‘He’s genuine’: Those who knew David Crowley, including his father, reflect on his historic win
CBS 58 MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Wisconsin’s next governor is making history, but for the people who knew David Crowley long before his political career, his victory is about more than a historic milestone.
Crowley will become Wisconsin’s first Black governor. His journey to the state’s highest office began in Milwaukee, where a former mentor says she saw the qualities that would eventually help shape his future.
Sharlen Moore, now the District 10 alderwoman, first met Crowley when he was a teenager. She and Reggie Moore founded the youth organization Urban Underground, where Crowley found his voice.
Moore remembers him as a lively young person whose personality has not changed over the years.
“I want to say he was probably a junior in high school, and meeting him, how you see David now is how he was when he was a young person, lively, that smile that you see, that has always been his personality,” Moore said.
As election night approached, Crowley’s father, David Crowley Sr., was also waiting anxiously for the results.
“You know how kids can't sleep Christmas Eve? I couldn't sleep on election eve. I was tossing and turning all night,” he said.
Crowley Sr., an electrician, says his son once considered following him into the trade before realizing he wanted a different career.
“He was doing that, and he said to me one day, ‘Dad, that's your job. I think I know what I want,’ and that's when he decided to be a politician,” Crowley Sr. said.
Now, watching his son prepare to become governor, he says the victory has brought him overwhelming joy.
“I'm walking on air. David has brought a lot of joy to me personally and to the family,” he said.
And while the historic win has drawn attention, Crowley Sr. says it is his son's character that will carry him into the governor's office.
“He's not phony, he's genuine. Those are the qualities that I think will carry him,” he said.
He also sees an opportunity for the next generation of Wisconsin children to see what is possible.
“I love the fact that kids are going to look at him and recognize here's someone who looks like me, and look what he did,” Crowley Sr. said.
For Crowley Sr., the message is simple: His son is ready for the responsibility ahead.
“He's going to do the right thing, so I think Wisconsin really got a winner,” he said.
