MADISON, Wis. (AP) 鈥� Moderate Democrat David Crowley won the for governor, defeating a democratic socialist who fell short while trying to deliver another win for progressives in a battleground state.
Crowley, the Milwaukee county executive, is vying to become Wisconsin鈥檚 first Black governor and pitched himself as the candidate best positioned to win in November against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Crowley democratic socialist Francesca Hong, who was hoping to ride the wave of recent victories by progressive candidates, including in neighboring Michigan鈥檚 U.S. Senate race last week.
El-Sayed’s win was the movement鈥檚 first major success in a purple state. It also fed fears in the party鈥檚 leaders that such candidates, farther afield and often carrying political baggage of past stances such as defunding the police, would struggle to beat Republicans and imperil the party鈥檚 hopes of recapturing control of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.
Crowley didn鈥檛 address supporters Tuesday night but was expected at a unity event later Wednesday.
鈥淣ow, David is focused on bringing people together, earning the support of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and anyone who believes Wisconsin is at its best when we work together and deliver results,鈥� Crowley’s campaign manager Garren Randolph said in a statement.
Hong鈥檚 loss in Wisconsin may have doused the momentum, but it鈥檚 far from snuffing it out. A democratic socialist coming close to victory in a battleground state sends a clear message: There鈥檚 unignorable angst among the party鈥檚 voters.
鈥淲e have built something that will change politics forever,鈥� Hong told supporters as the outcome of the race hung in the balance late Tuesday. 鈥淭he work we have done will be remembered forever. I know we don鈥檛 have the final results right now, but what I do know is we are ready to keep fighting.鈥�
Her campaign manager Becky Cooper said after Hong conceded that she was 鈥減roud of the race we ran.鈥�
鈥淥ur team campaigned clean, our souls are intact and we really made meaningful change for the progressive movement,鈥� she said.
The Associated Press declared Crowley the winner once Hong鈥檚 concession removed the possibility of a recount in the exceptionally close race.
Hong could have requested a recount since Crowley鈥檚 margin of victory was less than 1 percentage point. But because it was wider than 0.25 points, Hong鈥檚 campaign would have had to pay for it.
Sanders and other top progressives stayed out of the Wisconsin race
Progressives had wanted to notch a clear win, but national progressive leaders, most notably Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, sat out the race and did not endorse.
The movement is not entirely aligned. Not all candidates are democratic socialists or have endorsements from Sanders, but they are often tilling similar voter anger with politics and the party: over military aid to Israel, the amount of money wielded in campaigns, the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration raids and the high cost of daily life.
In New York City in the June , two democratic socialist candidates and a progressive came out on top, booting two Democratic incumbents from Congress in the process. All three were backed by the city鈥檚 mayor, Zohran Mamdani, himself a democratic socialist who framed the upsets as a question of electing 鈥渂etter Democrats.鈥�
Democrats in Wisconsin are hoping to capitalize on low approval ratings for Trump in a state he won in 2016 and 2024 to retain control of the governor鈥檚 office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn for the first time since 2010.
Wisconsin Democrats are hoping to unite after tight primary battle
Both Hong and Crowley said in the waning days of the race that they expected Democrats to come together and unite to defeat , a congressman from conservative, rural northern Wisconsin.
鈥淥ur ultimate goal is to make sure we don鈥檛 have a MAGA extremist occupying the governor鈥檚 office,鈥� Crowley said Sunday.
Democrat David Zimmerman, a 79-year-old retired industrial engineer professor in Madison, voted for Crowley on Tuesday. He said Hong鈥檚 chance of beating Tiffany in November 鈥渨orries me a lot.鈥�
鈥淚 think she鈥檚 going to have trouble winning,鈥� he said.
The photo finish is just the latest that saw two major candidates Crowley had also dropped out in early July, but he 10 days later with Gov. Tony Evers鈥� endorsement.
Both of them crisscrossed the state in the final week, making the case that Crowley was the better matchup against Tiffany in a swing state known for close elections where independent, moderate voters often decide the outcome.
Democratic socialist shook up Wisconsin race, fueled by national movement
Hong, a single mother and former line cook, tapped into Democratic anger with the party鈥檚 mainstream and Trump鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement.
The 37-year-old known for sprinkling her comments with profanity and leaning into her edgy and sometimes humorous social media profile excited the liberal wing of the party. Hong called for free childcare and healthcare and a moratorium on artificial intelligence data center construction. But she also for defunding the police, saying at the race鈥檚 only debate that she would not support cutting law enforcement funding.
She also drew criticism for past social media posts in which she called for canceling Thanksgiving because 鈥渨e should stop celebrating colonialism鈥� and disparaged Valentine鈥檚 Day as 鈥渁nother day capitalism tells you how to show love.鈥�
Hong has since downplayed the posts as her attempt at making jokes.
Chaotic Democratic primary saw candidates drop, come back in
Evers鈥� decision not to seek a third term created an open race for governor that initially had seven Democrats file to run.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez appeared to be making a move to consolidate mainstream Democratic support in July, but she dropped out in the middle of the month amid a campaign finance scandal. That led Crowley, who had dropped out a week earlier and endorsed Rodriguez, to get back in the race, this time with Evers鈥� backing.
Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who was seen as an early front-runner after nearly beating Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022, bowed out less than two weeks before the election amid questions about inappropriate behavior.
In one more twist, reporting the results of about 28,000 absentee ballots from Milwaukee was delayed until early Wednesday morning after a human error related to uploading the data, the city鈥檚 election leader said shortly before midnight Tuesday.
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Associated Press reporter Jesse Bedayn contributed from Austin, Texas.
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