A DSA Candidate Lost a Messy Race for Wisconsin Governor
Mother Jones · L · trust 56/100
Democratic Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong waves to supporters after speaking during a primary election night watch party on Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison Nam Y. Huh/AP
Following a chaotic race for Wisconsin governor, moderate Democrat David Crowley defeated progressive Francesca Hong on Tuesday night.
Although Hong held a convincing lead in many of Tuesday’s polls, she lost by about 4,000 votes—a narrow 0.5 percentage point. As someone presenting herself as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and without endorsements from key progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—who notably distanced herself from more progressive policies on Sunday, Hong came across as an outsider candidate who gained popularity over time.
Critics on the right , and some Democrats , criticized Hong for past social media remarks, such as a deleted post to “Cancel Thanksgiving” and calls for “ defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police ”. If she won, she would have become the first democratic socialist governor in US history .
On the establishment Democrats’ side, multiple candidates who were once considered front-runners withdrew—including Sara Rodriguez, Wisconsin’s current lieutenant governor, who suspended her campaign in mid-July after she fired her campaign manager for inflating financial reports. Even the victor, Crowley, re-entered the race shortly after Rodriguez’s departure (he initially suspended his campaign in early July due in part to poor polling ).
It was a messier race than others where progressives won, such as Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate primary victory in Michigan , and may provide fewer clear takeaways about the future of progressives running as Democrats.
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