MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Stat Representative David Bowen, D-Milwaukee, who’s been in the State Assembly six years, declared his candidacy for lieutenant governor. In the Democratic primary in August, Bowen faces two fellow Milwaukee area legislators:
> State Representative Sara Rodriguez of Brookfield.
> State Senator Lena Taylor of Milwaukee and west and south suburbs.
The winner will become the running mate of Governor Tony Evers, who is seeking a second term. Wisconsin’s current lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes, is running instead for the U.S Senate. In announcing his candidacy, Bowen pledged to focus on young voters and vulnerable voters “who deserve to have something to vote for, not just something to vote against.”
Bowen profile
Before going to the State Assembly Bowen was on the Milwaukee County Board, at 25 the youngest member in the history of the county. He studied education policies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Later he became program director at Urban Underground non-profit organization. Also he served on the Medical College of Wisconsin violence prevention committee and on the city homicide review commission. He is 34.
Bowen record
> On the Milwaukee County Board, Bowen nurtured a proposed $11.32 an hour county minimum wage. The proposal was vetoed by the county executive.
> As a super delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention he supported Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for president over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
> In the State Assembly he proposed legalizing recreational marijuana, creating an Indigenous Peoples Day, and designating September as Sickle Cell Anemia Day.
Bowen. Sees himself as a champion of young voters and what he calls “vulnerable voters.”