Last-minute drama: A blow to the progressive camp in a swing state
The Democratic primary race for governor of Wisconsin was tight and tense, decided only with the counting of the final votes. Progressive candidate Francesca Hong led until the final stretch.
David Crowley, a high-ranking official in Milwaukee County, recorded a dramatic victory in the Democratic primary for governor of Wisconsin. According to a report in the British "Guardian", Crowley defeated his progressive rival Francesca Hong, even though she had led securely in early polls. The surprising victory came after Crowley returned to the race at a late stage and received the important support of the outgoing governor, Tony Evers.
The race was tight and tense, and was decided only with the counting of the final votes. Hong, a former chef and restaurant owner from Madison, ran on a platform that included universal daycare, free meals in schools, and a freeze on the construction of new server farms. However, her past controversial statements, including a tweet calling for the abolition of Thanksgiving and support for cutting police budgets, hurt her chances in the final stretch, even though she tried to distance herself from some of these positions.
On the other hand, Crowley focused his election campaign on the argument of "electability": he claimed that he had the best chances of defeating Tom Tiffany, the Republican congressman and ardent supporter of Donald Trump, who ran unopposed in his party's primary and is remembered as someone who voted against certifying the 2020 election results.
"We knew the stakes were too high for me to sit on the sidelines," Crowley said in an interview with the "Guardian", explaining that voters are looking for executive leadership and a person with a track record who can be trusted.
The race for Wisconsin governor has been characterized by many upheavals in recent weeks, including the withdrawal of the leading candidate Sarah Rodriguez due to irregularities in campaign financing, an event that paved Crowley's way back to the contest. At the same time, Mandela Barnes also dropped out of the race in July. For the Democratic Party, this is a critical battle: they hope to keep the governor's office and gain control of both houses of the state legislature to fully advance their agenda.
In another arena in Wisconsin, voters in the west of the state chose Rebecca Cooke, a moderate Democrat, to face Republican Derrick Van Orden in the third congressional district. Cooke received the support of the party's campaign committee in Congress, a move that sparked the anger of local figures who saw it as unfair interference in the primary against her rival, Emily Berge.
