David Crowley

I’ve been clear that local communities should decide if a data center is right for them, and if they don’t want them, they should not be forced to accept them—no ifs, ands, or buts.

If a community decides they want a data center, they need to be built with union labor, with full transparency and accountability, with 100% renewable energy, and ensuring these data centers don’t pass on a single penny to ratepayers.

Large data centers cannot be allowed to shift billions of dollars in infrastructure, energy, or water costs onto families and small businesses. They should pay the full costs associated with serving their facilities, including necessary generation, transmission, and other infrastructure.

Data centers have been unnecessarily secretive about their intent and impact on the community. Regardless of who it is, we need state oversight to ensure local communities are respected and protected, ratepayers don’t pick up a penny of the cost, and that Congressman Tiffany’s big tech billionaires can’t steamroll our state.

Local communities deserve to do what is right for them, and as governor, I will always support that. Right now, we need state regulations on data centers because Congressman Tom Tiffany not only hasn’t done his job but has actually voted for policies that would make it harder for states to regulate AI.

Agriculture contributes tens of billions of dollars to Wisconsin’s economy annually and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs. My vision for Wisconsin agriculture is one where family farms are viable, rural communities are stable, and the state’s natural and energy resources strengthen each other over the long term.

That means investing in cost-share programs that help farmers implement conservation practices without bearing the full financial burden alone, supporting research and extension services that give farmers the tools to adapt to changing conditions, and supporting workforce training programs and small grant programs that can help Wisconsin’s smaller farms stay on the cutting edge of innovations to improve their operations.

I support the responsible expansion of nuclear energy as part of Wisconsin’s clean energy future — including next-generation and small modular reactor technology — because reliable, carbon-free baseload power is essential to a grid that works for families and businesses.

We need to advance geothermal energy development in Wisconsin as a proven, carbon-free baseload resource — because a resilient energy future requires a diverse portfolio of reliable clean power that isn’t subject to weather variability or fuel supply disruptions.

Additionally, we need to lift outdated barriers to energy development in Wisconsin.

Finally, the state must improve its investment in our public K-12 schools, technical colleges, and university campuses to bolster the workforce and support the critical biotech research at the Universities of Wisconsin. The state should also continue to be a strong partner to efforts around the Biohealth Tech Hub, and its efforts to ensure Wisconsin is a leader in this sector for years to come.

As Governor, my plan includes universal early childhood education, new investments in public schools, and closing the special education reimbursement gap. I’ll ensure that every child has a launchpad to success—whether through college, technical school, apprenticeships, or direct-to-career pathways.

I recognize that when the state doesn’t pick up its share of public education funding, local school districts have to turn to local taxpayers for referenda to fill the gap to keep schools in communities open and to ensure that students have the resources and learning opportunities available to them.

My administration will prioritize funding for our public schools and close the special education funding gap, so our kids get the education, mental health support, and healthy school lunches they need to thrive and our schools have the resources to recruit and retain great teachers and deliver quality STEM learning opportunities both inside the classroom and through extra-curricular opportunities. I would also like to expand apprenticeships, dual enrollment, and earn and learn partnerships so that students can graduate with college credit, industry credentials, or a two-year degree pathway already underway, which cuts costs and time to enter into a career.

As Governor, I will ensure the state’s Department of Health Services purpose is to support the health and wellbeing of Wisconsinites, guided by an evidence-based public health oriented approach. I will continue to be a champion for community health and access to health care, advancing the “No Wrong Door” model of care, investing in health services, directing funding toward community needs, and making it easier for working families to access care and services in their communities.

I believe health care is a right, and my goal is universal access to affordable, high-quality health care. My immediate priority is establishing a BadgerCare public option that gives families and small businesses an affordable alternative to private insurance while protecting Medicaid, strengthening rural health care, lowering prescription drug costs, and addressing Wisconsin’s health care workforce shortage. Health care also requires improvements in mental health supports, addiction treatment access, and EMS innovations across the state.

A DHS appointee must connect the dots across state agencies to meet the needs of people with a no wrong door approach for food, child care, housing, health care, jobs, and recognize that each community in Wisconsin has different needs and challenges in the constellation of services and supports to best serve people.

I will promote a continued investment in research and innovation within state agencies, at the Universities of Wisconsin and with partners. I recognize the importance of research, science, and data for progress. As County Executive, I developed collaborative partnerships between the County and the Medical College of Wisconsin to map regional mental health trends, pre- and post-COVID-19 suicide demographics, and data modeling for public health. It is essential for us to put science first for health care communication and availability of health care resources throughout Wisconsin. I will also advocate on behalf of Wisconsin with the federal delegation to fight for increased federal investment in research and undo the damaging recent decisions to defund critical research programs at NIH and other agencies.