The Democratic establishment strikes back

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

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

▪ A major upset in Wisconsin 

▪ US attacks ship breaking Hormuz blockade 

▪ Former Marine released from Russia 

▪ Air Force One security concerns 

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The left’s successful run in Democratic primaries hit a major roadblock in Wisconsin on Tuesday night as democratic socialist Francesca Hong, whom polls showed leading by double digits, suffered a big upset in the state’s marquee gubernatorial race. 

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a favorite of moderate and establishment Democrats who had briefly dropped out of the race last month, narrowly pulled off the victory against Hong in a nailbiter.  

He led by just more than 3,200 votes out of almost 800,000 cast as of early Wednesday morning as The Hill’s partner Decision Desk HQ called the race in his favor. 

Crowley will face Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) in what will be a closely watched governor’s race in a key battleground state this November. 

Crowley’s win concludes what has been a whirlwind end to the Democratic primary filled with candidates jumping in and out of the race, including the victor himself. 

Hong was seen as the clear favorite for the nomination as polls closed, having largely coalesced left-wing support behind her campaign. The state legislator enjoyed support from the Milwaukee and Madison branches of the Democratic Socialists of America and progressive Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Cali.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). 

Meanwhile, chaos defined the establishment’s search for a candidate as the chance to defeat Hong seemed to be slipping away in recent weeks. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez (D) had been a favorite to possibly win the Democratic nomination, and Crowley even suspended his candidacy last month to endorse her. 

But Rodriguez dropped out of the race after discovering major flaws in her campaign finance reporting, leaving her with almost no money left in the bank. Crowley quickly jumped back in. 

He still had to contend with former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) and a few other minor candidates, all while Hong seemed to be riding increased momentum. Barnes dropped out at the end of last month, declaring “it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be.” 

A few primary polls showed Hong opening up leads of 20 points or more over Crowley and the rest of the field. 

But Hong faced controversy late over her past stances and social media posts, including her support to “defund the police” and call to “cancel Thanksgiving.” She backed away from both of these comments, but they added to Democrats’ concerns that she could be setting them up for a tough loss in November, handing the governor’s mansion to Tiffany, a member of the staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus. 

In what may have been a key blow to Hong, influential progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) both passed on endorsing her, denying her the voter mobilization that often follows their support. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez both said they are more focused on Democrats winning back control of Congress, though Sanders in particular has given endorsements to a host of other local candidates. 

Crowley received arguably one of his most crucial endorsements in the race from outgoing Gov. Tony Evers (D), a two-term incumbent still popular and influential among Wisconsin Democrats. Evers made that move quickly after Crowley reentered the race. 

With strong support from the suburban counties outside Milwaukee, Crowley squeaked out a win, even with Rodriguez and Barnes still on the ballot. 

While surveys had shown Hong well ahead, the number of public polls conducted in the last couple weeks of the race was limited. 

Despite the impressiveness of Crowley’s primary victory, he will still face a difficult task of uniting the Democratic electorate behind his candidacy — which will be necessary to win a general election. About 60 percent of voters who cast ballots in the Democratic primary supported another candidate. 

The party seemed as closely divided as it was last week in the Michigan Senate primary, in which progressive Abdul El-Sayed pulled off a win but by less than 1 point over moderate Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.). 

Efforts to bring the party together with less........

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