Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley secures easy re-election win

In an unsurprising victory, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley secured a second term after defeating Ieshuh Griffin on Tuesday.

With 88% of the vote in, Crowley was leading with 83%, compared to Griffin's 16%. Absentee ballots have yet to be counted.

"During my first term, we did amazing work in Milwaukee County — we’ve addressed the opioid epidemic, increased affordable housing options for our residents, expanded bus routes, and made our public spaces safer," Crowley said in a statement. "We did all this while finally putting our county on solid financial footing and providing the largest property tax cut in Milwaukee County history."

“Together, we have delivered real results and improved the quality of life for Milwaukee County residents, but we’re just getting started," he said.

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This is Crowley's second term serving as county executive after first being elected in May 2020. He had narrowly beaten out state Sen. Chris Larson after his predecessor, Chris Abele, did not seek re-election.

The end of his first four years in office served a series of wins for Milwaukee County after securing sales tax hike after cutting a deal, also known as Act 12, along with Milwaukee City Mayor Cavalier Johnson with the state last year.

The deal allowed the county increase the county tax from 0.5% to 0.9%, which went into effect on Jan. 1, and helped the county maintain services, particularly as the county's transit system faced an overwhelming fiscal cliff that threatened to cut more than half of bus routes.

Nevertheless, even with such a win, Crowley has remained cognizant that the county continues to face significant hurdles in future budget seasons.

"While our outlook has dramatically improved, Act 12 and the sales tax have not resolved all of our fiscal challenges, and we are mindful that there will be budget deficits again in future years," he said during his annual State of the County address, referring to state legislative actions that increased the county's revenues. "Moving forward, we must strongly promote fiscal responsibility and thoughtful budgeting, while maintaining the level of service we need right here in Milwaukee County."

When previously asked by the Journal Sentinel whether he would run for governor during his second term if Gov. Tony Evers were not to run for re-election in 2026, Crowley said he supported Evers and was committed to serving out the entirety of his second term as he did "not think there's a seat open for me at this moment."

Crowley, however, did not reject the possibility of a run for higher office.

"I couldn't answer that until we crossed that path. But, honestly, at this moment it is something that I would seriously consider if the opportunity came, but at this moment, I am strictly, strictly focused on being the county executive of Milwaukee County,” he said.

Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or [email protected]. Follow her on X @Vanessa_Swales.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley secures easy re-election win