Why Democrats Said No to Francesca Hong

Heading into Tuesday’s Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary, Republicans couldn’t believe their luck. A suite of primary polls had suggested for months that 37-year-old state assembly member Francesca Hong, a dues-paying affiliate of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) with a vast catalog of embarrassing social media posts, was skating toward a blowout primary victory with a lead as high as 20 points. The GOP was confident that their own front-runner, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, had a strong chance to beat Hong in the general election.

Yet moderate Democrats in the state were as wary of Hong as Republicans were giddy. And they went into overdrive in the final weeks of the race to block her from gaining the nomination. In a wild turn of events, Milwaukee executive and mainstream Democrat David Crowley squeaked out a victory over Hong in last night’s primary, defeating her by a few thousand votes and dealing a blow to the insurgent socialist wing of the party that is hoping to remake the Democratic Party in its own image.

Crowley’s comeback is one for the ages. The Milwaukee county executive had suspended his campaign on July 8 amid what was then a crowded and fractured field that included Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez and former lieutenant governor and failed 2022 U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes, both of whom dropped out of the race in the final weeks.