David Crowley promised Act 10 repeal, a BadgerCare option and universal pre-K in his first 30 days. A shrinking budget balance, a lost federal Medicaid bonus and a one-vote Senate cushion stand in the way.
David Crowley will be Wisconsin's first Black governor, with 18-15 and 53-46 majorities behind him. Bargaining rights, BadgerCare and school money top a long Democratic list, while two new constitutional amendments narrow the field.
Crowley carried Brown County, reportedly the first Democrat to do so since 1982, while Brandy Tollefson flipped the 88th and Green Bay's $158 million referendum passed. Gillett, Pulaski and Seymour voters said no.
Crowley Wins and Democrats Take Both Chambers, Wisconsin's First Democratic Trifecta Since 2010
David Crowley will be Wisconsin's first Black governor, with 18-15 and 53-46 majorities behind him. Bargaining rights, BadgerCare and school money top a long Democratic list, while two new constitutional amendments narrow the field.
Wisconsin voters elected Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley the state's first Black governor on Tuesday and handed Democrats the Senate and Assembly, the party's first full hold on state government since 2010. Public workers who lost bargaining rights under Act 10, adults shut out of BadgerCare and school districts going to referendum now have a governing majority that has promised them action in 2027.
Democrats will hold the Senate 18-15 and the Assembly 53-46, based on preliminary AP counts reported by WPR. Republicans went into Tuesday with the same 18-15 Senate edge and a 54-45 Assembly majority. All results remain unofficial until county canvasses finish.
Where the Seats Moved
Democrats flipped three Senate seats and eight Assembly seats, and they lost none of their own. The biggest Senate casualty was Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), co-chair of the budget-writing committee, who lost to Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon) 53% to 47% in the 17th District. Democrats also took the open 5th and 21st districts, where Rep. Robyn Vining and former Racine transit director Trevor Jung won by double digits.
Crowley's parents battled substance abuse and evictions on Milwaukee's north side. He told supporters a couple of miles from where he grew up that "a boy facing eviction will now live in the governor's mansion," according to the AP. He also said he'd work with both parties on costs, telling the crowd that "nobody gets to govern alone."
What Democrats Say Comes First
Wisconsin Watch lists the backlog: expanding Medicaid eligibility under BadgerCare, restoring protections for public sector unions, raising the minimum wage, legalizing marijuana, and spending the surplus on child care, local government aid, public schools and higher education. Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein told the outlet her caucus wants to know "on day one" what it's doing. Assembly Democratic Leader Greta Neubauer, the likely next speaker, said the trifecta will "end decades of Republican obstruction."
Crowley ran on overturning Act 10, the 15-year-old law that ended collective bargaining for most public workers, and on expanding Medicaid and child care access. He also came out for a data center moratorium in October, a shift from earlier praise for the industry. Green Bay has its own item waiting on his desk: the closure of Green Bay Correctional Institution, now priced at $585 million and slipping to 2032.
Abortion rights will take longer. Democrats want clear protections in the state constitution, and an amendment must pass two consecutive legislative terms before it reaches voters.
Republicans offered a preview of their opposition. Outgoing Speaker Robin Vos, who didn't seek reelection, said, according to Wisconsin Watch, that "being good at politics will mean paying back their powerful political allies." Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) said her side will "wait and see" whether Democratic promises hold.
Two Amendments Pass as Republicans Leave the Majority
Voters also approved two of three Republican-written constitutional amendments, the Examiner reported, leaving the GOP nine for 15 on such measures during Evers' tenure. An amendment barring governments from discriminating or granting preferential treatment by race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin passed with 57%. Opponents warned it could endanger women's health initiatives, Head Start and work on Wisconsin's Black maternal mortality rate. Voters rejected a ban on closing places of worship during emergencies.
The third amendment bars governors from using the partial veto to create or raise a tax or fee, and it would bind Crowley from his first budget. The Examiner reported it passed with 51%, though WPR still called it too close at 1 a.m., at 50.6% to 49.4% with 98% counted. Evers used that veto power in 2023 to let schools raise revenue limits for 400 years, and the WPR report says the amendment wouldn't undo that change.
The new Legislature convenes in January. Only four senators and one representative now serving were in office the last time Democrats held power there.
David Crowley promised Act 10 repeal, a BadgerCare option and universal pre-K in his first 30 days. A shrinking budget balance, a lost federal Medicaid bonus and a one-vote Senate cushion stand in the way.
Crowley carried Brown County, reportedly the first Democrat to do so since 1982, while Brandy Tollefson flipped the 88th and Green Bay's $158 million referendum passed. Gillett, Pulaski and Seymour voters said no.
More than a dozen area districts are asking voters Tuesday to exceed state revenue limits or borrow. Three of them lost in April and came back with smaller requests, and Green Bay's $158 million ask is the largest in the state.
The last Marquette Law School Poll before Nov. 3 puts Crowley ahead 51% to 44% among likely voters. Less-certain voters lean Tiffany, and Trump's approval in Wisconsin hit a record low.
