David Crowley Stuns Socialist Frontrunner In Wisconsin Dem Governor Primary

News admin August 12, 2026 0 Comments

David Crowley Stuns Socialist Frontrunner In Wisconsin Dem Governor Primary

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley pulled off a stunning upset Tuesday in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, defeating socialist frontrunner Francesca Hong after polls showed him trailing by double digits just days before the election.

Decision Desk Headquarters called the race early Wednesday morning for Crowley, who reentered the contest only weeks before the primary and earned the backing of outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

The result marked a dramatic reversal from pre-election polling, which had shown Hong, a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, with a commanding lead over the rest of the Democratic field. One of the final polls before Election Day showed Hong leading Crowley 44% to 22%.

Hong’s apparent collapse also spared Wisconsin Democrats from nominating a candidate whose past comments about abolishing the police, canceling Thanksgiving, and other controversial positions had become fodder for Republicans ahead of November’s general election.

Evers, who backed Crowley after he reentered the race, had openly warned that Hong would face difficulty defeating Republican nominee Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI).

“I think she’s in a tough place. She has spent her entire campaign dealing not with the issues, but what’s on the Twitter, and I just find that that’s not a good way to beat Tom Tiffany,” Evers said in the campaign’s homestretch. “It’s going to be tough…but I think she’s at a real disadvantage, especially since she spends a lot of time talking about Twitter.”

Hong, a 37-year-old state representative and part-time bartender, had ridden a wave of leftist enthusiasm to become the race’s surprise frontrunner, setting off a late scramble among establishment Democrats to stop her.

Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the Democratic primary in late July as Hong surged in the polls, appearing to concede at the time that her nomination was inevitable.

“Last night I had a very difficult conversation with staff,” Barnes said in a social media video. “We’re incredibly proud of all the things that we’ve accomplished and all the resources that we have raised to spread our message. But it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be.”

But Crowley’s late return to the race ultimately gave Democrats an alternative to Hong, who generated national headlines over a series of old social media posts and leftist policy positions.

“Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” she said in a deleted 2020 social media post. “If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed indigenous folx and women, so be it.”

Hong has also criticized other major American holidays, saying she doesn’t like fireworks ahead of Independence Day, dismissing Halloween as “not my thing,” and claiming Valentine’s Day brings out “the worst of humanity” on a day when “capitalism tells you how to show love.”

Hong’s rise drew national attention but did not result in endorsements from two of the country’s most prominent Democratic socialists, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Crowley will now face Tiffany, the Republican nominee, in November as both parties battle for control of the governor’s mansion after Evers decided not to seek another term.

Tiffany has centered his campaign on affordability and reducing the size and cost of state government.

“Let’s get control of our utility rates, which have been skyrocketing $2 billion plus in the last eight years. Let’s get control of the red tape and let’s also audit all of state government,” Tiffany said on Fox News over the weekend. “It is one of the most popular issues amongst people that I’m talking to at this point. Boy, let’s root out the fraud and waste because we know what’s happening here in Wisconsin also.”