‘UPFRONT’ Recap: Gov.-elect David Crowley in his first TV interview since election night
MILWAUKEE —
Gov.-elect David Crowley said he would sign a bill that would immediately redraw Wisconsin’s congressional maps if it passes the Democratic-controlled Legislature early next year.
“Right now, I’m focused on building the transition team to make sure we’re ready from day one and delivering results for Wisconsinites across the state of Wisconsin,” Crowley said on WISN 12’s “UPFRONT,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “But just to put a nail in the coffin on this, if the bill were to come to my desk, I would sign it.”
Crowley would not commit to passing specific pieces of legislation in his first 100 days, including what he would like lawmakers to pass first.
“I just want to make sure we do what we heard from Wisconsin,” Crowley said. “We came out on the campaign trail and are tackling the affordability crisis. They want to see their property taxes lower. They want us to invest in public schools. They want child care and health care to be both affordable and accessible, and I look forward to working with our Democratic trio to make it happen.”
“You will know more about my agenda right after the inauguration,” Crowley added. “Right now, my biggest priority is making sure we are ready from day one, and to do that we need to make sure our transition team is in place to do it.”
Crowley reiterated his support for repealing Act 10, the Walker-era law that bans collective bargaining for most public employees, but left the details to lawmakers and said his administration would review the potential impact, including on taxes.
“We’re going to bring all of this together with a commission that brings Democrats, Republicans, tax experts, local government units, business leaders as well as labor unions to the table to focus on this long-term solution,” Crowley said. “We know there will be a lot of people who continue to attack our workers across the state of Wisconsin, but our job is to make sure this is a place where they can see a future they can afford.”
Crowley rejected the idea of serving as a buffer for the new Democratic-controlled legislature. Republicans have controlled both chambers for 16 years.
“Look, I’ve been a county executive, and you just can’t be a rubber stamp,” Crowley said. “You need to work with all of your elected officials and local communities to make sure you get real results for everyone in Wisconsin.”
As county executive, Crowley also said he was aware of Milwaukee County’s $4.56 million budget deficit and budget error before Election Day. The error was revealed to county board supervisors the day after his victory, but the county budget office had known about it for several weeks.
“We knew about it, yes,” Crowley said. “We wanted to make sure we did the best thing possible by giving as much information as possible to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. Yes, there was an error, but we wanted to make sure we could communicate what happened with that error, how we came up with a solution and how we fixed it moving forward.”
“It coincided with the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors budget meeting,” Crowley added of the timing. “That’s all it was.”
Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki believes legislative Democrats should “flood the zone” when they are sworn in in January.
“Do it very intentionally and strategically,” Zepecki said. “I would advise my Democratic friends to take things one at a time. Constantly communicate what you’re doing and why and pile up the wins. Don’t wait to try to put everything in the state budget, where it’s harder to tell the story of what you’re doing. So if one day it’s cannabis, or one week, the next week it’s health care. If it’s health care that week, then next week it’s wages minimum You must always communicate and tell how you bring to the workers of this region the State.
Zepecki, however, also issued a new warning to Democrats.
“It was a coast-to-coast rejection of President Trump and MAGA,” Zepecki said. “The most important thing Democrats need to understand today is that this doesn’t mean it’s a total embrace of the Democrats. The challenge for the Democrats now, with all the seats they’ve won, the whole state they now have total control over, is they have to keep their promises for working people, period. If they don’t, the winds of change will knock them out of power.”
Meanwhile, Republican strategist Bill McCoshen said Wisconsin’s elections were nationalized “from top to bottom.”
“The scary thing about us is there was nothing we could have done,” McCoshen said. “They were talking about Trump. They were talking about affordability, in some ways about scamming and corruption. But the Republicans, at least in the state Assembly, succeeded and separated themselves from the national narratives and past elections. They didn’t do it this time. It was all about Trump, and our guys were wiped out.”
McCoshen previously served as chief of staff to former Gov. Tommy Thompson.
“Going back to Joe’s point, Tommy Thompson used to do theme weeks and we got our message across not only in the state budget, but also on other issues that were important to us,” McCoshen said. “If Democrats do this, it will be difficult for Republicans to backtrack on some things. I think they will find common ground on others, and if they can’t, Democrats will have to defend their votes in two years.”
Former Gov. Scott Walker said he has no interest in running for U.S. Senate in 2028 if Sen. Ron Johnson doesn’t seek re-election, saying, “It’s not going to be me.”
“No, I’m 100 percent committed,” Walker said, referring to his current role leading Young America’s Foundation. “When I look at what I saw on Tuesday with this massive shift of young voters to the left, I don’t think it’s permanent; I think there’s an opportunity to move away. So we’re not going to let up. But whether it’s someone like me or anyone else in the future, conservatives can’t win in states like Wisconsin unless we make inroads.”
“I think there’s a whole bunch of names,” Walker added. “As much as I was shocked by Bryan Steil’s run, I still wouldn’t rule out someone like him. I think he’s there, people forget it’s one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country, he did a fabulous job. I think it was just part of the trend. But whether it’s someone like him, a new candidate, someone in the business world, I think a young, fresh face would be positive for us.”
Walker campaigned with Tiffany in the final days of the election and highlighted the “general climate” of defeat.
“Tom Tiffany worked hard,” Walker said. “He worked as hard as I’ve seen anyone work there. I think he got the message. I think he had a good organization, basically. I think there was enough money. I think the most important thing is we just have to make it clear that we’re listening, that we’re actually listening to what people are saying, that we understand.”
“It’s not going to be an easy road,” Walker added. “It’s going to be a few years in the wilderness for conservatives here in Wisconsin.”
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