3 face off in Democratic primary to replace Crowley
MADISON - Three Democrats and one Republican are running to fill the Assembly seat that until recently was held by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
Crowley, who was elected to the 17th Assembly District in 2016, vacated his seat in the overwhelmingly Democratic district on Milwaukee’s west side after he was elected county executive in April.
Politicians cannot simultaneously serve as a legislator and a county executive under a measure signed into law by former Gov. Scott Walker in 2016.
The three Democrats contending for the seat in the Aug. 11 primary are: Supreme Moore Omokunde, a Milwaukee County supervisor and the son of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore; Chris Walton, chairman of the Democratic Party of Milwaukee; and Mike Brox, a former teacher and field director for Moore.
The winner will face Republican Abie Eisenbach in the Nov. 3 general election. Eisenbach, a Milwaukee community leader and business owner, does not face a primary challenger. He is a member of the Sherman Park Community Association, executive director of a local synagogue and owner of Kosher Foods LLC.
Moore Omokunde, who has served on the Milwaukee County Board since 2015, in a statement announcing his candidacy noted the importance of the 2020 elections in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.
He said he has the experience to “help our community leverage both federal and state resources” needed to help the community. He also mentioned the expansion of health care, economic equity and criminal justice reform as issues that will be “on the ballot.”
Walton in a statement to the Journal Sentinel noted his position with the Democratic Party of Milwaukee and his previous work supporting Democrats who share “my values of hard work, persistence and being the first person to extend a hand.”
He said he is running to “put people first,” adding that the state needs to expand Obamacare to ensure everyone has access to affordable health care. Walton also emphasized the need to create more jobs in the district while also making sure people can get to the jobs on roads that “aren’t dangerous to drive on.”
Brox is running on the platform of restoring financial support for businesses and families during the coronavirus pandemic and fighting against efforts to cut funding for public education, according to his campaign website.
He also promises to “expand health care to include people with disabilities,” as well as for senior citizens.