Wisconsin Primary Becomes Democrats' Next Ideological Test
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, endorsed by Gov. Tony Evers, faces democratic socialist Francesca Hong in Tuesday's gubernatorial primary, a week after a progressive won Michigan's Senate primary.
NEW GLARUS, Wis. — The fight over the Democratic Party's direction moves to Wisconsin on Tuesday, where Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley faces democratic socialist Francesca Hong in a gubernatorial primary that both sides describe as a test of how far left the party is willing to go.
Crowley is backed by two-term Gov. Tony Evers, one of the state's most popular elected officials. The primary comes a week after progressive Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan's U.S. Senate primary. Also on Tuesday, Minnesota Democrats choose between moderate Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for the Senate.
A Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsin Democratic primary voters, conducted in late July before former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out, showed Hong with a significant lead. More than 112,000 absentee ballots had already been returned by the day the poll was released.
The race has been unusually chaotic. Crowley withdrew on July 8 and rejoined 10 days later with Evers' endorsement after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez ended her campaign. Twelve days after that, Barnes quit amid allegations of inappropriate behavior. Both remain on the ballot, and votes already cast for them cannot be undone. "We've created a mess," said Michael Gebben, 64, who voted absentee for Rodriguez before she withdrew.
Hong, a single mother and former restaurant cook, has faced questions over past social media posts calling for canceling Thanksgiving because "we should stop celebrating colonialism," disparaging Valentine's Day and repeatedly urging that police be defunded. She has since said she does not support abolishing the police.
Sarah Miller, 49, a software engineer from Madison who calls herself a progressive, said she is voting for Crowley because she believes Hong cannot win. Hong supporter Chris Vestin, 54, said electability arguments are often "racist" and "sexist," and called Evers' endorsement "counterproductive."
The winner faces Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, a staunch Trump ally who entered August with 10 times more cash on hand than either Democrat. Crowley would be Wisconsin's first Black governor; Hong would be its first woman and first Asian American governor.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.
