WASHINGTON — Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley pulled off a narrow, late-breaking win over Democratic socialist Francesca Hong in Tuesday night’s Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary, overcoming expectations in a race that stretched into the early morning hours.
The Associated Press called the contest at 3:34 a.m., with Crowley leading Hong, a 37-year-old state representative and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, by a razor-thin margin of 39.8% to 39.4%.
The result marked a dramatic reversal from pre-primary polling in the Badger State, where surveys had repeatedly shown Hong ahead of Crowley by double digits. Crowley’s path was also unusually turbulent: he exited the race weeks earlier, endorsed another candidate, then returned to the contest and secured the support of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers.
Hong, who ran on a platform that included raising taxes on wealthy residents, was photographed voting Tuesday in black Air Jordan sneakers, a blue jacket and coordinating heart-patterned socks.
The sneakers can sell online for as much as $300.
In the final weeks of the campaign, Hong faced renewed scrutiny over past remarks, using media interviews to apologize for previous statements supporting the abolition of police departments and the cancellation of Thanksgiving Day. She had also criticized Valentine’s Day.
“Police exist to uphold white supremacy,” Hong wrote on Twitter, now known as X, in October 2021. “Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option.”
A year earlier, Hong posted, “Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” in a tweet that has since been deleted.
She’s since walked back both of those statements. “I’ve cooked many great Thanksgiving dinners,” she told CBS News ahead of the primary election, “and I’m not going to cancel Thanksgiving.”
But critics in both Republican and Democratic circles have expressed concerns that her past radical comments — and policies such as a massive tax hike on high earners in the state — would spell trouble for her in the November general election.
“She is a font of zany liberal, faculty lounge exotica,” wrote ex-Obama adviser David Axelrod in an X post.
“This tweet is a perfect example of why the consultant class keeps losing elections,” Hong clapped back. “They’re totally clueless, and they’re hellbent on keeping working-class people out of politics. I’ve spent more time in kitchens than faculty lounges.
“Perhaps you’d like to come to Wisconsin and work a Friday night dinner rush with me?” she taunted.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Crowley told reporters Monday: “There are a lot of people who are scared.”
“She is a self-proclaimed socialist. There are a lot of people worried about not just this party, but this country moving in that direction,” added Crowley.
Crowley had been backed by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who took a shot at Hong in the days before the primary for spending time “talking on Twitter and all these other extraneous issues.”
In an interview with Politico Friday, Evers wouldn’t commit to backing Hong if she won the primary. “I want to have a chance to take a breath, and once that’s in a position, we’ll see,” he said, adding: “But I anticipate that David will win.”
A former chef and part-time bartender, Hong had steadily picked up support since the start of this year, when former Wisconsin lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes had been leading in the polls.
But Barnes dropped out of the race late last month following reports that the state Democratic Party leaders were investigating allegations of concerning behavior toward women. The candidate denied wrongdoing.
