Democratic gubernatorial nominee Crowley to campaign alongside former rival Hong
David Crowley and his former rival, Francesca Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, will campaign together after a narrow primary decided by less than half a percentage point.
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Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley said Aug. 12 that he and former primary rival Francesca Hong, a self-identified democratic socialist, would campaign together as part of the Democratic Party’s statewide “unity tour” ahead of the November election.
Crowley made the announcement during his first speech as the Democratic nominee after narrowly defeating Hong in the Aug. 11 primary, as Zeale News reported.
With 98% of the vote counted, Crowley led Hong 39.8% to 39.4%. According to The Guardian, the margin amounted to slightly more than 3,000 votes. Hong had consistently led the field, including by double digits in some polls conducted just days before the primary.
Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive endorsed by outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, will face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in the Nov. 3 general election for governor.
“Over the past few months, you’ve heard a lot of people try to define this election as a battle between the left and the center, between progressives and the establishment, between insiders and outsiders,” Crowley said in his acceptance speech. “That narrative misses the entire point of what we’re doing.”
Crowley thanked Hong and said her campaign reminded Wisconsin voters “that there are no long shots when it comes to believing in a better future and fighting to expand opportunities to every family.” He added later that although he and Hong “don’t agree on everything,” they recognize the need to “come to the table to figure out how you build a winning coalition.”
Crowley urged Wisconsinites to unite around “something much bigger,” which he defined as “keeping MAGA extremism from bringing the chaos we see in Washington into our neighborhoods right here in the state of Wisconsin.”
“From the very first day I announced this campaign, I said the real threat wasn’t any of my primary opponents,” he said. “The real opponent has always been Tom Tiffany. That remains true today.”
Tiffany campaigned on lowering taxes and household costs, cutting regulations, auditing state agencies for waste and fraud, strengthening law enforcement, and increasing accountability in public schools.
Hong endorsed Crowley following his victory and pledged to help elect him in November.
Wisconsin Democrats launched the statewide tour Aug. 12 in an effort to move beyond the contentious primary and unite the party’s progressive and establishment wings, the Washington Examiner reported.
Crowley campaigned on expanding the middle class, making child care more accessible, and strengthening public schools, Zeale News reported in its coverage of the race results.
Hong, a Wisconsin state representative and member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), ran on a more expansive left-wing platform that included universal child care, free school meals, and universal paid family and medical leave.
Hong’s loss interrupted a string of Democratic primary victories by left-wing candidates in Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, according to Reuters.
Left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in the state’s Aug. 4 primary, defeating establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens. As Zeale News reported, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, also viewed as the more progressive candidate, defeated establishment-backed Rep. Angie Craig for Minnesota’s Democratic Senate nomination Aug. 11.
