Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to replace him in November, ending the two-term Democratic governor’s neutrality and pitting him against a socialist rising star — and against Mandela Barnes, who once served as his lieutenant governor.
The endorsement capped days of chaos ahead of the August primary, after a campaign finance scandal forced outgoing Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez to quit the race.
Crowley, who had ended his campaign days earlier and endorsed Rodriguez, told Semafor that he began getting calls when her scandal broke, and was moved to run again after the Republican Governors Association began buying flattering “attack ads” against state legislator Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist competing in the primary.
“When another party is spending money in a different party’s primary, that should cause some alarm,” he said.
Evers’ endorsement did not get Barnes out of the race and angered Hong supporters; anyone who thinks the move was unfair, Crowley said, should “trust the process.”