Wisconsin voters head to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether to nominate a democratic socialist for the state’s highest office in Theguardian latest test of an anti-establishment wave among Democratic primary voters. Single mother and former line cook AP News Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist and state lawmaker, has emerged as the frontrunner in a four-way race to succeed outgoing Democratic Governor Tony Evers, who is not seeking another term.
Wisconsin Primary Tests Anti-Establishment Wave as Democratic Socialists Eye Governor’s Office
Hong’s primary campaign has tapped into frustration with the party’s mainstream and the political establishment, exciting the liberal wing of the party. Her platform includes calls for free childcare and healthcare alongside a moratorium on data center construction. At the same time, her candidacy has drawn intense scrutiny from journalists, Republicans led by Donald Trump, and moderate Democrats concerned about general-election electability in a critical battleground state. Hong has faced criticism over past social media posts, including a tweet calling to cancel Thanksgiving to stop celebrating colonialism and another disparaging Valentine’s Day. She has also wrestled with her past support for defunding and abolishing the police during 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, though she stated at the race’s only debate that she would not support cutting law enforcement funding and told abcnews.com, “I take public safety seriously.
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Establishment Pushback and the Race to Succeed Tony Evers
Governor Tony Evers threw his support behind Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who centered his campaign around electability. Crowley previously left the race before reentering on July 18, touring the state with Evers to argue that he is more poised to win a general election in a swing state than Hong. While some observers viewed Crowley’s reentry as an establishment effort to derail Hong’s campaign, Crowley rejected the characterization.
The Democratic primary field also featured state senator Kelda Roys. Early front-runner Mandela Barnes bowed out less than two weeks before the election amid questions about inappropriate behavior. Marquette University Law School surveyed the Democratic primary in late July and found Hong leading the pack, though a sizable chunk of voters remained undecided. The primary takes place amid a broader regional context of progressive and moderate matchups in the Midwest, following an AOL primary win by Abdul El-Sayed for U.S. Senate in Michigan.
High Stakes for Control of State Government and the General Election
The winner of the Democratic primary will advance to face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November in an open race. Tiffany, an ardent supporter of Donald Trump who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 election, ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Democrats are eager to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the state Legislature to earn a governing trifecta and full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010.
While democratic socialists have celebrated recent progressive wins in solidly blue parts of the country, political observers caution that a strategy successful in heavily Democratic areas may face different hurdles in a purple state. If a Democratic Socialists of America candidate can win in Manhattan, that doesn’t mean they can win in Manhattan, Kansas, right?
Charles Franklin, the director of the Marquette Law School Poll, noted to ABC News. Nonetheless, Democrats are weighing those concerns against low approval ratings for President Donald Trump in Wisconsin, creating high stakes across multiple competitive contests on the primary ballot.
