Tom Tiffany’s campaign is taking its case against David Crowley directly to the voters who have lived under his failed leadership.
In a new statewide ad released Tuesday, a Milwaukee County resident of 46 years delivers a simple message about the county executive and Democratic nominee for governor: “David Crowley’s got to go.”
The new testimonial ad, titled “Got to Go,” features Jim, a longtime Milwaukee County resident who says he has watched plenty of politicians come and go during his nearly five decades in the county. His assessment of Crowley’s tenure is less than flattering.
His message is simple: Milwaukee County residents have already gotten a preview of what Crowley’s leadership looks like — and he doesn’t want the rest of Wisconsin to experience it.
“David Crowley’s a failed County Executive, and he would be a failed governor,” Jim says in the ad. The spot focuses heavily on taxes and the cost of living, pointing specifically to the near-doubling of Milwaukee County’s sales tax during Crowley’s tenure.
That increase has been a key point of attack for the Tiffany campaign since the August 11th primary. Crowley signed legislation in 2023 increasing the county sales tax from 0.5% to 0.9%, an 80% increase that took effect on January 1, 2024. Milwaukee County officials argued at the time that the additional revenue was necessary to address the county’s pension liabilities and avoid significant cuts to county services.
Crowley celebrated the signing of the sales tax increase by cutting cake.
Tiffany’s latest ad aims to highlight the impact that Crowley’s history of raising taxes has had on Milwaukee County families, using a longtime resident to argue Milwaukee County taxpayers have already experienced what Crowley’s approach to governing means for their wallets.
The ad comes as Tiffany continues to make affordability a central theme in the governor’s race. His campaign says its “Keep More of Your Hard-Earned Money” agenda calls for a 10% state income tax cut for working families, eliminating state income taxes on tips and overtime, returning surplus state revenue to taxpayers, lowering property taxes and opposing sales-tax increases.
Tiffany has already hammered Crowley’s tax record on the airwaves. An earlier spot featured a Wisconsin mother warning voters not to let Crowley “come for your paycheck next.” Another ad, titled “Tax It All,” introduces voters to the Milwaukee County Executive inviting viewers to “Say hello to David Crowley, and say goodbye to your hard-earned money.”
Tiffany also used the ad’s release to broaden his criticism of Crowley beyond taxes, accusing the county executive of overseeing declining services and problems with public safety.
“Milwaukee County residents have seen what Crowley does in office: crime is rampant, taxes go up, and services get worse,” Tiffany said in a campaign statement. “He raised property taxes five times and nearly doubled the sales tax, making everyday life more expensive.”
Crowley and Milwaukee County officials have defended the sales-tax increase on different grounds, arguing it helped the county avoid a looming fiscal crisis and preserve services. Crowley has also previously said the additional revenue allowed Milwaukee County to make new investments while reducing property taxes.
For Tiffany’s campaign, however, the closing argument of the new ad is considerably simpler.
“David Crowley’s got to go,” Jim says.
