After Michigan, Democrats’ next battleground over the party’s future shifts to Wisconsin
Wisconsin Becomes the Latest Battleground for Democratic Party Direction
Tyunews.com – Following Michigan's closely contested Senate race, attention turns to Wisconsin where voters will determine the trajectory of their party's future. Sarah Miller, a 49-year-old software engineer from Madison, acknowledges the ongoing tensions between progressive and moderate factions within the Democratic Party. Yet her priorities remain clear: victory in November.
Miller plans to cast her ballot for David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive who secured the endorsement of Governor Tony Evers. Crowley faces Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, in what represents another national indicator of how far Democrats might move toward the left. This contest arrives just one week after progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly bested Representative Haley Stevens in Michigan's U.S. Senate primary.
A Critical Test for Both Factions
The Wisconsin primary serves as a crucial preview for November's general election in this pivotal swing state. Voters in Minnesota will simultaneously decide another Senate race featuring competing centrist and progressive candidates. Throughout this election year, disappointed voters have propelled outsider figures to victories nationwide, and Crowley hopes to reverse that pattern locally.
He is counting heavily on Evers, one of Wisconsin's most beloved political figures, to help close gaps during the final stretch of this turbulent primary season. Crowley expressed cautious optimism following El-Sayed's narrow triumph.
"We're going to focus on those undecided voters," Crowley said. "The divide is real."
Miller, who identifies as progressive, characterized Hong as "a very, very weak candidate" whose popularity represents "a little bit of a mirage." She voiced skepticism about Hong's chances at a Crowley campaign event held at a New Glarus winery one week before Election Day.
Complicated Ballot Dynamics
Despite Crowley's efforts, the race presents unique challenges. A Marquette University Law School survey conducted in late July, prior to former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes withdrawing, revealed Hong holding a substantial lead over other contenders. By that time, more than 112,000 absentee ballots had already been submitted.
Crowley's path grew more difficult when he temporarily exited the race on July 8, only re-entering ten days later with Evers' support following Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez's withdrawal. Twelve days subsequently, Barnes also concluded his campaign amid allegations of misconduct. Both Rodriguez and Barnes remain on the ballot, and votes already cast for them cannot be reversed.
"We've created a mess," remarked Michael Gebben, a 64-year-old Democrat who submitted an absentee ballot for Rodriguez before her exit. "Hopefully we can get out of it."
Hong Addresses Controversies While Tiffany Builds Momentum
As Crowley traveled extensively to win over undecided voters, Hong confronted various controversies. The single mother and former restaurant cook faced scrutiny over historical social media comments in which she advocated canceling Thanksgiving to "stop celebrating colonialism," criticized Valentine's Day as "another day capitalism tells you how to show love," and consistently called for police defunding.
Recently, Hong has clarified or retracted several of these positions, now stating she does not support completely abolishing law enforcement. Meanwhile, Republican Representative Tom Tiffany has highlighted Hong's Thanksgiving remarks, arguing she wants "to destroy the traditions and culture that unite us."
Tiffany entered August with ten times more financial resources than either Hong or Crowley. He has framed the contest as a choice between chaos and practical judgment. Evers' spokesperson, Britt Cudaback, explained the governor's endorsement in a social media message, noting that "Wisconsinites can't afford for November to come down to the most extreme things Tom Tiffany and Francesca Hong have said online."
Crowley's references to Evers' backing generated enthusiastic responses at campaign events in both New Glarus and Madison this week, though similar expressions of confidence have not yet materialized everywhere.
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