Much like the Michigan Senate race, Wisconsin's primary contest for governor showed Democrats are deeply divided over their party's direction in 2026.Show Caption
Democrats' nationwide tug-of-war between their mainstream liberal and more progressive factions continued Aug. 11 with another neck-and-neck race, this time for the party's nomination in the Wisconsin gubernatorial contest.With about 93% of the total vote counted, state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist ridiculed in the campaign's closing weeks for anti-Thanksgiving posts, held a less than 3,000-vote lead over Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who was backed by party leaders such as Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.That marks another significant underperformance by populist outsiders relative to polling − and more proof that the Democratic electorate in key Midwestern swing states is closely divided between its left and center wings − a week after Abdul El-Sayed's razor-thin win over the establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens in the Michigan Senate primary.Speaking to supporters late Tuesday evening, Hong stressed that − no matter who prevails − the Badger State's politics have changed."We are fighting to become once more what Wisconsin has always been -- a place where our future is determined not by corporations and billionaires, but our future that's determined by the working-class people who live here," she said.Progressive did fare better in neighboring Minnesota, where Democratic primary voters handed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, a progressive, a win over Rep. Angie Craig, a centrist, in campaign to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith.That race had many of the same markings as other bitter primaries this year, but was largely shaped by the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens, by federal officers in the state earlier this year.There was also a result that defied polling on the Republican side, as President Donald Trump's near-perfect endorsement record took a hit. Controversy-prone Mike Lindell, the former MyPillow CEO, lost to Minnesota state House Speaker Lisa Demuth in the Republican primary for governor despite having led in polls.There are also contests Tuesday in Alabama, Connecticut, Vermont and South Carolina, where newly appointed Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham, who died in July, jockeyed against nine other GOP rivals in a special election.Here are the key takeaways from Tuesday's election.Democrats remain evenly split amid liberal, progressive battlesLeading up to Election Day most observers viewed Hong as the favorite given the massive lead she had in many surveys.But after the polls closed, Hong and Crowley were engaged in an unexpectedly tight contest that underscores how divided Democrats remain over their party's direction heading into the fall.Many Democrats, including Crowley, spotlighted Hong's stumbles during an Aug. 3 CNN interview that questioned her old social medias posts calling for the cancellation of Thanksgiving."She's not ready for prime time," Crowley told USA TODAY.But others argue those rookie mistakes and previous comments -- including calls to abolish the police -- were eclipsed by Hong's grassroots support and growing frustrations with the party establishment. She galvanized her campaign around universal health care, promises to block data centers and levying higher taxes on the wealthy.The winner will face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who easily defeated a relatively unknown opponent.Rematch set for Wisconsin's most competitive districtFurther down the Badger State ballot, Democrat Rebecca Cooke is hoping the third time's a charm after easily winning a primary election with the national party's early support.Rep. Derrick Van Orden is among the most vulnerable Republican incumbents running for re-election amid a projected blue wave that could flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives.Cooke, a nonprofit owner and former waitress, is hoping that the better political environment will be her edge after failing to get out of the Democratic primary in 2022 and losing to Van Orden by about three percentage points in 2024.Democratic strategists have noted she outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost that district to Trump by about seven percentage points.Progressives score win in Minnesota Senate primaryMinnesota's Senate primary to replace retiring incumbent Tina Smith was less visible compared to other Democratic primaries this year, but it featured many of the same tensions that gave progressives a decisive win.Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, cast as the more progressive alternative, was projected as the victor over Rep. Angie Craig, a reliable centrist. The outcome is more remarkable when considering Craig had a roughly $20 million to $4.7 million spending advantage over Flanagan, according to AdImpact."For months now, I've been telling you this campaign was about the many versus the money," Flanagan said during her victory speech. "Guess what: The many just won."The two tussled over the influence of wealthy donors and U.S. support for Israel, while spotlighting support from different wings in the party.But their race focused mostly on the backlash against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement campaign in the Democratic-leaning state. That resistance culminated earlier this year in the form of massive protests after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens, by federal officers.Craig argued Flanagan was the preferred opponent for Republicans given her ties to a welfare fraud scandal that ended Gov. Tim Walz’s bid for a third term. The former vice presidential nominee noticeably didn't endorse either contender in this primary.Federal prosecutors have estimated the fraud in state-run Medicaid programs since 2018 could total more than $9 billion. But Flanagan was relentless in attacking Craig's record, particularly for voting in favor of the Laken Riley Act, an immigration-focused measure that was the first bill Trump signed during his second term.She will face former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, who easily won her GOP primary.Trump ally Mike Lindell loses GOP primary for Minnesota governorIt is rare that GOP voters don't go with President Trump's picks in a primary, but Minnesota Republicans did by rejecting Mike Lindell's bid for governor.Few MAGA figures have stood by the president as loyally as Lindell, who remains wedded to the false claims that Trump won the 2020 presidential election. The former MyPillow CEO, who stepped down to run for governor, has been held liable for those denials in federal court."He will not let you down," Trump said in an Aug. 11 social media post.Lindell was the frontrunner in most of the surveys leading up to Election Day, but observers began to notice a late surge by Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth. That culminated in her decisive 13-point win over Lindell.Minnesota's gubernatorial race was always an uphill battle, but Republicans may believe the office is within their grasp, given the welfare fraud scandal in the state.Demuth is now set to face Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a former presidential candidate who coasted to the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, this fall.Darline Graham glides to victory -- now comes a bigger run-off testAs expected, Sen. Darline Graham didn't break a sweat in the Aug. 11 primary to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham, against nine other Republican candidates.The 62-year-old political newcomer, who was appointed, prevailed carrying about 33% of the vote ahead of well-known names in South Carolina politics including former Gov. Mark Sanford along with Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman.That margin of victory falls short of the needed 50% threshold to avoid a runoff, however, which means Darline Graham will have to run again on Aug. 25.Norman, 73, who ran for governor in June, outpaced the other contenders to take second place. He is vice chairman of the House Freedom Caucus that has supported the Trump administration's strict immigration enforcement campaign, but the five-term congressman also endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley during the 2024 Republican presidential primary.If things get thorny for Darline Graham against Norman, however, political observers may watch to see if Trump covers his bets by endorsing both candidates, as he did previously during in the state's Republican run-off for governor.Contributing: Jay Stahl, Terry Collins, Laura Schulte
