MILWAUKEE, Wis.–Wisconsin Democrats will head to the polls on Tuesday to make their picks for governor in the latest race to pit a self-proclaimed democratic socialist against a candidate preferred by moderates and the national party.
The democratic socialist in the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary, Francesca Hong, has dominated in polling against the next closest rival, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
The victor in the race is expected to take on U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) in November, who is expected to easily clinch the Republican nomination on Tuesday, facing low-profile challengers.
National attention has remained centered on the politically critical swing state, which voted for both President Donald Trump and Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.) in 2024.
Tiffany has cast the race as a heartland referendum on democratic socialism, saying that he believed the race poses the question, “Is the American heartland going to be the firewall that stops this movement of socialism coming from—especially—the East Coast?”
In her bid for the nomination, Hong has focused on affordability and progressive issues, vowing to push to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 an hour, pursue a moratorium on data centers in the state, and seek to implement a progressive tax structure.
Hong has become the frontrunner among voters even though she’s been limited in funding and resources for the race—not even running television ads up to this point—and in spite of limited endorsements.
In an Aug. 7 poll conducted by State Navigate, Hong led Crowley by a wide margin, with Hong taking 44 percent of support among voters polled, compared to 22 percent for Crowley.
She’s outlasted much higher-profile contenders for the nomination so far—including Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who have both dropped out of the primary.
But simultaneously, top Democrats in Wisconsin and nationwide have a key concern about Hong: They don’t think she can defeat Tiffany in the state, which is commonly recognized as the most conservative of the Rust Belt states.
Specifically, these critics have serious concerns about posts that Hong made on X, called Twitter at the time in 2020, in which she disparaged the Thanksgiving holiday and indicated support for defunding the police.
In one post, Hong wrote, “Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621. If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed Indigenous folx and women so be it.”
Recently, Hong has distanced herself from those posts, describing them as having been driven by her frustrations as a student and business owner during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, she told Politico that Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday.
Wisconsin has expressed significant concerns about Hong’s viability in the November general election in the wake of these remarks, despite her recent efforts to distance herself from them.
The most high-profile of these skeptics, Gov. Tony Evers—who defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2018 through a campaign that emphasized a moderate approach to politics in the swing-voting Badger State—has endorsed Crowley in the race, and hasn’t committed to campaigning with Hong if she wins.
Evers himself decided against making a technically allowed, but uncommon, third run for governor.
National Battle on Democratic Socialism
The primary comes as candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America have seen a series of primary wins in the aftermath of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory.
In that race, Mamdani handily defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who had built a coalition of moderate Democrats and Republicans, in one of the most-watched elections of 2025.
Since then, democratic socialists have seen a series of primary race victories for their chosen or preferred candidates—most prominently in neighboring Michigan, where progressive Abdul el-Sayed last week defeated Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) for the Senate nomination.
Still, Hong has not been endorsed by key national progressives, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Both have said their focus this year is on reclaiming Congress and winning congressional races.
