More on that Wisconsin Governor race:
Establishment-backed David Crowley Pulls Off Wisconsin Upset
By Kevin Robillard
August 12, 2026
Introduction:
(Huffington Post via MSN) Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley defeated state Assembly Member Francesca Hong in a massive upset to win the Democratic primary for governor of Wisconsin on Tuesday night, a victory for the state party establishment, which feared Hong’s socialist views would make her a weak candidate in the general election.
Crowley’s narrow win came despite Hong’s commanding lead in recent polling, which prompted a ferocious push by the state party establishment to consolidate behind Crowley and defeat her. It ended a topsy-turvy primary that included two leading candidates dropping out amid scandal and the resurrection of Crowley’s campaign after he initially quit in July.
Incumbent Gov. Tony Evers (D) campaigned relentlessly with Crowley in recent days, warning that Hong’s voluminous social media archive of controversial statements would make her a weak general election candidate, including her now-famous proclamation about hating Thanksgiving and past support for defunding the police.
Crowley will face GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany, a member of the House Freedom Caucus with his own litany of far-right positions, in November. His victory shows Democratic voters are still sensitive to warnings about electability even as their frustration with party leaders has empowered a series of major progressive victories this primary season.
Read more here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politic ... obArticle
Edit:
(Washington Post) Hong was the latest democratic socialist to catch fire after several other democratic socialists defeated House Democrats in primaries earlier this year. She led in polling in the final weeks of the race but attracted criticism for calling years ago for the cancellation of Thanksgiving, which she described as a holiday “celebrating colonialism.” Evers warned that Hong probably could not defeat Rep. Tom Tiffany, who won the Republican nomination.
Source:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... 5f6&ei=238
Second Edit:
(Mother Jones) Although Hong held a convincing lead in many of Tuesday’s polls, she lost by about 4,000 votes—a narrow 0.5 percentage point. As someone presenting herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and without endorsements from key progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—who notably distanced herself from more progressive policies on Sunday, Hong came across as an outsider candidate who gained popularity over time.
Critics on the right, and some Democrats, criticized Hong for past social media remarks, such as a deleted post to “Cancel Thanksgiving” and calls for “defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police”. If she won, she would have become the first democratic socialist governor in US history.
On the establishment Democrats’ side, multiple candidates who were once considered front-runners withdrew—including Sara Rodriguez, Wisconsin’s current lieutenant governor, who suspended her campaign in mid-July after she fired her campaign manager for inflating financial reports. Even the victor, Crowley, re-entered the race shortly after Rodriguez’s departure (he initially suspended his campaign in early July due in part to poor polling).
Source:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/20 ... governor/ Don't mourn, organize.
-Joe Hill
