In a typical election scenario, awaiting absentee votes from your home county might be comforting in a tight race. However, David Crowley’s team is anxious about the Milwaukee County results, as he was not in the race for a significant portion of the early voting period—10 days to be precise.
The Democratic governor primary has been marked by extraordinarily close results and unexpected developments, with three prominent candidates, including Crowley, temporarily exiting the race, only to return later, leading to an unpredictable conclusion.
An ally of Crowley expressed the belief that sufficient votes remain in Milwaukee to secure the nomination for the county executive. Crowley currently holds a lead over democratic socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong, yet there is some hesitation due to the period when he was not actively running.
Approximately 38,000 votes are still to be counted in the county. Officials anticipate that 10,000 of these will be absentee ballots from the last two weeks, potentially boosting Crowley’s numbers. Additionally, precincts in Milwaukee’s predominantly Black North Side, where Crowley has performed strongly, have not yet reported results.
In July, Crowley withdrew from the Democratic primary for 10 days, a decision he described as difficult but necessary for the party’s benefit, as there was a more moderate candidate leading at that time.
He re-entered the race following the collapse of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s campaign due to a finance scandal, coupled with an endorsement from Gov. Tony Evers. Recently, Crowley and Evers have been campaigning vigorously across the state to gain an edge over Hong.
