Democrats Score Surprise WIN as Republicans Start to Freak Out

August 12, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Democrats Score Surprise WIN as Republicans Start to Freak Out

Wisconsin Democrats held their primary this week, and the result was a photo finish that surprised nearly everyone. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly beat chef-turned-Democratic-Socialist candidate Francesca Hong by about half a percentage point in a four-way race where neither candidate cracked 40%. The margin was less than 4,000 votes. But the real story isn't the closeness—it's what happened the morning after.

The Unity That Followed a Knife's-Edge Primary

Hours after the race was called, Francesca Hong, David Crowley, and the two other candidates who went the distance—Joel Brennan and Calderos—sat down for brunch at a diner in Middleton, Wisconsin. They ate eggs Benedict and waffles alongside Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Mark Pocan. Total unity.

Ben Wickler, the guest on the show, described the scene with evident satisfaction: "No matter who wins the primary is the sense of like, okay, we're gonna throw down, we're all in this together, sprint through the tape. And Wisconsin is doing that exactly at this minute."

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What you'll learn

1 (00:26) **Wisconsin Primary Shocker** - Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly defeats progressive candidate Francesca Hong by less than half a percentage point in a photo finish
2 (02:54) **Unity Breakfast After Contentious Primary** - All four candidates join Senator Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Mark Pocan for brunch the morning after, signaling total party unity
3 (05:04) **Lessons from the Wisconsin and Michigan Primaries** - Both states saw massive Democratic turnout with razor-thin margins and a clear voter demand for both winning and real change
4 (06:54) **Tom Tiffany's Dangerous Record** - The Republican nominee is a Trump loyalist who voted to overturn the 2020 election and joined Texas's lawsuit to invalidate Wisconsin's votes
5 (08:29) **Race Ratings Shift to Tilt Democratic** - Professional analysts are updating ratings, but the race should be treated as a toss-up due to massive Republican spending
6 (09:42) **The Two-Pronged Coalition for Victory** - Democrats can unite both democracy-focused voters and those concerned about cost of living against Trump and Tiffany
7 (10:56) **David Crowley's Strength with Black Voters** - Crowley did exceptionally well among Black voters in Milwaukee, who remain the backbone of the Democratic coalition

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Ben Wickler

Show Notes

Wisconsin’s Democratic primary delivered a surprising result that has Republicans freaking out, while Mike Lindell refuses to accept his defeat. Alex Wagner is joined by Ben Wikler to break down the latest.

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