Wisconsin Primary Concludes
Crowley Wins Wisconsin Democratic Primary Amidst Party Split, Faces Trump-Backed Tiffany
Key Points
Crowley was seen as a potential candidate to become Wisconsin’s first Black governor.
Crowley’s team framed him as the unity candidate, with a plan to bring together Democrats, Republicans, and independents and a unity event planned after results.
Milwaukee’s ballot-count delays on election night were attributed to human error, echoing previous election-night issues in the city.
Republican nominee Tom Tiffany, who is endorsed by Donald Trump, won his GOP primary decisively.
Crowley had briefly dropped out late in the race but was coaxed back in by party establishment, which pushed to unite behind him.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley won Wisconsin's Democratic primary for governor on August 11, defeating progressive state Representative Francesca Hong by roughly 3,200 votes — a margin of just 0.4 percentage points with 98% of precincts reporting. CBS News projected Crowley the winner at 2:34 AM after a midnight ballot-counting delay in Milwaukee temporarily froze results and kept the nation watching.
Crowley, 40, will face Republican U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany in November. If he wins the general election, Crowley would become Wisconsin's first Black governor. Tiffany, endorsed by Donald Trump, won his GOP primary with 95.6% of the vote.
A Midnight Ballot Delay Stretched the Drama for Hours
Polls closed at 8:00 PM. By 11:00 PM, the race was too close to call. Hong addressed her watch party in Madison but stopped short of conceding. Then, at midnight, Milwaukee Election Commission Director Paulina Gutierrez announced a "human error" — data from five of nine high-speed tabulators had not transferred correctly, delaying the count of roughly 15,000 city absentee ballots.
Wisconsin law bars officials from processing absentee ballots before Election Day, which routinely slows big-city reporting. Once the Milwaukee ballots uploaded at 2:34 AM, Crowley's lead held. Hong called Crowley to concede, and the Associated Press declared him the winner. Conservative media quickly used the delay to question election security, despite the error being resolved under bipartisan observation.
Crowley's Comeback: From Dropout to Democratic Nominee
Crowley had previously quit the race, saying he saw "no path to victory." Governor Tony Evers pulled him back in on July 18 after Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez dropped out amid a campaign finance scandal. Evers then publicly endorsed Crowley, posting after the win: "I am so proud of David — he's the future of our Party, and I can't wait for him to be our next governor."
As recently as July 25, a State Navigate poll showed Hong leading 44% to Crowley's 16%. The field narrowed further on July 30 when Mandela Barnes suspended his campaign after the state party reviewed conduct allegations. Late-deciding moderates flooded toward Crowley, and strong Milwaukee turnout sealed the result, according to UW-La Crosse political science professor Anthony Chergosky.
Hong's Near-Victory Signals Limits of Progressive Power in Swing States
Hong, 37, ran as a democratic socialist. She championed free childcare, free school meals, and a moratorium on new AI data centers. She also became the first Asian-American elected to the Wisconsin Assembly. Progressives had hoped her campaign would follow recent wins by candidates like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan. Her 39.4% finish came painfully close — but not close enough. Washington Times noted Hong had hoped to "capitalise on a wave of progressive victories" elsewhere.
The 19th News and Axios analyzed that Hong's loss shows "electability" arguments still carry heavy weight with Democratic voters in Midwestern swing states. Chergosky noted that a Hong nomination would have handed Republicans easy attack material, citing her past social media posts supporting police defunding. Hong urged her supporters to unite: "We have built a beautiful, multi-generational, multiracial working-class movement, and it is a movement that meets the moment."
November Showdown: Crowley Builds Bridges While Tiffany Sits on $8.7 Million
Tiffany heads into the general election with a massive $8.7 million war chest. He has proposed returning Wisconsin's multi-billion dollar budget surplus to taxpayers and restructuring the Department of Natural Resources. After winning his primary, Tiffany said: "This fight is bigger than any one party — it's about what kind of Wisconsin we're going to leave the next generation."
Crowley's campaign manager Garren Randolph said Crowley 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." Political analyst Larry Sabato of the UVA Center for Politics moved the race from "toss-up" to "leans Democratic" after Crowley's win. Wisconsin voted for Trump in 2016 and 2024, but Biden in 2020, making November's result far from guaranteed.
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