Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong lost the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Tuesday’s primary election to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, detracting from socialists’ recent electoral victories.
Crowley secured the primary win with 39.8% of the vote, compared to Hong’s 39.4%, according to the Associated Press.
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Hong consistently led the crowded Democratic primary field against the more centrist Crowley, Wisconsin state Sen. Kelda Roys, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, among others. The candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America was considered the front-runner as she generated excitement among younger people in the progressive wing of her party.
Hong also stoked controversy over her past social media posts about canceling Thanksgiving and defunding the police. She has now moved away from those resurfaced comments, calling them “bad takes.”
Multiple polls showed Hong with a double-digit lead over her competitors. In a poll released by State Navigate four days before the primary, she held a 22-point advantage over Crowley. Her lead against Roys was even greater, at 33 points.
Her loss on Tuesday contributes to socialists’ difficulty winning in statewide elections. Though the organization has seen huge gains in its influence in the party, Democratic leaders worry about candidates’ strength in the general election.
Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI), who is retiring at the end of his second term, endorsed Crowley last month after the candidate decided to reenter the race. Rodriguez suspended her campaign around the same time that Crowley rebooted his, though Rodriguez remains on the ballot. Evers’s preferred successor, a mainstream Democrat, was considered the party’s best chance of taking on Hong, a DSA member.
The Democratic nominee will be challenging Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) to succeed Evers in November. Tiffany was the only major candidate in the Republican primary race and was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
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Republicans hope to take back the governor’s mansion, though Tiffany had a slightly better chance of defeating Hong in the general election than Crowley did.
The Cook Political Report, which rates the race as a toss-up, said Democratic voters in the state were “poised to nominate a democratic socialist as their candidate for governor, showing the reach of the party’s left flank in one of the nation’s quintessential swing states.”
