (having taken office in May 2020 at age 33). He previously served three years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the west side of the city of Milwaukee from January 2017 to June 2020.
He is a candidate in the Democratic primary for governor of Wisconsin in the 2026 election. His endorsements include the current mayor of Milwaukee, president of the Milwaukee Common Council, and chair of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.
Crowley was born on May 14, 1986 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Crowley's parents struggled with narcotics addiction in his youth and lost their home when he was just ten years old. His parents eventually divorced, and he suffered eviction from two more homes before graduating high school. Under the mentorship of Reggie and Sharlen Moore, and their community organizing group, Urban Underground, Crowley became interested in issues of policing and local government. Crowley graduated from Bay View High School and attended the University of WisconsinâÂÂMilwaukee from 2008 to 2012, but left to pursue politics before obtaining a degree. Crowley later returned to complete his undergraduate education at UW–Milwaukee, earning a bachelor's degree in Community Engagement and Education in 2024.
While attending college, he began working in politics as a campaign organizer for Russ Feingold's 2010 re-election campaign. After the election, he took a job as a legislative aide to Milwaukee County supervisor Nikiya Harris Dodd. When Harris Dodd was elected to the Wisconsin Senate in 2012, Crowley suspended his education to work as her policy director at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin.
Crowley made his first attempt at elected office in 2016, when he ran for Milwaukee City Council. He came in third in the February nonpartisan primary election and did not advance to the general. However, later that month, his employer, Senator Nikiya Harris Dodd, announced she would not seek re-election in the 6th district seat. The move prompted Assembly member La Tonya Johnson to declare for that office, creating an open race in the 17th Assembly district. Crowley jumped into the race and won the Democratic primary with 56% of the vote. He was unopposed in the general election and entered office on January 3, 2017. He would go on to win re-election in 2018.
In November 2019, after incumbent Chris Abele announced he would not seek re-election, Crowley announced his candidacy for Milwaukee County executive. In the February primary election, Crowley came in a close second to state senator Chris Larson, defeating county board chairman and businesswoman Purnima Nath. Crowley received the endorsement of outgoing executive Chris Abele, who had been challenged by Larson for his seat in 2016. Abele would go on to spend heavily on behalf of Crowley in 2020 through his political action committee, Leadership MKE. The April election was significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, but when the votes were tallied on April 13, Representative Crowley narrowly defeated Senator Larson.
Crowley was sworn in as county executive on May 4, 2020, from his front yard, due to ongoing shelter-in-place policies in the state. He resigned his seat in the Assembly effective June 18, 2020, as required to comply with a 2015 Wisconsin law prohibiting a person from simultaneously serving as a member of the legislature and a county executive.
As county executive, Crowley oversaw a $1.4B budget, inheriting financial troubles from the pandemic that remained with the county throughout his administration. To address the financial troubles, Crowley lobbied the State Legislature and Governor to allow the county to increase its sales tax rate. The Milwaukee County Board and Crowley raised sales taxes from 0.5% to 0.9% in 2023 to prevent the county from making cuts to services.
Crowley's other policies aimed to reduce opioid addiction, make housing more affordable, and reduce carbon emissions.
In January 2021, Crowley was named to the Milwaukee Business Journals "40 under 40" class of 2021. He was easily re-elected in 2024, defeating perennial candidate Ieshuh Griffin.
In 2024 and 2025, the Wisconsin political class began speculating about whether Governor Tony Evers—then in his early 70s—would run for a third term; at that time, Crowley was already identified as a potential candidate to succeed him. Evers formally announced on July 24, 2025, that he would not run for re-election in the 2026 election. Shortly after that announcement, Crowley announced he was exploring a gubernatorial campaign.
Crowley formally launched his campaign for governor on September 9, 2025. He was endorsed the next day by Milwaukee mayor Cavalier Johnson. He faces a competitive primary for the Democratic Party nomination, with opponents including the incumbent lieutenant governor, Sara Rodriguez, former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes, state senator Kelda Roys, and state representative Francesca Hong.
Crowley's parents recovered from their addiction struggles and remain involved in his life. He married his wife, Ericka, in 2016, they have two daughters together as well as a daughter from Ericka's previous relationship. Crowley is the vice chair of the Milwaukee chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a member of the Milwaukee Urban League Young Professionals, and the Milwaukee NAACP.
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Nonpartisan Primary, February 16, 2016
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Democratic Primary, August 9, 2016
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 8, 2016
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| Nonpartisan Primary, February 18, 2020
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, April 7, 2020