Democrat David Crowley declares victory in Wisconsin governor's race

Thank you, Wisconsin. Thank you so much, you know, to my wife, Erica. Thank you. Thank you so much. You know, I first have to say thank you to my wife. It's been her strength, her resilience that have propelled me and this campaign through our hardest days. And I am so blessed to have you by my side. And I can't wait for Wisconsin to get to know you as their next first lady to To our three beautiful daughters, Alyssa, Ava, Autumn, we call them the A-Squad, y'all. And I want to let them know that nothing in my life makes me more proud of being their dad. Thank you for believing in me as much as I believe in you. And I hope that they see tonight that no matter the setbacks that life throws you, if you work hard and be kind, anything is possible. I love you guys. And I would not be here, I would not be the man I am today, If it was not for my parents. So I want to say thank you to my father, David, my stepmother, Beth, for their unwavering love and support. But I also want to give a special thank you to my mother, Valerie. It was her determination and grace that made life so much more possible. And while I wish she was here tonight, I know that she is proud of what we have been able to build together, y'all. And to the incredible Sarah Galuski. Next, Lieutenant Governor, you know I hit the jackpot with this one on the campaign. And I know the same will be true while we're governing. And I can't wait to get to work with you for the people of this great state. And to the man that I look up to personally and professionally, our great Governor Tony Evers. For eight years, you and your team fought every single day to make life better for our friends and for our neighbors. Governor, I am proud to call you my friend. Honored to have had your support in my campaign, and I will build on what you have been doing and have done to keep moving the great state of Wisconsin forward. And so thank you to not just our great governor, but also to Kathy Evers for all that you have done and sacrificed for the great people of this state. This win, this win belongs to the volunteers who knock doors in the rain and the cold. To the union members who spent their precious time walking their own neighborhoods, to the staff that gave their campaign a year of their lives, and to everyone here and beyond who chipped in five bucks because they believed. And I especially want to thank my campaign manager, Gary Randolph, who was the loyal and steady hand guiding this campaign from the very beginning. But this win also belongs to Milwaukee, the city that raised me. It belongs to Milwaukee, the city that raised me into every corner of this state that showed up tonight. And to everyone, to everyone who started this year backing someone else and finished it on our team, thank you. We are stronger because you are here. Thank you. And I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to the clerks and to the poll workers who worked before sunrise until the last ballot was counted. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for participating in our democracy. A few minutes ago, I had the opportunity to talk to Congressman Tom Tiffany. And I thank him for a hard-fought race and for his service. But despite our differences, I've never doubted that he loves the state that we both call home. Finally, to the people of Wisconsin, tonight is for all of you. This is for all of you. And you know I always say that every day is a good day, but Wisconsin, this is a very good day. This is a very good day. Because of you, a boy who grew up facing eviction will now live in a governor's residence. Tonight, Wisconsin made history. And being your next governor is humbling in its own right. I don't take any of this lightly. And I know exactly the shoulders that I stand on. And I want to say thank you for placing your faith in me. That's ultimately what voting is, a tremendous act of faith. Not faith in one person or a party, but faith in the idea that elections matter, that the right leadership can make a difference in people's lives. Because when you're sitting around the kitchen table at night, having to decide which of your bills would go past due that month, or when your kid is sick, or a parent needs caretaking, but your job doesn't afford the leave for those that you love. When a family moves off the farm, not because they want to leave, but because they don't see a future in staying. You don't really care about the letter that's behind the candidate's name. You just want to know that those who are in power, that they see you and that they're doing everything in their power to actually deliver. And I just want you to know that is exactly what we're going to do for the people of the great state of Wisconsin, y'all. I want to be very clear. When I say we, I don't just mean Democrats. I mean we as public servants of both parties Who have been elected to work together on your behalf. I ran to be a governor for all of us, and tonight that includes everyone who didn't vote for me. I want you to know that I'm going to listen to you, that I'm going to work for you, and I hope to earn your trust the best way that I know how, and that's by showing up and by delivering results. I stand here tonight, I stand here tonight with deep gratitude, believing more than ever that what unites us as Wisconsinites is so much bigger than what divides us. We love our families and our communities no matter how big or how small. We believe in hard work and that our kids tomorrow can be rather than our today and whatever else we argue about I do believe that we will always bleed green and gold and thanks to the Milwaukee Brewers each and every one of us in this room and beyond are world champions. It isn't partisan to want good public schools where every child is safe and loved and Of success. Republican voters are worried about what they pay for health care. And there are Democratic voters who want us to be sound stewards of their tax dollars. At the gas pump or at the checkout line, no matter whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, those bills, they hit all of us the same. And you know what? I get it. My dad, he was an IBEW master electrician. My mother, she was a Jane of all trades. And yet, growing up, there were nights where I didn't know if there would be food on the table, days where I couldn't go or be able to get to go to school because I couldn't afford the bus fare. I grew up in one of those families, not knowing if there would be a roof over your head or if the next doctor's bill would wipe away your finances, hoping that someone in charge would give families like ours a fighting chance. So to all of those families who are watching tonight, I see you. I hear you. I was you. And now I'm going to fight for you each and every single day. Now, there's going to be folks who are going to look at today's results and they're going to see a closely divided state. They'll shade the map red and blue and tell you one color came out on top. But I see something different, y'all. Wisconsin isn't a red state or a blue state. We never have In a state this close, nobody gets to govern alone. When majorities are narrowed, there's no room for show votes or shouting matches. There's no time to waste on culture wars that make for great Instagram clips or lousy government. There's only room for the work, fixing the damn roads, funding the schools, keeping our communities safe, and bringing down your monthly bills. In a state like ours, the voters keep everybody honest. And tonight, they told all of us in both parties, we are sending you to Madison to get something done. Now go do it. And I just want to say to Wisconsin, message received. So to every member of the legislature, Democrat or Republican, my door is always open. Starting tomorrow morning, I'm going to sit down with anyone who is serious about lowering costs for our working families. We won't agree on everything. But we don't have to agree on everything in order to agree on something. And there's a whole lot of something that needs to be done and waiting to be done. And this is why we have to get it done. And so I remain, I remain optimistic that tonight we will see Democratic majorities. And for the first time since 2010, Wisconsin voters will trust us to lead. Close margins will mean we earn that trust every day. But we do it by governing the whole state. But still, the people of Wisconsin elected me as their governor. It is my responsibility to offer my vision where we are headed and to provide the leadership to bring us together to get it done. So here's the work that I intend to do on your behalf. We're going to lower costs for housing, for utilities, and for child care. We're going to bring real property tax relief. We're going to provide health care that is both accessible and affordable, but with real options. Good schools funded without a referendum every other year. A government that is open, accountable, and transparent. And guess what? None of these are Democratic or Republican ideas. These are Wisconsin ideas, y'all. And for those of us who are headed to Madison in January, our job is to get it done. And many of you know that our state's motto is just one word. It's right here on our flag. Y'all know what that is? Forward. That word doesn't just belong to one party or one election. It belongs to the dairy farmer in Marathon County and the nurse finishing a double shift right here in Milwaukee. It belongs to our elderly neighbors who've gotten us to this place. And even every young person who is in this room who inherit what we build next. It belongs to the young kids somewhere in our state facing eviction and struggling. Who knows he or she may one day become governor. Tomorrow, tomorrow the signs will come down. The ads will finally stop. And we will go back to being what we always once were, neighbors. So let's show the country how it's done. In a world that is all too divided, let's buck the trend in true Wisconsin fashion, y'all. Let's be the state where elections make us better, not bitter. Where we stop asking where an idea came from and instead ask, where will it take us? The great Vince Lombardi once said, people who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses or the problems of modern society. Who works together will win. Not Democrats, not Republicans, but people, y'all. And I learned that people beat money by each and every single day. And so to my fellow Wisconsinites, we are not a red state. We are not a blue state. We are not defined by rural and urban. We are one people, one Wisconsin. And tonight, we choose to move forward together, y'all. Thank you, Wisconsin, and let's get to work. Thank you.