Date: August 11th, 2026 9:23 AM
Author: ,..,,......,....,,,,..,.,...
https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/democratic-socialist-francesca-hongs-wisconsin-primary-lead-alarms-establishment-democrats-e3b9a1ce
The 37-year-old state representative and part-time bartender, a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, has led in polls ahead of the final day of balloting for the Democratic nomination for governor in a race that has been one of this year’s most chaotic.
Establishment Democrats are concerned that Hong, on whom Republicans have spent millions because they think she would be easier to beat in November than any of the other Democrats in the race, could cost the party a winnable governorship in a key state.
That concern is based on her DSA branding, far-left policy views and past social-media posts that have called for everything from abolishing the police to canceling Thanksgiving because she saw it as a “colonizer holiday.”
In recent days, Hong has tried to walk back some of her most far-left postings. But if she becomes the nominee, Republicans have made clear they intend to remind voters about them.
The only remaining Democrat in the primary field likely to have any chance of stopping Hong is Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
“There are a lot of people who are scared,” Crowley said between campaign stops Monday. “She is a self-proclaimed socialist. There are a lot of people worried about not just this party, but this country moving in that direction.”
He said he would support Hong if she wins the primary, but he doesn’t think that will happen. She would struggle more to win a general election than he would, Crowley said, because successful statewide elections require building a coalition of “not just Democrats, but Republicans and independents.”
Balloting in Wisconsin and neighboring Minnesota, two of six states holding Tuesday primaries, represents the latest test of strength between establishment Democrats and the party’s far-left flank.
In Minnesota, where the marquee race is for the Democratic Senate nomination, the primary pits progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan against Rep. Angie Craig, who holds views closer to the center and has a record of winning in a competitive district since 2018.
The Wisconsin vote will also answer whether Democratic socialists, a rising faction within the party that has won in deeply blue cities and districts, can win statewide primaries in purple states.
The primaries are playing out as Democrats remain divided about how to more widely win competitive elections. One wing asserts that battleground districts and states are won by wooing independent voters with moderation, while another says voters are eager for significant change at a time of widespread skepticism about government and widening economic disparity.
Democratic strategist David Axelrod said on social media last week that a Hong win could hurt other candidates in his party if Republicans successfully link her to them. “She is a font of zany liberal, faculty lounge exotica,” he wrote.
Francesca Hong greeting people at a campaign rally.
Hong greets people at a campaign event in Milwaukee. Joshua Lott/Getty Images
Hong responded: “This tweet is a perfect example of why the consultant class keeps losing elections. They’re totally clueless, and they’re hellbent on keeping working-class people out of politics. I’ve spent more time in kitchens than faculty lounges. Perhaps you’d like to come to Wisconsin and work a Friday night dinner rush with me?”
Even Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the country’s highest-profile Democratic socialist, is for now keeping his distance from Hong. He told the “Pod Save America” podcast last week that he didn’t expect to endorse her, at least not before the primary.
The rare open-seat race for governor in Wisconsin, the state that delivered the narrowest result in the 2024 presidential election, comes after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers decided not to seek a third term. The primary’s winner will likely face Republican Tom Tiffany, a congressman since 2020 from northern Wisconsin.
Former Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker put it this way when asked what things will look like Wednesday morning, if his state wakes up to find Tiffany and Hong as their party nominees: “Common sense versus dangerously crazy,” he said. “That said, it will still be a close race.”
Hong has led a crowded primary field of candidates for much of the year, although with a large proportion of the likely Democratic primary electorate still undecided. A series of unusual turns in recent weeks has left the race even more uncertain.
One top contender, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, ended her candidacy on July 17 after questions arose about how her campaign’s finances were being managed. Crowley dropped out on July 8 and endorsed Rodriguez, before jumping back in on July 18 with the sudden endorsement of Evers. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out July 30.
A Marquette Law School poll released July 29 showed Hong at 38%, Barnes at 16% and Crowley at 7%, with about a third of primary voters undecided. The school’s polling has shown that Democratic socialists are viewed negatively by more than half of the state’s registered voters, while only about a quarter view them favorably.
Crowley and Evers have been barnstorming the state over the past week, warning that a Hong victory risks losing the governor’s mansion in November.
In an interview late last month, Hong dismissed concerns about her electability, pointing to an antiestablishment mood and what she said is her ability to attract a spectrum of voters drawn to her push to make life more affordable.
“My multiple identities is what helps me connect with a lot of different types of people,” she said, before describing herself as “the only wage worker” in the race, the daughter of South Korean immigrants, a single mother and a renter.
Gregory Lewis, a pastor and executive director of a Milwaukee-based group called Souls to the Polls Wisconsin, said he thinks the state’s Black voters would be less motivated for Hong than Crowley, who is Black, in a general election.
“We believe it is going to be a tough sell in our community to get out and vote for her,” he said. “She’s very, very liberal.”
Lewis said being both a woman and nonwhite could also be challenging in a state with a large rural population. “This is still Wisconsin,” he said.
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5877326&forum_id=2...id.#50060396)