KENOSHA, Wisconsin — The progressive movement’s impact on the midterms has reached Wisconsin, where a democratic socialist is challenging establishment Democrats. State Rep. Francesca Hong is leading the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, driven by a populist campaign addressing voters’ concerns about the cost of living. Opposing her is David Crowley, the Milwaukee County Executive supported by outgoing Gov. Tony Evers, who aims to halt Hong’s campaign.
As Tuesday’s primary approaches, both candidates and voters are focused on electability, striving to assemble the broadest coalition to compete against presumed Republican nominee Tom Tiffany.
In recent weeks, Crowley and Evers have traveled across the swing state, cautioning that electing Hong could jeopardize the governor’s mansion in November to Tiffany, a staunch member of the House Freedom Caucus backed by President Donald Trump.
“You know, it’s the only time that I know that the governor — Tony Evers — the Republican Governors Association and Turning Point USA have ever been on the same page: in thinking that Francesca Hong is the best candidate to lose this race,” Crowley remarked during an interview at a local tavern in Sheboygan on Friday.
Hong dismisses these warnings. Addressing audiences across the state, she argues that Democratic voters are tired of the establishment and that she can attract a diverse group of Democrats, Republicans, and those feeling unrepresented by either party.
“We have to take this moment, a movement moment, and be bold with transformative change, and build the actual big tent that we can and we must be as Democrats,” Hong expressed to approximately 50 people at a senior community center in the conservative town of Siren.
Hong, a 37-year-old former chef and single mother, represents the state’s most Democratic district and has experienced a swift ascent in a politically divided state that Trump narrowly won in 2024. She began her campaign as a long shot with less recognition than other Democrats like Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who have both exited the race. Despite consistently raising less money and not airing any television ads, Hong has maintained strong leads in public polls.
However, Hong’s campaign has encountered scrutiny over her past social media posts advocating for defunding the police and criticizing Thanksgiving. She faced criticism for failing to provide a clear response to CNN about whether she wanted to “cancel Thanksgiving.”
In response to these controversies, Hong’s team has restricted her media interactions at campaign events and she has softened some of her previous positions, emphasizing her commitment to public safety and distancing herself from anti-establishment ties.
On Wednesday, she told POLITICO that Thanksgiving is actually her favorite holiday, reversing her previous stance. When asked by POLITICO on Saturday if she regretted her past, she acknowledged learning from her tweets during a campaign stop in Sheboygan.
“I had some hot takes, some bad takes on Twitter, but when you’re a business owner running a restaurant during Covid, trying to pay bills as a student, you’re putting feelings out there into the world,” Hong said. “But I’ve evolved, I’ve learned. I think it’s more dishonest not to learn.”
Hong has focused on affordability policies, advocating for raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $20, implementing progressive taxation, and imposing a statewide one-year moratorium on data center construction. This issue resonates in Wisconsin, where several local governments have already enacted moratoriums.
“While many of our supporters or other folks have framed us as anti-establishment, what we are for is working-class people,” she explained to POLITICO. “It’s not so much being anti-establishment as it is ensuring that we’re listening to voters who are demanding change.”
Yet, many Democrats in Wisconsin are concerned that her ideology and past social media posts with far-left rhetoric could be a liability in the general election. Pro-Republican PACs, including one linked to the Republican Governors Association, have invested millions to support Hong in the primary, hoping to face a weaker opponent in November.
Kyle Kilbourn, a Democrat who ran against Tiffany for his House seat in 2024, is still undecided about whom to support in the primary due to concerns about “electability statewide.”
“The last several elections have been very, very close, by one or two percentage points, and so it matters,” he told POLITICO while attending a Hong event at a brewery in Rhinelander.
Some of Hong’s supporters are also uneasy. “It’s always going to be a concern,” said Jan Stroman at an event in River Falls when asked about Hong’s chances against Tiffany.
Robert LaGesse, 74, who attended an event in far-north Superior on Friday and plans to vote for Hong, acknowledged that her tweets about abolishing the police “sound like a foolish statement that could hurt her big time.”
At the same event, a young Hong campaign volunteer asked her about those social media posts. “I’m not going to abolish the police as governor,” Hong responded. “I cannot and I will not defund the police.” She faced similar questions at nearly every event in the past week.
Some supporters also worry that Hong might face racial and gender bias as an Asian American woman. Wisconsin has never elected a governor who is not a white man.
“There’s a lot of sexism yet in our country,” said Tim Freiss, 60, a Hong supporter who previously voted for both Bush presidencies, during an interview outside his home in Green Bay.
“Honestly, what I’m worried about is her race, because our state is very racist,” added another supporter, Heidi Meyer, 48, as Hong canvassed her neighborhood in Appleton.
Democratic officials in Wisconsin are determined to unify after the primary, but many worry Hong isn’t running the disciplined campaign needed to defeat a Trump-backed Republican in the state. The race has caused significant division among Democrats, with Hong’s allies frustrated by Evers’ campaign against her, which includes using his resources to support Crowley. Evers, who defeated Republican then-Gov. Scott Walker in 2018, decided not to seek a rare third term.
Evers on Friday would not confirm whether he would endorse or campaign with Hong if she wins, though Democrats expect he will.
“I want to have a chance to take a breath, and once that’s in a position, we’ll see,” Evers said during an interview while walking with Crowley from a Hmong family-owned bakery in Sheboygan to a tavern full of supporters.
Crowley, when asked if he would campaign for Hong if she wins the nomination, responded with a smile, “Ask her that too.” He quickly added, “I want to be very clear: I’m not in this race running against any of my opponents. I’m running for the votes of Wisconsinites, and if they don’t choose me to be the nominee, my job is to make sure that it’s blue no matter who.”
When asked on Saturday if she would support Crowley and campaign with him if he wins on Tuesday, Hong replied simply, “Yes.”
Hong acknowledges that the democratic socialist label carries weight, saying, “I can’t say I always love it for me,” during a stop in River Falls. Nonetheless, she rejects the notion that her campaign is undisciplined, noting that establishment Democrats have underestimated her. She plans to work with Democrats across the ideological spectrum as the race heads toward November.
“We’re a serious campaign that has built a movement and turned out new voters, folks who are voting for the first time,” Hong said. “We’re a serious campaign that knows how to win, but we’re also serious about working as a coalition and making sure that we collaborate and coordinate with the people that we need to make sure we defeat Tom Tiffany in the fall.”
Crowley has taken a more moderate approach compared to Hong’s progressive democratic socialism. In an interview, he stressed the party’s need for “someone who’s not just going to fight back, but also who can sit at the negotiating table and be able to work with folks who want to deliver for those that we represent.” He also opposed the data center moratorium that Hong supports, which resonates with some rural voters: “So, the way I hear that question is that we’re going to preempt local communities from not being able to focus on their own economic development,” Crowley explained.
While signs indicate Crowley is gaining some traction, he still trails Hong by 20 percentage points in recent polling.
“Crowley is closing the gap, but it’s likely too little, too late,” observed a longtime Wisconsin Democratic strategist, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the governor’s preference.
Crowley’s team contends that Wisconsin polling might be inaccurate, similar to what occurred in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed secured the Democratic Senate nomination by a narrower margin than anticipated. However, evidence of Hong’s strength is visible across the state, beyond her Madison stronghold. The first voter Crowley greeted at his initial Sheboygan stop, Paige Gerber, later revealed she had already voted early for Hong.
Attendees at Crowley’s later event were acutely aware of his position. In interviews with POLITICO, voter after voter expressed concern that their party seemed set to choose Hong, whom they viewed as a losing candidate.
Retirees in “radicalized by basic decency” T-shirts drank beer and cheered when Evers entered with Crowley, accompanied by local IBEW union workers and teachers. Chants of “Tony! Tony!” eventually filled the bar.
A Crowley staff member attempted to start a “David! David!” cheer, but it failed to catch on.
Tyler Katzenberger contributed to this report.
