By Eric Bradner, CNN
(CNN) — Francesca Hong, the democratic socialist leading Wisconsin’s Democratic field for governor, could soon test whether the progressive insurgency that notched primary victories in deep-blue districts this summer can prevail statewide in a perennial presidential battleground.
Polls show Hong, the 37-year-old state assemblywoman from Madison, at the forefront of the field of Democrats vying for the nomination in the August 11 primary to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The winner is all but certain to take on Republican US Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.
Hong was already the frontrunner entering July. But the month saw her top two Democratic rivals’ campaigns implode. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez exited amid a campaign finance scandal, and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out Thursday.
Evers and others are attempting to rally at the last minute around a more moderate alternative in David Crowley, the 40-year-old Milwaukee County executive who dropped out of the race in early July and then re-entered 10 days later. But even Crowley’s supporters acknowledge Hong is the clear frontrunner.
“Wisconsin is the quintessential swing state, but it’s also a very polarized state,” said Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson, who is supporting Crowley. “This is going to be a new chapter in a political science theory book: how do far left-wing and far right-wing candidates build a coalition and win elections.”
Tiffany isn’t waiting for the primary votes to be counted: He has already started to tee off on Hong, latching her to the Democratic Socialists of America’s platform and accusing her of supporting abolishing prisons, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the US Senate and more. He has also highlighted her history of calling for the defunding of police — an issue sure to feature prominently in a slew of Republican advertisements this fall.
Hong, who worked her way up from low-level kitchen jobs to become a top chef and restaurant co-owner, has tried to distance herself from some of the more politically problematic planks of the DSA platform.
“I do not support the full platform of the national DSA and I am not endorsed by DSA National,” she said in a recent debate. Hong also said that she is “not here to govern by slogan” and that a governor cannot defund the police.
But in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Friday, Hong wouldn’t directly answer when asked repeatedly if her views on defunding the police have changed.
Hong said Republicans who control the Wisconsin legislature are the ones who have defunded police by slashing dollars directed to local governments.
“People can evolve,” Hong said. “I am going to be a sensible and practical governor that is going to make sure that public safety is a priority.”
A party in flux
The election comes with the Democratic Party at a critical juncture, and many within it looking to the governor’s race in Wisconsin, a Senate primary this week in Michigan and other key races as potential signs of what’s to come in 2028, with a wide-open presidential primary looming.
For much of the last year, democratic socialists have been on the march — with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s win last year serving as an inflection point.
Democratic socialist Katie Wilson was elected mayor of Seattle last year and another, Janeese Lewis George, is poised to win the mayoral contest in Washington, DC, this November. In Los Angeles, democratic socialist Nithya Raman is challenging incumbent mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat. They’ve also won a series of congressional primaries, including ousting House incumbents in New York and Colorado.
But Hong is different: A democratic socialist running not on deep-blue turf but in a true political battleground.
Her supporters say Hong’s brand of politics is a break from a Democratic Party that polls show isn’t popular among voters — even those who oppose President Donald Trump.
“She has brought a coalition into the Democratic Party that otherwise had been shut out and told, ‘You don’t belong within this.’ And they’ve been showing up continuously. They definitely look different and act different than folks who have been around for a really long time, and frankly they should, because the political system has not worked for them,” said state Sen. Chris Larson, who represents parts of Milwaukee and is supporting Hong.
Republicans, meanwhile, have made no secret of how they intend to run against her. Republican Governors Association communications director Kollin Compton called Hong “the Mamdani of the Midwest.”
A chaotic primary
Hong’s rise comes in an election year in which Democrats have their first real shot at winning full control of Wisconsin’s state government in a generation. Under Evers, the party has won a majority on the state Supreme Court and forced a redraw of state legislative districts that ended a Republican gerrymander. This fall, Democrats hope to retain the governor’s office and flip both the state Senate and Assembly.
However, as Hong climbed in the polls, the state’s jittery Democratic establishment struggled to coalesce behind a more moderate alternative.
Crowley had dropped out amid lagging poll numbers in early July. But he re-entered the Democratic primary on July 18, and received Evers’ endorsement. Barnes’ exit left Crowley as likely the only viable contender in the race aside from Hong.
Still, he’s far behind: A Marquette Law School poll conducted in late July found Hong with 38% support among Democratic primary voters to 16% for Barnes, who at the time was still in the race, 7% for Crowley, and no other candidate topping the 2% mark. The poll found Hong is strongest among young and very liberal voters; Barnes and Crowley performed better among older and more moderate voters.
In an effort to rally Democrats who are concerned about Hong, Crowley will campaign alongside Evers in the race’s closing days.
“I’m not here to protect the establishment. I’m here to deliver real results for Wisconsinites all over our state,” Crowley said in the recent Democratic debate.
How Hong defends her positions
Hong addressed her status as a democratic socialist — she’s a dues-paying member of the local Madison chapter — she said in a Fox News interview on Friday.
“I believe that as a democratic socialist, you know, I am less defined by just one organization, but clearly our bipartisan coalition means I’m more defined by being a good single mom, that I am a service industry worker, that I truly believe in legislation that helps everyone,” she said. “And these are the things that people want to talk about in rural and urban parts of the state.”
She walked back some of the stances she has taken, such as supporting calls to eliminate the US Senate, which she said Friday is “nonsensical and nonpractical at this time.”
But a social media post from Tiffany that followed Hong’s Fox News appearance offered a preview of what she would face in the general election.
Instead of clipping her comments, Tiffany on X posted a still image of Fox News displaying Hong’s years-old social media comments.
A 2021 post included in that image says: “Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option.”
“The facts speak louder than campaign spin,” Tiffany said.
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