*Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley pulled off a remarkable political comeback in Wisconsin, narrowly defeating progressive state Rep. Francesca Hong for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination after polls had shown him trailing badly only days before the primary.
Crowley’s victory was razor-thin — The Guardian reported him winning 39.8% to Hong’s 39.4% — but its implications extend well beyond the margin. The Black Democrat now advances to face Republican nominee Rep. Tom Tiffany in November and would become Wisconsin’s first Black governor if elected.
The result also disrupted a summer narrative of progressive momentum inside the Democratic Party and revived a familiar debate: whether ideological ambition or perceived general-election electability carries more weight with Democratic voters in battleground states.
Crowley Pushes Back on the ‘Establishment’ Label
Crowley had dropped out of the crowded Democratic race before making a late return as Hong surged. Outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers backed Crowley, strengthening the argument that he offered Democrats a potentially safer path against Tiffany.
But Crowley resisted being reduced to the establishment candidate, making the label personal by pointing to his upbringing in Milwaukee’s 53206 ZIP code.
Scroll to continue reading
“I’m trying to figure out who the establishment is, right?” Crowley told reporters in comments reported by The Daily Wire. “I’m a kid that grew up in 53206 zip code. My parents was drug addicts and suffered from mental health.”
He went further.
“So when people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African American candidate.”
That response gave Crowley’s campaign a counternarrative: party leaders might support him, but he argued his personal history did not fit neatly into an insider-versus-outsider political box.
A Result the Polls Didn’t See Coming
The upset was particularly striking because of the expectations entering Election Day.
One of the final polls cited by The Daily Wire showed Hong leading Crowley 44% to 22%. Yet the final contest became essentially a photo finish, with Crowley prevailing by less than one percentage point. Independent post-election reporting likewise characterized the result as a major upset.
Hong had emerged as the surprise progressive frontrunner after other Democratic candidates left the race. Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes withdrew in late July as her momentum grew.
Her candidacy also became a test of how far Wisconsin Democrats were prepared to move left in a state where general-election competitiveness remains central to both parties’ calculations.
Both Candidates Faced Late Scrutiny
Neither campaign reached Election Day without controversy.
NBC News reporting cited in the supplied material linked Crowley to an old pseudonymous social-media account that contained racist, sexist and homophobic posts between 2010 and 2014. Crowley condemned the material and maintained that other people had access to the account.
Hong, meanwhile, faced scrutiny over old social-media comments, including a deleted 2020 post calling for Thanksgiving celebrations to be canceled and criticizing the holiday’s connection to colonialism.
Evers publicly questioned whether Hong could defeat Tiffany, arguing during the campaign’s final stretch that her focus on social-media controversies left her at a disadvantage.
Notably, prominent progressive figures including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not endorse Hong despite her membership in the Democratic Socialists of America.
What the Upset Means for Democrats
Perry Bacon, writing in The New Republic, framed Hong’s loss alongside Abdul El-Sayed’s unexpectedly narrow Michigan primary victory as evidence that progressive momentum may face additional resistance in closely divided Midwestern states.
That remains an interpretation rather than a definitive explanation of Wisconsin’s results. As Bacon acknowledged, it is not yet clear whether pre-election polling was simply wrong, Crowley surged late or Hong lost support during the campaign’s closing days.
What is clear is that Crowley turned a race he once left into a nomination few expected him to capture.
Now the argument about electability moves from theory to an actual November test. Crowley will face Tiffany with control of the Wisconsin governor’s mansion at stake after Evers chose not to seek another term — and with Crowley carrying the possibility of making state history.
(If You Like/Appreciate This EURweb Story, Please SHARE it!)
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM:
We Publish Breaking News 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
