Moderate upsets democratic socialist in primary for Wisconsin governor

In a surprise upset, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley prevailed over Representative Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist favored by polling up until the final moments. David Crowley, Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor speaks to supporters gathered at the Sheboygan County Democratic Party office during a campaign stop Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in Sheboygan, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf) MILWAUKEE (CN) — An establishment Democrat upset the democratic socialist favorite in the chaotic primary for Wisconsin governor, setting up a heated race against a MAGA Republican in November. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley , 40, eked out a surprise win in Tuesday’s primary for Wisconsin governor over state Representative Francesca Hong. The upset is a harsh loss for progressives, who faced the strongest headwinds from establishment Democrats despite Hong’s substantial and consistent lead in the polls. Crowley will compete for the governor’s mansion against U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany, who got a head start on the campaign trail while Democrats tried to find their footing. Still, state Democrats have a slight edge. After securing a few big wins in recent elections including flipping the ideological majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court after over a decade of conservative rule, the party has momentum on its side. But Crowley, who would be Wisconsin’s first Black governor, still faces an uphill battle. From the moment polls closed at 8 p.m. CDT, and results began pouring in, Crowley and Hong were within hundreds of votes of each other. They took turns at the top for four nail-biting hours before Hong conceded. With 99% of the vote counted, the Associated Press reports Crowley on top by just 3,723 votes. Hong and Crowley each had just under 40% of Democratic voters on their respective sides, while the remaining are spread over the wide field of Democrats who either dropped out or had no chance of usurping the front runners. Because Hong conceded, there will not be a recount in the exceptionally close race. “Tonight’s all about @DavidCCrowley. He’s earned this win and the accolades,” Governor Tony Evers said in a post on X late Tuesday night. “I am so proud of David ­­­­­— he’s the future of our party, and I can’t wait for him to be our next governor. For now, we polka. Tomorrow, we’re back at work to win.” Democrats turned out more voters than Republicans in Tuesday’s primary, signaling where the electorate’s energy could be focused come November. Crowley raked in just over 315,000 votes to Hong’s 311,000 with almost every vote in the state counted. Tiffany earned 467,679 votes, securing 95% of Republican voters to medical service technician Andy Manske’s roughly 22,000. Democrats nearly doubled Republican turnout, bringing out an unofficial total of 791,883 voters to Republican’s 490,661, according to the Associated Press. Official numbers will not be certified by the Wisconsin Elections commission until Aug. 25, but preliminary numbers show a slight uptick in turnout. Wisconsin saw approximately 27% turnout of its voting age population, which is about half of what the battleground state can expect to see in an off-season general election. The 2022 fall primary brought in 26% of the voting age population, according to data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Democrats saw seven options for governor on their ballots, splintering the blue vote and adding to the chaotic election season. State Senator Kelda Roys and former Wisconsin Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan were still in the race on primary day and together took in less than 100,000 votes. Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes each won 4% of the vote despite dropping out in July. Missy Hughes diverted fewer votes than the gap between Crowley and Hong. Carrol University Professor of Political Science Dr. Lilly Goren says Democratic turnout is a positive sign of a possible “blue trifecta.” “The general