Wisconsin voters will decide Tuesday whether to nominate a Democratic socialist to the state’s highest office in the latest test of an anti-establishment wave among Democratic primary voters. Francesca Hong, a Democratic Socialist state lawmaker, emerged as the front-runner in a four-way race to succeed Tony Evers, the Democratic governor who is not seeking another term. Evers threw his support behind David Crowley, Milwaukee’s national executive. Crowley previously abandoned the race, before re-entering it on July 18. Crowley and Evers crisscrossed the state over the past two weeks, centering their campaign around electability, saying Crowley was more prepared to win a general election in a swing state like Wisconsin than in Hong. Next door, Minnesota voters have also been weighing the U.S. Senate primary between a moderate and a progressive. After a wave of victories by progressives and democratic socialists in solidly blue parts of the country, the Midwest primaries focused more on concerns about electability given the close nature of state races there. His past comments, including a tweet suggesting canceling Thanksgiving and previous support for defunding the police, were scrutinized by journalists and attacked by Republicans, led by Donald Trump, as more national attention focused on the Wisconsin primary. Marquette University Law School investigated the Democratic primary in late July, after Crowley re-entered, and found Hong leading the pack, although a sizable portion of voters were still undecided at the time. The race had been reshuffled several times in the weeks leading up to August 11, landing on four candidates: Hong, Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys and former state Department of Administration head Joel Brennan. One of the previous leading contenders, Sara Rodriguez, dropped out of the race due to campaign finance irregularities, after which Crowley re-entered the race. Mandela Barnes, Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 2022, left office on July 31. Hong, a chef and former restaurant owner from Madison, was first elected to the state Assembly in 2020. She ran on a platform that included child care for all, free school meals and a one-year moratorium on building new data centers. He said voters across the state have rejected the political establishment and want candidates who will advocate for changes that will materially improve their lives. About 2 or 3 times a day Subscribe to Breaking News US Receive the biggest news as it breaks after the newsletter promotion. “I got into this race because I know we can win and that Wisconsinites will fight for each other and fight to be part of the change,” he previously told The Guardian, “because they’re tired of people making decisions that don’t improve lives and they’re tired of the status quo.” The winner will face Tom Tiffany, a Republican congressman and ardent Trump supporter who ran unopposed in the Republican primary. He voted against certifying the results of the 2020 election, which Trump lost. Tiffany’s role in the 2020 election highlighted the importance of keeping the governorship for Democrats. Democrats also hope to win both chambers of the state legislature to install a governing trifecta and enact their agenda. Elsewhere in Wisconsin, voters in the western part of the state will decide which Democratic challenger will face Republican Derrick Van Orden in the 3rd Congressional District, a key opportunity for Democrats. Rebecca Cooke, a “blue dog” Democrat who previously ran for the seat in 2022 and 2024, has seen national support for her campaign against Emily. Berge, former Eau Claire City Council president. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee endorsed Cooke, angering some local Democrats who saw it as interference in a primary. Berge’s push, amid a wave of anti-establishment sentiment, prompted other national groups to spend to boost Cooke, who they believe is best suited to win the district.
