Crowley defeats Hong in nail-biter Wisconsin governor primary: 5 takeaways  

descriptions off, selected

captions settings, opens captions settings dialog

captions off, selected

This is a modal window.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

End of dialog window.

The Hill's Headlines (PM) - August 11, 2026

The Hill's Headlines (PM) - August 11, 2026

Milwaukee County executive David Crowley emerged the victor in the hard-fought Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor against democratic socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong early Wednesday – giving the Democratic establishment a much-needed boost in light of recent progressive wins. 

Decision Desk HQ projected the race for Crowley, who enjoys Gov. Tony Evers’s (D) endorsement, at around 2:20 am EDT. Crowley was ahead of Hong by over 3,000 votes when the primary was called.  

The results are a far cry from the double-digit lead public polling suggested Hong held, underscoring that Democratic voters are even more divided than previously thought over their candidates and the direction of the party. 

Most importantly, Crowley’s win offers center-left and more mainstream Democrats their first major win in recent weeks after several of their preferred picks lost in high-profile races like Michigan Senate Democratic primary. Still, the mixed bag of primary results tonight — and more broadly this cycle — show that questions over the party are nowhere near settled. 

Progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated more center-left Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) for the Democratic Senate nomination in Minnesota. And over in Connecticut, Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) became the latest lawmaker to lose reelection amid the party’s ongoing debate over generational change. 

Meanwhile, the special GOP primary for the six-year term to represent South Carolina in the Senate after the late Sen. Lindsey’s Graham’s (R-S.C.) death in addition to several primaries in Wisconsin and Minnesota showcased a spotty track record of President Trump’s endorsements: 

Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries:  

Crowley gives moderates much-needed boost in victory over Hong 

Crowley ultimately pulled off what polling initially thought was the unthinkable – defeating Hong in the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary early Wednesday morning. 

Crowley was in first place with close to 40 percent of the vote while Hong sat in second place Wednesday as of 2:30 am EDT, at around 39 percent. 

The remaining candidates in the race – state Sen. Kelda Roys and Joel Brennan, a former secretary of the Department of Administration – in addition to three other Democrats who were on the ballot after dropping out of the race late accumulated more than the marginal difference between Crowley and Hong, underscoring how the divided primary votes kept the Democratic contest tight........

© The Hill