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Crowley Says Republicans Hand-Picked Hong
After denying that he was hand-picked to return to the Democrat race for governor, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is accusing Tom Tiffany of trying to hand-pick his Democrat opponent.
Crowley on Monday said Republicans in Wisconsin are trying to boost Francesca Hong by running ads that highlight her progressive policies.
“Let’s call this what it is. Tom Tiffany and his billionaire backers are spending millions of dollars trying to pick their own opponent,” Crowley said. “This isn’t about Francesca Hong, who is running her own campaign and making her own case to voters. This is about Republicans in Washington deciding they get a vote in our primary. Every Democrat in Wisconsin should be outraged, and every Democrat should refuse to let them get away with it.”
The Republican Governors Association started running ads last week that claim Hong, who is a Democratic Socialist, is “too liberal for Wisconsin.” The ads are backed by just over $2 million.
Crowley said the ads are not meant to hurt Hong among conservative voters, but rather boost her support among progressive voters ahead of the August primary.
“Think about that,” Crowley said. “The biggest spender in our Democratic primary is the Republican Governors Association. If that does not set off alarm bells for every Democrat in this state, I do not know what will.”
Crowley, however, has been plagued by questions as to whether he is the Democrats’ hand-picked candidate.
He dropped out of the race on July 8th, saying he didn’t have a path to victory. But he returned to the race just 10 days later after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out. He also earned Gov. Tony Evers’ endorsement by getting back into the race.
"I’m not a handpicked candidate," Crowley said during a weekend interview.
But Republicans are quick to say that Crowley has never polled above 5% in any governor’s race poll, and that Evers had refused to endorse anyone until it became clear that Hong was leading the crowded Democrat field.
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