Lessons from Wisconsin’s Primary Surprise

The Wisconsin governor's primary was supposed to be a coronation for progressive Democrat Francesca Hong. Polls showed her running away with the race. The Milwaukee County executive, David Crowley, had even suspended his campaign about a month ago, essentially dropping out. Then Tuesday happened. Crowley won by fewer than 4,000 votes, and Hong conceded the next morning. "This was largely a comeback victory, if you will, for the party establishment," ABC's correspondent noted. It was a stinging blow to progressives, and it came amid a broader contest playing out across the Democratic Party about which wing can actually win elections.

The Wisconsin Test Case

Hong's loss was particularly notable because she seemed to have the momentum. She was a self-described Democratic Socialist running in a moderate Midwestern state, and the question going into Tuesday was whether that brand could win there. But Hong spent the final days of her campaign on defense over past comments—a now-deleted 2020 post where she said "cancel Thanksgiving over concerns about colonialism," and earlier statements about defunding the police. She said her views had changed, but it was enough that even some progressives distanced themselves from her.