Wisconsin governor primary too close to call as Hong and Crowley claw for lead

As of Tuesday night, the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary was too close to call as Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong led the field.With 75% of votes in, Crowley and Hong were separated by less than a 1-point margin. Hong, who represents part of Madison in the state Assembly, entered Election Day as the polling front-runner after consolidating progressive support in the final weeks of the campaign. Crowley, meanwhile, mounted a late comeback after briefly dropping out of the race and later reentering following the departure of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez.A recount in the Democratic primary would not be automatic but could be requested by the trailing candidate if the threshold is below 1%.

The winner will advance to face Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) in November in what is expected to be a competitive race to succeed Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI). Tiffany, who had the backing of President Donald Trump, won the Republican nomination Tuesday.The Democratic contest took on national significance as another test of socialist momentum within the party. Hong campaigned on proposals including universal childcare, higher taxes on the wealthy, and a moratorium on new data centers, while Crowley positioned himself as a more centrist candidate who could compete in a state Trump narrowly carried in 2024.Crowley received a major boost late in the race when Evers endorsed him and joined him on the campaign trail. The outgoing governor predicted as recently as Monday that Crowley would win the nomination, while saying he would support Hong if she prevailed.Should Hong ultimately secure the nomination, she would be the Democratic Socialists of America‘s first governor nominee, as the organization backed her in the race and has not yet achieved a gubernatorial win.FRANCESCA HONG WANTS TO BE THE DSA’S FIRST GOVERNOR. TUESDAY MAY BRING HER CLOSER TO THE GOALThe primary field also included Wisconsin state Sen. Kelda Roys and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, among others, though polling ahead of the primary showed the contest centered on Hong and Crowley.Republicans are looking to take back the governor’s seat. The Republican nominee has a slightly better chance of defeating Hong in the general election than if he faced Crowley. The updated RealClearPolitics polling average shows Tiffany leading Hong by 1.7 points.