David Crowley, Corporate Centrist Politics, and Stopping a Fascist Wisconsin
I’m going to take this moment to be critical of David Crowley, because he is the democratic contender for Wisconsin Governor and we have some points we very much disagree on. With that said, I also want to stress that I’ve met him in person numerous times and I truly do believe he’ll do our state proud. It is still well within our rights to be critical when we can see an opportunity for things to go better than they are. As a politician, I’ve invited criticism, and I’m sure David does as well. Let’s have us a conversation about the Wisconsin gubernatorial race:
An overwhelming amount of money for David Crowley’s has come from groups with direct ties to AI data centers, both from the ownership of them and the construction of them. The construction of these centers relies heavily on union labor. The specific trade unions that maxed out their campaign PAC contributions stand as the unions with workers who are to benefit the most from AI data center construction.
Operating Engineers Local 1
Donated: $84,000
Provides the heavy machinery operators, steel erection crews, masons and foundation builders of Microsoft’s $7.3 billion AI data center in Mount Pleasant, Wi.
Wisconsin Laborers District Council
Donated: $86,000
They have officially backed and supplied skilled labor for the $15 billion AI data center being built at Port Washington, Wi which is being constructed for use by Oracle and OpenAI
They also strongly supported the proposed $12 billion QTS Data Center in Deforest, Wi.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
Donated: $86,000
Directly contributes to the core of electrical workers building these data centers
Wisconsin Carpenters PAC
Donated: $45,000
Has been a major provider of structural construction workers for the data center projects.
Mark Irgens
Donated: $20,000
CEO of Irgens Partners
This firm is a major contender in Wisconsin commercial real estate development and construction. While his firm typically focuses on office and medical spaces (also noteworthy at a time when our healthcare system has over financialized and continues putting profits over people while monopolizing care), he is a past president and co-founder NAIOP (the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties), this being a group which has been lobbying for and benefiting from industrial scale tech and data center development.
Steamfitters Local 601 PAC
Donated: $25,000
Contributes to the majority of trades professionals directly fabricating and installing high pressure piping for these data center projects.
Barry Mandel
Donated $20,000
Stands to benefit from a favorable regulatory environment, state-backed economic development support, and predictable real estate policies.
Mandel has been a major contributor to Crowley’s campaigns for years. He and the Milwaukee business community see a David Crowley governorship as a major win for their profit centered interests.
Mandel and other real estate leaders backed Crowley because he is a pro-growth moderate, but also to specifically block the election of someone with progressive ideals, Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong. Real estate developers strongly favor Crowley because he resists progressive policies like rent control, corporate landlord regulations, or aggressive overhauls of the state’s upside down charter school conundrum.
Remember the part when we leftists have spoken about the two wings being of the same bird? This is that actual part.
This is a clear case of democratic financiers backing a moderate because he doesn’t present the willingness to move further left with policy, policy which we have all been clamoring for, I might add. Mandel has openly praised the value of “effective and efficient teamwork between private developers and government leadership“. This is the same style of self interest based privatization of public social program erosion that candidates like Fran and myself oppose.
The reality here of why they oppose us is really simple. Privatization of any publicly controlled services always leads to higher prices and a decline in quality of those services.
Don’t believe me? Let’s take a quick look here:
Private companies exist to make a profit. This means they’re going to charge more for the same services that the nonprofit government has been providing. Or they will provide less service at a similar price. Or they will do both - that is, charge a greater fee for less service.
As time has progressed and corporate greed has done its level best to financialize every single aspect of our lives right up to this current moment when nothing is affordable anymore, the powers on both sides of the aisle have gone exactly this way, charging you more while offering you less.
It is at this point of this conversation that brings me right back to the topic of this exposé, gubernatorial nominee David Crowley. Continuing to support big business interests to the point of public majority imbalance and detriment is what we’ve seen the Overton window shift to, why so many of us have been checked out and disenfranchised, and our systems we’ve relied on to simply sustain life aren’t just becoming fractured, but in many cases are just outright failing or being taken away entirely.
It’s worth noting that the new governor isn’t even here yet and we’re already experiencing cuts. Cuts to transparency, honesty, motive, and intention.
Fearmongers did their level best to make us be afraid enough of a woman (again), a democratic socialist (again), and electability (again), to make sure we keep cheering for receiving less, having to accept it “or else”, and having to continue pretending to be happy about it. I’ll be clear here when I say that WE DO HAVE TO VOTE FOR DAVID CROWLEY, because even a corporate centrist becomes palatable when the only other choice is a boot licking fascist sycophant, but we don’t have to like it and we don’t have to remain silent or uncritical about it.
While we may argue about all the facets that got us here and having to vote for the lesser of two evils (again), one thing no one should be arguing about is what this actually has cost us. It’s disenfranchised people, checked people out, caused folks to walk away from the party, and has reinvigorated public frustration, allowing for unhappiness to climb. Just like the time honored traditions such as Thanksgiving, the centrist Dems try once again to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory; to lose at the last possible moment when winning seemed certain. Oy vey.
We can still win, and we are still winning.
It is incredibly important to see the wins here and not be emotionally wrecked by centrist politics. Things we should all remember:
Politics is a long game and we’ve moved the line incredibly far.
Don’t lose sight of this!
We’re about to have a our first black governor! This is amazing and long overdue!
While his policies are more central, he is a Democrat and is the only person we have in this race who will keep our state free and fair.
Don’t let the GOP bastards wear you down! They certainly are trying and will continue to try.
And above all else, don’t stop demanding explanations or insisting on accountability!
Vote Democrat because the alternative is an actual Nazi. Vote Democrat to hold the line at how far we’ve all moved it. Vote Democrat, so people like me can continue to live. And vote Democrat, because some of us (waves) will keep pushing left behind a protected front.
I’m going to be extremely frank here and tell you I’m going to vote for David Crowley so trans people aren’t killed. That’s what we’ll have with a Tiffany led state. But I’m also going to lean hard into moving him on these issues of departure before the election, because we have the responsibility to our state to do so and because he’ll easily beat Tiffany if he can get on board with a data center moratorium and axing vouchers. These are bipartisan supported measures.
The only demographic who’s pro-unregulated data center is owners of data centers. But we do need to vote for Crowley. Voting for him and getting him elected to governor is us voting so candidates like me can continue to push us leftward. I’ll have to leave the state if Tiffany gets elected.
That’s what’s at stake here.
Sometimes our leaders are the front line. Sometimes it’s the people as that front line. In this exact moment and circumstances, we all need to fortify this position so we can continue to move it, and believe me - we absolutely will.
Miss Katrina deVille
Candidate for United States Senate 2028
Wisconsin
