Will the Milwaukee Brewers’ success help Crowley’s gubernatorial chances?

The political tradition of using the city’s urban problems to win votes in Wisconsin might not be as effective this year, experts say, as the campaign runs during a historic season.

By Peter Cameron, THE BADGER PROJECT

Using the big city issues of Milwaukee, which hasn’t elected a Republican mayor for more than a century, to frighten and motivate suburban and rural Wisconsin voters has been a time-honored political tradition in the state.

“I’ve seen crime rise, property taxes rise, and overall services go down,” says a man identified as Jim from Milwaukee County in one ad from Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany’s 2026 gubernatorial campaign against Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Democrat.

But in this election campaign, the state GOP is trying to run that strategy in a year when the whole state has been enchanted by a magical season from the Milwaukee Brewers, which just capped it with a dominant October postseason, winning the club’s first World Series (though not the city’s, as the Milwaukee Braves powered by Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn and Eddie Mathews did that in 1957).

Might that help the campaign of Crowley, who would be the state’s first Black governor?

“If everyone is feeling good about Milwaukee, the typical Republican playbook of Milwaukee-bashing may not have the same effect,” wrote the Waukesha-based political writer James Wigderson on his Substack.

The ballclub is marketed statewide, he noted.

“They even created special “Wisco” jerseys to try to remind Wisconsinites that from Superior to Kenosha and all points in between, the Brewers really belong to the entire state,” he wrote. “It’s part of the reason why American Family Field has a retractable roof, so bars across the state can plan a Brewers outing with a four-hour drive without worrying that the game will be rained out when the bus arrives in the parking lot.”

Indeed, while the Brewers were slashing their way through the playoffs, winning 11 of 13 games to claim the title, the most recent Marquette Law School Poll found Crowley expanding his lead over Tiffany, at about 47%-41% among registered voters, and 51%-44% among likely voters in its final survey before the Nov. 3 election.

Crowley has not wasted the opportunity. He has touted his efforts as the Milwaukee County executive to help complete a deal that will keep the Brewers in the city until 2050 by publicly funding hundreds of millions in renovations to the ballclub’s American Family Field. The Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, a public entity created by the state Legislature, owns about 2/3 of the stadium. The Brewers own the rest.

As part of the deal, the state contributes about $366 million, which will be distributed in annual payments until the middle of the century. Milwaukee County and the city of Milwaukee each contribute $67.5 million. That will equal more than $500 million in public funding for stadium renovations.

In exchange, the Brewers agreed to put $110 million toward renovations and extend their stadium lease.

In March, wearing a light-blue “Brew Crew” jacket, Crowley posted a photo of himself at the ballpark on Opening Day.

“It’s finally Opening Day in Milwaukee County! Let’s go Brewers! #ThisIsMyCrew,” the caption read.

“Every politician tries to take advantage of the good feelings associated with a winning sports team,” said Barry Burden, a UW-Madison political science professor, in an email.

“There is even some academic research suggesting that victories by local teams help incumbents win slightly more votes than they otherwise would,” Burden continued. “Although everyone in politics makes overtures to Packer fans, the historic run of the Brewers is much more a Milwaukee phenomenon and might create a warmer public perception of Crowley as the Milwaukee candidate. It seems natural that criticisms of Crowley’s leadership in Milwaukee County will have a harder time landing when the public is rallying around the home team.”

“On the other hand, the draw of the World Series might sap the energy of campaign volunteers who get distracted from phone-banking or have less energy to canvass after multiple watching late-night games,” he added.

With a victory parade scheduled for Friday, one in which the county executive is sure to prominently attend, it may “boost good feelings towards the city, which may help (non-Milwaukee) voters feel better about voting for Crowley,” Wigderson wrote.

Early voting has already started, but Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The Badger Project is an independent news nonprofit in Wisconsin.