Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley told a crowd of more than 100 people in Eau Claire on Sunday that he would seek to raise Wisconsin’s minimum wage, repeal the state’s right-to-work law and Act 10, and open BadgerCare as a buy-in option for seniors, farmers, gig workers, students and small-business owners.
Medicaid already accounts for nearly one-third of state spending and more than $36 billion in the 2025-27 budget. Crowley’s proposal would expand it into a public option open to households that want to buy in, adding costs that would fall on taxpayers.
WEAU and the Leader-Telegram reported the remarks. Crowley said the campaign is about eliminating “right to work for less and Act 10” while raising the minimum wage. He described the BadgerCare plan as allowing those groups “to pay into the BadgerCare system as an alternative to for-profit insurance.”
Crowley has previously said, “As governor, I will repeal Act 10 in full.” His platform calls for an immediate increase to $15 an hour and a further rise to $20 by 2030.
Act 10, enacted in 2011, limited most public-sector unions to bargaining over base wages and required public employees to contribute to their pensions and health insurance. The MacIver Institute estimates the law has saved Wisconsin taxpayers $35.6 billion since 2012 through lower costs and higher service levels. Repealing it would reverse those taxpayer savings and restore broader bargaining rights for public employees.
A Dane County Circuit Court judge ruled in December 2024 that Act 10 violated the state constitution’s equal-protection clause. The 2nd District Court of Appeals reversed that decision 2-1 on July 29. Unions asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court in August to reinstate the lower-court ruling. The court has not said whether it will take the case. Liberals hold a 5-2 majority after Justice Chris Taylor took her seat Aug. 1.
If the court declines the case or upholds the law, Crowley would need a Democratic Legislature to repeal it. Democrats would need to flip two Senate seats and five Assembly seats on Nov. 3 to gain majorities.
Wisconsin enacted right-to-work in 2015. The law bars requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Michigan repealed its version in 2024. Crowley has called the Wisconsin law “the right to work for less.”
Medicaid already accounts for nearly one-third of state spending and more than $36 billion in the 2025-27 budget. Crowley’s proposal would expand it into a public option open to households that want to buy in, adding costs that would fall on taxpayers.
Crowley’s record as Milwaukee County executive shows a willingness to raise taxes. He signed the county’s sales-tax increase from 0.5 percent to 0.9 percent in 2023. His proposed 2027 county budget raises the property-tax levy 2.55 percent, even as the rate is projected to fall because of higher property values. Republican nominee Tom Tiffany told the Leader-Telegram that Crowley “has raised property taxes all but one year as Milwaukee County Executive and just proposed another increase.” Tiffany also said Crowley has not committed to returning the state’s roughly $3 billion surplus.
