With less than a month to go before Wisconsin’s fall primary, one candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination dropped out of the race on Friday, and another who had withdrawn rejoined the contest.
Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez announced that she’s no longer in the running. Within hours, there was talk on social media and among news outlets that Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley was getting back in the race.
JR Ross of WisPolitics.com said on Twitter Friday evening that Crowley is re-entering the contest. Ross added that a source with knowledge says Crowley is expected to announce an endorsement from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who chose not to seek reelection.
Crowley did not immediately acknowledge that he’s back in the race. But his campaign website was still live on Friday, and it posted a message from him saying:
I’ll be hosting a rally tomorrow in Milwaukee – and I want you there with me. My campaign for governor was never about one person. It was about a shared belief that Wisconsin deserves leadership that shows up, tells the truth, and gets things done for working families. So before anything hits the news, I want you to be there, in person, to hear what’s next.
Crowley had withdrawn from the race saying that he could see that he didn’t have enough support to win the Democratic nomination. He endorsed Sara Rodriguez. With Rodriguez out of the contest, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Democratic strategists were eager to get Crowley back in.
Rodriguez abandoned her campaign because of financial concerns. Just a few days earlier, Rodriguez fired her campaign manager after learning that the campaign had hundreds of thousands of dollars less cash than she thought.
There are now five remaining candidates: Crowley, former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes; former Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan; state Representative Francesca Hong; and state Senator Kelda Roys.
Two candidates remain in the Republican race: Congressman Tom Tiffany and medical service technician Andy Manske.
The partisan primary is August 11.
You can stay up to date with election news – and learn all about the candidates and the contests – by checking out WUWM’s Voter Guide.
