David Crowley pulled off a victory in Wisconsin's Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday that was both a stunning upset and an unheard of comeback, defeating the field's frontrunner with a Hail Mary effort in the final weeks of a race that was seen as a test of whether new democratic socialist victories in deep blue states could be replicated in Midwestern battlegrounds.Crowley defeated Francesca Hong by less than half of a percentage point in an election outcome that none of the statewide polls predicted. In every survey, including one Crowley's campaign paid for, Hong carried a double-digit lead in the race.Crowley was declared the winner by the Associated Press early Wednesday, Aug. 12, after a series of reporting delays in Milwaukee, Winnebago and Green counties. If the slim margin in unofficial results holds, it could be within the 1% threshhold at which Hong could request a recount at the campaign's response."David is ready to get back to work, build a broad coalition, and win in November," Crowley campaign manager Garren Randolph said in a statement.Tuesday's election outcome underscored the popularity of Gov. Tony Evers.The Milwaukee County Executive had dropped out of the race in July in reaction to polling that showed he had failed to break through in a crowded primary but returned to the race just days later with an endorsement from Evers, who holds a job approval rating of more than 50% in a recent Marquette University Law School survey.Crowley's win also delivers a loss to the democratic socialist movement, which has seen victories in New York, Colorado and Michigan. Hong's loss came after the state representative spent more than a week being the subject of national scrutiny and criticism over her past social media posts that called to abolish police and criticized holidays.Crowley and Evers spent the last month of the race crisscrossing the state, arguing Hong could not beat Tiffany in a general election environment, in part because of those posts.Crowley will face U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in a Nov. 3 general election.At Tiffany's campaign event in Hartland, some supporters told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel they were hoping for a matchup with Hong given the stark contrast between the two. Republican groups spent millions on ads during the primary to boost Hong's name ID in an effort to help her win the party's nomination, viewing Hong as more beatable than other candidates.Paul Kurtz, a 50-year-old man from Janesville, said he believed Tiffany is the best candidate because “he’s steady, he’s a Wisconsinite through and through."If Crowley wins, he'll face an electorate that doesn't know him well. In the latest Marquette University Law School poll, two-thirds of Democratic primary voters said they didn't know enough about him to have an opinion.Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson told the Journal Sentinel he's known Crowley for about 25 years, and they went to high school together."David is a gregarious guy. He is down to earth. He is funny," Johnson said in an interview at Crowley's election night event on Tuesday. "But he is a fighter, and he likes to learn. He will deliver for all communities, all across the state."Crowley revived campaign after Rodriguez dropped outCrowley revived his campaign after a whirlwind week of developments during which he learned the candidate he’d endorsed was out of money, received calls from supporters urging him to get back in the race and earned the backing Evers.Crowley had ended his campaign July 8, saying it had "become clear" he would not be the Democratic nominee. The following day, he endorsed Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, who, within days, would announce she had fired her campaign manager for “serious mismanagement” of campaign finances.Rodriguez withdrew from the race the morning of July 17, and Crowley's return to the race became official before the day was done. The governor's endorsement followed July 18, when Crowley relaunched his campaign with a rally in Milwaukee.Asked shortly after he rejoined the race why he brought his own campaign back to life rather than backing another candidate who’d stayed in the race, Crowley stressed his experience as county executive.“None of the candidates, while I've had the opportunity to work with them in their different roles, none of them has the experience of running government, of getting pieces of legislation passed that's going to directly impact families across this state like we did,” Crowley told the Journal Sentinel at the time.From the start of his campaign reboot, Crowley pointed to efforts by Republican groups to boost Hong, cautioning voters “about Republicans spending money in our Democratic primary.”Crowley continued to make part of his pitch to voters a warning that Tiffany, who is endorsed by Trump, could defeat Hong even in a political environment has soured on Trump and favors Democrats.Evers' decision over a year ago to not seek a third term created a wide open race for Democrats, that saw numerous candidates drop out over the summer. State Sen. Kelda Roys and former Evers cabinet member Joel Brennan stayed into the race until the end and both trailed Crowley.Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski of Madison will join Crowley as a running mate and former Lancaster Mayor David Varnam will join Tiffany on the GOP ticket.Laura Schulte of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.