The metaphor was perfect. Three and a half hours after the polls closed this Tuesday, each candidate had 39.9% of the vote, with a margin of fewer than 200 ballots. In the end David Crowley, a moderate, won the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin governor, defeating the democratic socialist Francesca Hong by just 0.4 percentage points, or 39.8% versus 39.4%. The extremely tight outcome showcases how deeply the party is split between its two wings: the centrist and the progressive. With less than three months until the midterms, in which Democrats hope to retake control of Congress and rein in President Donald Trump, questions are growing about the party’s future direction.
As happened last week in Michigan’s Senate primary, Tuesday’s race in Wisconsin was far closer than polls had anticipated. In Michigan, the left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed won by a razor-thin margin. Both Michigan and Wisconsin are swing states that often decide presidential elections. Voters in Wisconsin have decided which Democrat will run for governor at the midterms on November 3. And even though the nominee’s name is now clear, it is far from evident how the Democratic Party intends to win with two factions so evenly divided.
In recent days Hong had dominated U.S. news coverage over controversial remarks she made in the past. She has since distanced herself from some of them. Media outlets dug up opinions she posted on social media, such as calls to defund the police (in whole or in part), to abolish ICE, and opposing holidays such as Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day and the Fourth of July. Many Democrats had warned for days that a candidate like Hong would have little chance of winning in November in a state Trump carried in 2024 by fewer than 30,000 votes.
Hong, 37, is a socialist. That sets her apart from El-Sayed, who belongs to the party’s progressive wing but not to the increasingly influential Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The former restaurant owner has faced heavy criticism after her old messages resurfaced, including one in 2020 calling for an end to Thanksgiving — perhaps the country’s most important holiday — to stop “celebrating colonialism.” Days after a CNN interview in which she failed to give a convincing response to the controversy, she told Politico that she did not want to cancel Thanksgiving and that it was, in fact, one of her favorite holidays.
Beyond the more or less sterile controversies, Hong has said during this campaign that she wants to focus on the problems of Wisconsin’s working class, with proposals such as fighting against new data centers, which have become a bugbear for many residents, both Republican and Democratic. She also supports universal free healthcare and raising taxes on the wealthy.
Minnesota
Another battle over the party’s soul was fought in Minnesota, and won by the progressives. Democrats there had to pick a replacement for Senator Tina Smith, who has decided to step down. Two women embodied the fight between leftists and the establishment. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, backed by figures such as Senator Bernie Sanders, won with 59% of the vote. Representative Angie Craig had the support of former (and very possibly future) presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, as well as heavily funded coffers supplied by donors who have not revealed their identities. But it did little for her: she ultimately received only 40% of the vote.
In addition to Wisconsin and Minnesota, four other states held primaries on Tuesday. On the Republican side, all eyes were on South Carolina. There, Darline Graham ran in a special election to choose the Republican senator who will replace her brother, Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11.
The state governor appointed Darline Graham to temporarily replace the veteran conservative. She entered the race with President Trump’s backing to secure the seat for the next legislature. But the president’s endorsement was not enough to settle the contest. Darline Graham, who has no political experience beyond her family ties to the veteran senator, finished first but failed to reach 50% of the vote and will face a runoff in two weeks. Voters will wait until August 26 to see whether the Grahams establish a senatorial dynasty in South Carolina.
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