Democrats brought one of their biggest political names to Milwaukee Monday evening, hoping to give David Crowley a boost in the race for Wisconsin governor.
If Kamala Harris was supposed to bring excitement and energy to David Crowley’s campaign for governor, Monday evening’s appearance hardly felt like a political earthquake.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared at the Pfister Hotel for a “Women for Crowley” campaign event. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that about 450 supporters attended. But that number is very generous for the 40-minute event.
Kamala Harris, a former vice president and the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, attended. This was supposed to bring excitement.
So where was the electricity?
The bigger issue wasn’t simply the small size of the crowd. It was the message.
Harris, who spoke for under ten minutes, did praise David Crowley, describing him as a leader focused on people. She highlighted his positions on reproductive rights and Medicare funding.
Harris devoted most of her brief appearance to attacking Donald Trump and his administration. Donald Trump isn’t running for Wisconsin governor. David Crowley is.
And that raises the question voters should be asking. What is the compelling case for Crowley? As we saw in the debate last Wednesday, Crowley is short on answers and policies. He has also been hiding from the media, leaving voters to question his ability to lead.
Democrats have brought a parade of high-profile names to Wisconsin. Senator Raphael Warnock, Kerry Washington, and Governor Wes Moore have campaigned for Crowley, and Pete Buttigieg is scheduled to campaign for him, too.
That’s plenty of star power.
However, Wisconsin voters aren’t electing a celebrity surrogate. They’re electing a governor.
Harris came to Milwaukee to fire up the base, but her appearance was pretty flat.
If Monday evening was supposed to show that Harris could still bring political electricity to Milwaukee, it left plenty of room for one final question. Has the thrill simply worn off?
