WEST ALLIS – Democratic candidate for governor David Crowley pushed back this week on characterizations from some Democrats as being the party “establishment” candidate by calling the accusation “a slur.”
Crowley, who is Milwaukee County executive and a former state lawmaker, dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor in July and reentered the race days later with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers. The move enraged his opponents, who criticized Crowley as being the race’s establishment candidate.
“When we talk about the establishment, I don’t know who that is,” He told WMTV at a campaign event in Madison.
“I am a kid who grew up in 53206 ZIP code. My parents were drug addicts and suffered from mental health. I’ve worked extremely hard to be where I am today and so when people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African-American candidate. I have never ran for office to try and protect the establishment. I’ve always been here to protect the people.”
When asked how the label is a “slur,” Crowley said “my entire life, I have worked extremely hard to not be labeled, to not be put into a box.”
“I’m not here to protect the establishment. I don’t look at the governor as the establishment. It’s about protecting the people,” he told reporters after the opening ceremony of the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis.
Crowley is seeking to coalesce enough voters to surpass Francesca Hong’s sizable lead in the primary race. In the most-recent Marquette University Law School poll, Hong led the field by double digits.
The election is Aug. 11.
Molly Beck and Mary Spicuzza can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com and mspicuzza@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: David Crowley calls ‘establishment’ label in governor’s race a ‘slur’
Reporting by Molly Beck and Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Molly Beck and Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
