State Rep. Francesca Hong's surge in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race has become the most significant electoral test for democratic socialists and the party's left flank this cycle. With the primary set for Tuesday, Hong has maintained a solid lead in the Democratic field, while Governor Tony Evers and other mainstream party figures have thrown their support behind Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
Evers and his allies have argued that Hong would be a weak general-election candidate against the GOP's likely nominee, Representative Tom Tiffany, and could drag down down-ballot Democrats in competitive races. But Hong counters that voters are hungry for a break from establishment politics, and she is betting that her focus on kitchen-table issues will carry her to an upset victory and make her the first modern democratic socialist governor in the country.
“When people tell me that I'm one of them as the working-class candidate, what Democrats might be—and what other candidates might be getting wrong—is that people want someone that cares,” Hong said in an interview.
The democratic socialist movement has enjoyed a string of primary wins this year, including in safely blue House districts in New York and Colorado, and in Michigan, where progressive Abdul El-Sayed appeared poised to knock off moderate Representative Haley Stevens in the Senate primary. Hong hopes to ride that wave of anti-establishment sentiment in the Badger State, where she is one of four Democrats vying for the nomination in a race that Cook Political Report rates as a toss-up.
“I just don't think anyone can pretend anymore that that isn't where the energy is on the Democratic side,” said Joe Zepecki, a Wisconsin-based Democratic strategist.
But Hong's candidacy has drawn scrutiny in this battleground state—which split its 2024 votes between President Trump and Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin—over her ties to the Democratic Socialists of America and past social media comments about defunding the police, canceling Thanksgiving, and even criticizing Culver's, a beloved Wisconsin fast-food chain. Hong, who belongs to the DSA's Madison chapter and has endorsements from several local chapters, has tried to distance herself from those remarks and from the national organization.
“The governor cannot defund police, and I'm not here to govern by slogan,” Hong said at the party's only gubernatorial debate last month. She suggested her Thanksgiving and Culver's posts were made in jest, adding, “These are beliefs that I held when I was in different positions myself, and right now I'm in the position of running for governor. I need to be sensible and practical on what we can achieve.”
Republicans have seized on her past statements, with Tiffany mocking her on social media and branding her a “radical.” He has called on Wisconsin voters to “reject big-government socialism” in November. Meanwhile, Evers has openly questioned her electability, saying in a Monday interview that she would “probably not” beat Tiffany, though he called her “an extraordinarily talented person.”
Hong brushed off that criticism, telling The Hill, “The issues that we are running on are the ones that are resonating most with voters, and I think the person who earns the most votes is the most electable.” Evers issued a last-minute endorsement of Crowley, who had briefly dropped out and then reentered the race after Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez suspended her bid amid campaign finance questions. Crowley also has the backing of Representative Gwen Moore, while Baldwin and Representative Mark Pocan have stayed neutral. Hong has support from progressive lawmakers like Representatives Ilhan Omar and Ro Khanna.
Ryan Sendelbach, chair of the Democratic Party of Dane County, acknowledged “nervous energy” around the primary and Hong's candidacy. The outcome will signal whether the party's leftward shift, which has been documented in recent polls, can translate into a statewide victory in a key Midwest battleground. As Democrats watch the results, the race is shaping up as a critical test for the democratic socialist movement in the Midwest, with implications for the party's broader strategy heading into November.
