Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Democrat running to become Wisconsin’s next governor, has a history of saying the land he hopes to lead was stolen from American Indian tribes — comments that cut against his recent ‘moderate’ positioning, according to records and remarks reported by The Daily Wire.
Speaking at an ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ event in October 2025, Crowley told tribal officials in Milwaukee: ‘We’re recognizing the existence of folks who lived on this land before it was actually stolen from them.’ He added that ‘Indigenous people have taken care of these lands, understanding that these lands belong to all of us, and it’s important that we preserve it.’
The comments resurfaced as Crowley works to shed the progressive label after a competitive gubernatorial primary. He narrowly defeated Democratic socialist candidate Francesca Hong, whose campaign was weighed down by past inflammatory statements, including calls to cancel Thanksgiving. With Republicans already painting Crowley as left-leaning, his land acknowledgements have become fresh fodder.
The ‘stolen’ land remark was not an isolated incident. In official appearances over the years, Crowley regularly issued land acknowledgements — a practice that recognizes original inhabitants of a territory. His 2021 state of the county address, for example, opened with a nod to the land beneath the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
‘I’d like to begin by respectfully acknowledging where we reside here at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on traditional Pottawatomie, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee homeland right on the southwest shore of Mishigami,’ he said in the 2021 speech. ‘We acknowledge that we stand on land taken from its rightful stewards as a small but necessary gesture towards honoring our native brothers and sisters.’
He delivered nearly the same sentence word-for-word in his 2022 address, according to coverage of those remarks.
The acknowledgements — often greeted as a symbolic step by supporters but criticized by opponents as divisive rhetoric — have become a political liability as Crowley tries to broaden his appeal. Asked whether he would continue offering land acknowledgements if elected governor, Crowley’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
Crowley’s broader record under scrutiny
The ‘stolen’ land comments are part of a wider record that Republicans say exposes a gap between Crowley’s moderate framing and his actual positions. According to The Daily Wire’s reporting, Crowley has blamed systemic racism for police shootings, opposed legislation designed to protect law enforcement, and once declared Wisconsin ‘the worst place in America to raise a black child.’
Wisconsin GOP Chair Brian Schimming seized on the latest disclosure. ‘David Crowley wants Wisconsin voters to believe he’s a moderate, but his own words and record tell a different story,’ he told The Daily Wire. ‘Crowley keeps showing us he’ll cave to the far Left, and no amount of moderate branding can hide it.’
The governor’s race pits Crowley against Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, and forecasters at the Cook Political Report rate the contest a toss-up. The winner will replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who notably backed Crowley’s primary bid and helped push him past Hong.
Democrats have lined up behind Crowley, framing him as a pragmatist who can deliver on core issues in a swing state. But his repeated use of land acknowledgements — and his blunt assertion that Wisconsin’s land was ‘stolen’ — could test that narrative with general election voters, especially among independents who may see the comments as out of step with the state’s political center.
The controversy also highlights a broader cultural flashpoint. ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’ is celebrated in many cities as an alternative to Columbus Day, and Crowley’s participation in the Milwaukee event aligned him with activists who view the federal holiday as a celebration of colonization. His comments there were made in a ceremonial context, with tribal officials present — a setting that lends them weight even if they were not intended as policy statements.
Political analysts note that land acknowledgements have become common among Democrats in some regions, but are far less routine in Wisconsin’s statewide politics, where even moderate candidates typically avoid language that questions the legitimacy of land ownership. Crowley’s willingness to use that language, repeated over multiple years, suggests a deeper conviction than a one-off remark.
For Republicans, the resurfaced comments feed a broader narrative that Crowley is not the moderate he claims to be. Schimming’s statement, distributed after the ‘stolen’ land remarks surfaced, was designed to reinforce that point as the general election campaign heats up.
Crowley’s campaign has not issued a formal response to the criticism, leaving the remarks to stand in the public record. As the race tightens, voters will decide whether those words matter — and whether Crowley’s apology for the land’s history, offered at a ceremonial event, is enough to satisfy those who question his political identity.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/so-called-moderate-dem-candidate-apologized-for-his-states-stolen-land