David Crowley made his first media appearance as Wisconsin’s governor-elect Wednesday afternoon, answering reporters’ questions at a community hub on N. Martin Luther King Drive in Milwaukee’s inner city.
The Milwaukee County executive defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany by 8 percentage points in Tuesday’s election.
Crowley will take office as the state’s first Black governor in January, with fellow Democrats having taken control of both the Assembly and the Senate.
Here are four of the exchanges from the question-and-answer session, along with a list of promises Crowley is making.
On some questions, Crowley deferred to legislative leaders.
Question: Did Wisconsin give you and Democrats a mandate?
Crowley: “At the end of the day, what I recognize from the wins … is that we have been delivering and talking about exactly what we’ve heard from Wisconsinites all across the state of Wisconsin, that they want us to tackle the affordability crisis. And nothing has changed related to what our priority is going to be. We have to lower costs. We have to make sure that people can keep more money in your pockets. Whether we’re tackling health care, public education, child care, we need to make sure that we’re doing it together, working with the Legislature in order to put something forward.”
Question: Are you looking for specific bills to tackle affordability?
Crowley: “Well, you’re asking me about the legislative process. I think it’s extremely important to talk to the legislative leaders. I look forward to working with them about what our priorities are going to be. We are less than 24 hours of knowing that we won this race.”
Question: Do you want to see right away legislation to expand Medicaid or create Badger Care for all?
Crowley: “Well, when you think about what bills are going to be on my desk, I would say you want to talk to the legislative leaders. What I’m focusing on right now is making sure that we are going to be ready on day one. That means that we have to focus on the transition team….”
Question: Were the election results mainly a vote against President Donald Trump?
Crowley: “The Republican Party is Trump’s party. The Republican Party has enabled what they’ve been doing in Washington, D.C. You can’t give excuses on why you have been carrying the water of one man versus carrying the water and the concerns of the people that you represent. What this was a mandate on is the fact that Republicans have been selling us down a particular path to where it’s not working for Wisconsin. It’s not working for the American public.”
Crowley makes several promises
In remarks before taking questions, Crowley emphasized affordability, presenting a lengthy list of promises.
“We’re going to lower costs for housing, utilities, health care and child care,” he said.
“We’re going to deliver real, meaningful property tax relief that doesn’t place the burden on our local communities.
“We’re going to expand access to quality, affordable health care.
“We’re going to strengthen our public schools, expand pathways to good-paying jobs and apprenticeship opportunities, and support small businesses and communities all across the state of Wisconsin.
“We’re going to invest in the infrastructure of tomorrow, carry on Governor (Tony) Evers’ work on fixing the damn roads and ensure our neighborhoods are safe, nurturing spaces for our kids and our grandkids to thrive.”
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