Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has narrowly defeated Wisconsin State Rep. Francesca Hong in the Democratic Party primary for governor of Wisconsin. The result marks one of the more shocking results of the 2026 midterm election cycle thus far, as the self-styled Democratic Socialist Hong was heavily favored to win.
With more than 95 percent of votes reported, Crowley received 313,321 votes, or 39.78 percent, while Hong received 310,110 votes, or 39.37 percent. The margin stood at approximately 3,211 votes as of the Associated Press’ race call just before 4 a.m. Eastern Time.
Other candidates in the field included state Senator Kelda Roys, who received about 7.5 percent, and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, who received about 4.7 percent. Several candidates who had withdrawn earlier in the campaign, including former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes and Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez, remained on the ballot and received smaller shares of the vote.
Hong, a Madison-based state representative, had received support from the party’s far-left factions and controversial figures like Hasan Piker. Late polling had consistently placed her in the lead, with a late July poll from Marquette University finding Hong leading at 38 percent among Democratic Primary voters compared to just seven percent for Crowley. When leaners were included, Hong’s support rose to 46 percent compared with 11 percent for Crowley.
A later State Navigate poll of likely Democratic primary voters, which was fielded from August 3-6, showed Hong at 44 percent and Crowley at 22 percent. These surveys, released in the final weeks and days before the primary, reflected a comfortable lead for Hong heading into the election.
As for Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive had actually suspended his campaign initially, citing challenges in polling and fundraising, and briefly endorsed Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez. He reentered the race on July 18 after Rodriguez suspended her own bid amid campaign finance issues, and he ultimately received a coveted endorsement from retiring Governor Tony Evers.
Barnes later suspended his campaign on July 30. This left Crowley and Hong as the primary remaining contenders, alongside Roys and Brennan.
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🚨Democrat Socialist Francesca Hong has been DEFEATED by David Crowley in the Wisconsin Governor Primary pic.twitter.com/s7nDSzCNj7
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 12, 2026
The race remained close through much of the evening, with results further delayed due to a controversial USB error in Milwaukee County. Once those and other outstanding ballots were incorporated, Crowley’s narrow lead held
All results remain unofficial pending certification in the coming weeks. Hong’s campaign noted the closeness of the outcome, which fell within the threshold that would have allowed a recount request, though she ultimately chose to concede early Wednesday morning.
Crowley will now advance to the November general election against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who won his party’s primary with approximately 95 percent of the vote. Pre-primary polling matchups showed Crowley competitive with or slightly ahead of Tiffany in several surveys, including one from RMG Research in late July that placed Crowley at 46 percent to Tiffany’s 43 percent.
