{"id":2673717,"date":"2026-10-01T08:17:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T12:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwisconsin-dem-candidate-for-governor-is-a-socialist-in-affordability-clothing\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T08:30:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T12:30:33","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwisconsin-dem-candidate-for-governor-is-a-socialist-in-affordability-clothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwisconsin-dem-candidate-for-governor-is-a-socialist-in-affordability-clothing\/","title":{"rendered":"A Socialist In &#8216;Affordability&#8217; Clothing"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignwisconsin-dem-candidate-for-governor-is-a-socialist-in-affordability-clothing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2673717&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Wisconsin Democratic candidate David Crowley, Milwaukee county Executive and an avowed socialist, faces scrutiny over his record of increasing taxes and implementing costly policies. Crowley recently campaigned alongside socialist Francesca Hong, amid speculation about how this might energize or alienate voters. He has a history of raising taxes, including an 80% increase in Milwaukee County\u2019s sales tax, which disproportionately impacts lower-income residents, and implementing new fees for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-ride-share-democrats-spend-hundreds-of-dollars-on-uber-and-lyft\/\" title=\"Anti-Ride Share Democrats Spend Hundreds Of Dollars On Uber And Lyft\">ride-share services<\/a>. Crowley&#8217;s questionable record on affordability is contrasted with his campaign promises to lower costs,such as reducing property taxes and healthcare expenses-yet he has yet to deliver on these commitments.His governance\u2019s focus includes costly DEI initiatives and structural efforts like the Racial Equity Budget Tool, which many criticize as ineffectual or self-enriching. Despite his efforts to position himself as a relatable candidate, critics argue that Crowley&#8217;s policies amount to more taxes and higher costs, highlighting a stark difference with opponents like challenger Tom Tiffany, who advocates for reducing taxes and making Wisconsin more affordable.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>After avowed socialist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wispolitics.com\/2026\/hong-tells-upfront-her-campaign-efforts-for-dems-are-about-more-than-one-individual\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Francesca Hong<\/a> hit the road this week to campaign for fellow Wisconsin leftists, Milwaukee County Executive <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/12\/stop-calling-democrats-moderate-for-hiding-their-socialism-behind-a-bad-haircut\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Crowley<\/a> offered a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-addresses-loss-of-candor-honesty-humility-and-frankness-from-company-execs\/\" title=\"Google CEO Sundar Pichai Addresses Loss of \u2018Candor, Honesty, Humility and Frankness... from Company Execs\">mealy-mouthed response<\/a> when asked whether he would campaign with his former opponent. Crowley, who squeaked by the foul-mouthed Hong in the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/12\/crowley-stuns-in-wisconsin-beating-favored-socialist-in-dem-governor-primary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">August primary<\/a> to capture the state Democratic Party\u2019s nomination for governor, was noncommittal. <\/p>\n<p>The decision presents a double-edged sword for Crowley, <a href=\"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/poll\/2026\/09\/30\/mlsp91-press-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">up a couple points<\/a> on Wisconsin Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany in what promises to be another tight gubernatorial race. Inviting Hong on the campaign trail may energize some highly-motivated Democrat voters on the far left. It could also alienate the party\u2019s more moderate wing \u2014 what\u2019s left of it anyway. Hong\u2019s uber-radical record (See: <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/state-watch\/6112617-hong-regrets-cnn-thanksgiving\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cancel Thanksgiving<\/a>) comes with obvious liabilities, even for socialist-lite Crowley. The DEI-centric Crowley once derided user fees at the county\u2019s parks, golf courses, and beer gardens as mostly paid by \u201cwhite users.\u201d To Crowley, the funding source constitutes \u201cracial inequity,\u201d \u201cborn from a history of systemic racism &#038; injustice.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p>\u2014 Tom Tiffany (@TomTiffanyWI) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TomTiffanyWI\/status\/2102773436628234541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But Crowley doesn\u2019t have time to talk about his radical record from \u201cWoke 1.0.\u201d He\u2019s sticking like glue to the Dems\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/schumer-preaches-affordability-dem-midterm-pitch-sabotaging-gop-fixes-soaring-costs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">No. 1 talking point,<\/a> a message they believe will unleash a blue wave all over next month\u2019s midterm elections. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook, we\u2019ve been traveling across this state and agree we need to lower costs for working families,\u201d Crowley <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisn.com\/article\/crowley-responds-to-hong-launching-new-statewide-tour-ahead-of-election-day\/73949181\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> of Hong earlier this week. \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue doing the hard work of earning every single vote across the state of Wisconsin, and we don\u2019t plan on leaving no stone unturned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By \u201chard work\u201d he means hiding from a record of big-government and social reengineering policies that have made life painfully unaffordable for Milwaukee County residents. Crowley\u2019s cheerleaders in Wisconsin\u2019s accomplice media are making it easier for the incompetent county executive to hide in plain sight, generally avoiding questions he finds uncomfortable. When actually pressed, Crowley falls back on the magic, mindless abstract noun that he clearly doesn\u2019t understand. <\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s like criminal genius <a href=\"https:\/\/princessbride.fandom.com\/wiki\/Vizzini\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vizzini<\/a> in <em>The Princess Bride<\/em> who repeatedly shouts out \u201cInconceivable!\u201d whenever his plans falter. The hero, <a href=\"https:\/\/princessbride.fandom.com\/wiki\/Inigo_Montoya\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Inigo Montoya<\/a> finally tells little Vizzini, \u201cYou keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.\u201d <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Making Everything Cost More\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>In one of the more awkward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TrpvXuJGHFs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ads<\/a> of the race, Crowley attempts to connect with the average working man and woman. The black professional politico, who has used race as a political cudgel and ladder, takes the \u201cI feel your pain\u201d route as he stands in a nicely appointed kitchen and commiserates with the camera. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBetween the mortgage, utility bills, health care and all the other financial stress that comes with raising three beautiful daughters, we\u2019re making the same choices and feeling the same pressure that families across Wisconsin are feeling every day,\u201d said the county executive pulling down nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/county.milwaukee.gov\/EN\/Strategy-Budget-and-Performance\/Budget-Office\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$130,000<\/a> a year with the kind of government benefits a lot of people in the private sector could only dream of.<\/p>\n<p>But Crowley isn\u2019t just going to talk about \u201cthe challenges families face.\u201d He says he\u2019s got a plan to \u201cactually lower costs and deliver relief.\u201d He hasn\u2019t yet in his six years at the helm of Wisconsin\u2019s largest economy, but better late than never. Crowley doesn\u2019t provide details, but he does promise that he will \u201clower property taxes and health care costs.\u201d He\u2019ll \u201cmake housing more affordable for working families, young people, and seniors.\u201d And he\u2019ll \u201cfully fund public schools.\u201d Just how dumping more money into an already bloated and failing public education system will make life more affordable for the average Cheesehead isn\u2019t clear. But \u2026 \u201caffordability.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>If the county executive\u2019s record in office is any indicator (and it is), making things more affordable would not be his forte as governor. <\/p>\n<p>Crowley led an initiative to jack up Milwaukee County\u2019s sales tax by 80 percent \u2014 from a half percent to .9 percent. The Legislature and Democrat Gov. Tony Evers, Crowley\u2019s far-left mentor, gave cities the sales tax lever to bail out their budgets. Crowley and the leftists that control the Milwaukee County Board, didn\u2019t waste time implementing the highest combined state and county sales tax rate in the state, at 5.9 percent. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid Crowley has almost doubled our sales tax, making everything cost more, and he bragged about it while families like mine picked up the bill,\u201d\u00a0said a Milwaukee County nurse and mother of three featured in a Tiffany <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wispolitics.com\/2026\/tiffany-campaign-tiffany-campaign-milwaukee-county-mom-warns-wisconsin-families-about-david-crowleys-tax-hiking-record\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">campaign ad<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cMilwaukee County families have paid enough because of David Crowley. Don\u2019t let him come for your paycheck next.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Sales taxes hit lower-income families particularly hard because, unlike income and property taxes, everybody pays on the taxable sale of goods. <\/p>\n<p>Crowley and friends celebrated, cutting a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsinrightnow.com\/david-crowley-celebrated-raising-taxes-on-poor-people-with-cake-and-his-free-stuff-for-inmates-plan-goes-awry\/#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">victory cake<\/a> after the county executive signed the sales tax boost in July 2023. When asked by WISN 12\u2019s Matt Smith whether Crowley thought the sales tax hike would be a burden for some residents, the Democrat said, \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think it would be a burden.\u201d It\u2019s only four-tenths of a percent, the county executive argued. <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Consistent Champion for Higher Taxes\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Perhaps Crowley was thinking the same when he and his chums on the county board signed off on a $3 fee that users of ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft now must pay for being dropped off at Milwaukee-Mitchell International Airport. That\u2019s on top of the $3 \u201cpick-up\u201d fee assessed. <\/p>\n<p>As Urban Milwaukee noted, the charges go directly to the big ride-share corporations, not to the drivers. The revenue \u2014 projected at $1.7 million annually \u2014 ultimately is sent to the airport. Mitchell spokesman Harold Mester told WISN at the time that riders would note ride-share fares going up. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Airport receives no tax dollars from Milwaukee County, and our day-to-day operations are entirely funded by user fees. This fee is an example of how only the users of the Airport pay for the Airport,\u201d Mester said. <\/p>\n<p>As Crowley has noted on the campaign trail, every price hike adds up. <\/p>\n<p>For Milwaukee County property owners, some government-driven price hikes add up quickly. <\/p>\n<p>Crowley\u2019s most recent budget proposal raised the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-is-chicago-mayor-elect-brandon-johnson-inheriting-from-lori-lightfoot\/\" title=\"What is Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson inheriting from Lori Lightfoot?\">property tax levy<\/a> by around $12 million. As Americans for Prosperity noted, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >county executive pushed property tax levy increases<\/a> three years in a row. Now projections are that the county could be looking at a $46.7 million deficit, ballooning to $168.7 million by 2031 \u201dwithout intervention.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s as \u201caffordable\u201d as it is sustainable. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSeventy-two percent of Wisconsin homeowners will tell you they are not getting their money\u2019s worth from their property tax bill, and Milwaukee County is the reason why they are right,\u201d AFP-WI State Director Megan Novak said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/americansforprosperity.org\/press-release\/afp-wi-crowleys-affordability-ad-omits-the-12-million-property-tax-increase-in-his-own-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">press release<\/a>. \u201cDavid Crowley has been a consistent champion for higher taxes and wants every county in Wisconsin to follow his lead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the challenges, Crowley\u2019s Milwaukee County remains all in on its \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/county.milwaukee.gov\/files\/county\/administrative-services\/PSB\/BudgetsCopy-1\/2026-Budget\/REBT\/800---DHHS-REBT.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Racial Equity Budget Tool<\/a>.\u201d What on earth is that? REBT, as the woke warriors call it, is a \u201cstructured racial equity lens\u201d for departments to use to critically assess the impacts of budget decisions on communities of color. The point is to retain a \u201cdiverse and inclusive workforce\u201d in county government. Such DEI initiatives have proved to be cash cows \u2014 for the coordinators and consultants of the programs, but a pathway to \u201caffordability\u201d they are not. <\/p>\n<h2>\u2018Looking for Ways to Make You Pay More\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The so-called established Democrats pulled Crowley from the ruins of his gubernatorial campaign mid-summer. He had left the race but was urged to reenter after Democrats worried Hong and her socialist skeletons would cost them the governor\u2019s office. But Crowley has said he and Hong are aligned on a number of principles. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be honest with you, there\u2019s not a lot of policies we really differ from,\u201d the county executive said when asked if he would implement any of the Democratic Socialist\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n<p>And if there\u2019s anything anyone with any sense of history has learned from dalliances with broader government control: socialism has never been a system known for affordability. <\/p>\n<p>Crowley has shown he\u2019s a socialist wolf in \u201caffordability\u201d clothing. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cDavid Crowley is always looking for ways to make you pay more, whether it\u2019s raising taxes year after year as Milwaukee County Executive or slapping a surcharge on ride share drop-offs at the airport,\u201d Tiffany said in a statement to The Federalist. \u201cMy priority as governor will be making Wisconsin more affordable. I\u2019ll return the state surplus to taxpayers and slash taxes. Crowley wants more of your money. I want you to keep more of it.\u201d <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Crowley avoids endorsing socialist Hong in campaign<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2673718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-01-at-2.37.51-AM-1024x576.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[18297,16845,12428],"class_list":["post-2673717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-affordability","tag-clothing","tag-socialism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Screenshot-2026-10-01-at-2.37.51-AM-1024x576.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2673717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2673717"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2673717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2673727,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2673717\/revisions\/2673727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2673718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2673717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2673717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2673717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}