BREAKING: David Crowley DEFEATS Francesca Hong in Dem WI Governor Primary

Crowley pulled off the razor-thin victory despite having previously dropped out of the race before reentering just over three weeks before the primary with the backing of outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. He will now face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.

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The result represents a significant setback for the Democratic Party's socialist wing. Hong is a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America and entered the closing stretch of the campaign with significant progressive momentum. She hoped to become the first DSA member elected governor of a state. But as Election Day approached, Hong faced increasing scrutiny over years of controversial proposals and statements that offered Wisconsin voters a window into just how far left the Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner had positioned herself.

Hong had advocated defunding and abolishing police, abolishing ICE, and even abolishing the US Senate. She later attempted to distance herself from some of those positions as she sought statewide office, arguing that “people can evolve.”

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Her platform included a $20 statewide minimum wage, higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations, an estate tax on inherited wealth, guaranteed paid leave and a moratorium on new data centers. Hong also backed policies providing in-state tuition to DACA recipients and state identification cards to immigrants regardless of legal status.

Hong also supported government-run grocery stores and had been questioned about the DSA's support for public ownership of major corporations. When asked about public ownership of companies in Wisconsin, Hong pointed to the publicly owned Green Bay Packers rather than directly endorsing the broader socialist proposal.

In another report published days before the primary, Hong said, “In the restaurant industry, when we are out of something, we say it's 86'd. And I'd say it's about f*cking time we 86 Trump,” Hong said, before arguing Trump represented a failure of government domestically and internationally.

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Hong also faced questions about a 2021 call to abolish Thanksgiving. Confronted by CNN's Kaitlan Collins about the position, Hong argued, “I'm a chef, and one of the first meals that I made for the community when I was 16 was a Thanksgiving meal,” adding that “Thanksgiving is also a time that's incredibly painful for many people in our communities.” Hong said there were “multiple views” of the holiday and that her own views could evolve.

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Hong had additionally spoken publicly about what she described as her “proximity to whiteness.” During an appearance on PBS's Listen Mike podcast, Hong discussed assimilation and her family, including her white husband and biracial son.

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“I wasn't always aware of the struggles of other communities of color because for me assimilation always kinda took over,” Hong said. “My proximity to whiteness continues, right... My son is biracial. He's half white, half Korean, and I think navigating what his identity is and how people perceive him is always at the back of my mind as well.”

During an interview with left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, Hong had also said she would “tentatively” support erecting a statue of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker so that people could deface it.

Days before the election, a resurfaced 2023 interview showed Hong discussing having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder following a mental health crisis when she was younger. Hong said she had been hospitalized at 18, had engaged in self-harm and had been prescribed psychiatric medication.

Crowley, meanwhile, presented himself as the more moderate and business-friendly alternative, focusing his campaign on affordability, healthcare and childcare. His unlikely comeback was aided by Evers, who recruited Crowley back into the contest as Hong's momentum threatened to deliver the nomination to the Democratic Party's socialist wing.

The race remained extraordinarily close late Tuesday as approximately 28,000 missing Milwaukee absentee ballots delayed a final resolution.