Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Democratic candidate for governor, is facing scrutiny after a 16-year-old social media account linked to him resurfaced with racist, sexist and homophobic posts.
Crowley’s campaign acknowledged that he had access to the account but said he did not author the offensive content, which dates back to 2010.
The controversy emerged just days after Crowley relaunched his gubernatorial campaign following Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s withdrawal from the Democratic primary. In an already tight contest ahead of Wisconsin’s August 11 primary, the controversy has swiftly gained attention.
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Who is David Crowley?
Crowley has served as Milwaukee County Executive since 2020, becoming the first Black person elected to the position. Before that, he represented Wisconsin’s 17th Assembly District in the state legislature after serving on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.
He has built his political profile around public health, economic development and local government reforms.
Last week, Crowley re-entered Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial race after previously suspending his campaign. His return followed Rodriguez’s decision to end her bid amid a campaign finance reporting controversy. Crowley is now one of five Democrats seeking the party’s nomination to challenge Republican candidate US Rep. Tom Tiffany in the general election.
As he stepped into the race, NBC News first reported that an X account linked to Crowley contained offensive and racist posts from 2010. According to reports, the account was originally created to promote a Milwaukee bar and social club.
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“Dirt McGirk”
The account name on X is “Dirt McGirk.”
According to , in 2010, the account tweeted, “it’s DC aka David bka Dirty or black a*** dude.” It said, “confession I’ve never boink a white woman! Is that a bad?
“I need all the sexy ladies to DM me ;),” another post read.
Some others include, “That’s just NASTY!!! I wouldn’t [expletive] her with YOUR [expletive] !!! #slapyourself.”
In another 2010 post, someone commented, “I don’t even call the Police Pigs…..i call them Cow…..its a beef thing.”
Campaign denies Crowley authored offensive posts
Crowley’s campaign said the account was shared by 10 to 12 people more than 15 years ago.
A campaign spokesperson said Crowley did not write the racist, sexist or homophobic posts now under scrutiny. The campaign acknowledged that Crowley had used the account to discuss his paternity history, something he has publicly addressed before.
Crowley also issued a personal statement condemning the language.
“The people who know me will be the first to tell you that I would never say these things,” he said. “Bottom line: I strongly condemn the language used in these posts from a decade and a half ago.”
NBC News later updated its reporting after Rayhainio Boynes, who said he also used the account, stated that he was confident Crowley did not write the offensive messages.
