Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is endorsing Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in the state’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, a day after the race was shaken up by the departure of another candidate, and just weeks ahead of the primary election.

At a formal event later Saturday, according to remarks provided to The Associated Press ahead of their delivery, Crowley planned to say that Evers’ decision to back him “reflects his confidence that I have the experience, the judgment, and the record to build the coalition we need, defeat Tom Tiffany, and lead effectively from the very first day in office.”

Crowley, 40, is reemerging into a competitive primary for Wisconsin’s open governor’s race that was turned on its head Friday with the departure of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. Saying she was abandoning her campaign for the state’s top office amid a campaign finance scandal, Rodriguez earlier in the week fired her campaign manager after discovering her campaign had hundreds of thousands of dollars less on hand than expected.

Crowley, who would be the state’s first Black governor if elected, had shuttered his own bid two weeks ago to back Rodriguez. Now, he’s returning to a contest against democratic socialist Francesca Hong; former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes; state Sen. Kelda Roys and Joel Brennan, a former top aide to Evers.

A Democrat who opted not to seek a third term, Evers had previously said that he was not going to endorse in the race to succeed him. Now, he’s bypassing his current and former lieutenant governors, both of whom have won statewide, in endorsing Crowley, who has never run statewide before.

On a trade visit in Africa, Evers was not expected at Crowley’s Saturday event.

Evers also made the last-minute endorsement after previously saying he would not get involved in the primary, his standard practice over the past eight years.

In the first iteration of his campaign, Crowley leaned into his background, highlighting how his family was once homeless in Milwaukee but he rose to become a community organizer and was elected to the state Assembly in 2016 at age 30. He served until the middle of 2020, when he was elected as executive of Milwaukee County, the state’s largest county. He was the first Black person to hold that job and also the youngest at age 33.

Wisconsin’s primary election is Aug. 11, and Democrats are hoping to hold onto the governor’s office as they also eye flipping majority control of the state Legislature, which Republicans have held since 2011. The winner of the Democratic primary will advance to the general election against Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who faces only token primary opposition.

___

Associated Press reporter Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin contributed to this report.

Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press