MADISON — Progressive Wisconsin state Representative Francesca Hong was locked in a razor-thin Democratic primary race for governor on Wednesday with Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, leaving the party’s nomination unresolved after Tuesday’s election.
With more than 90% of ballots counted, Crowley held a narrow lead of several hundred votes, according to election results reported by the Associated Press and other outlets. The Associated Press said the race remained too close to call, with both candidates declining to declare victory.
Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, had entered election day as the clear polling favorite. A State Navigate survey conducted Aug. 3-6 among 1,473 likely Democratic primary voters gave her 44% support, compared with 22% for Crowley. Earlier polls by Marquette University Law School and State Navigate had also shown Hong leading the field.
The unexpectedly close result has turned the contest into a test of the strength of the progressive wing of Wisconsin Democrats. Hong campaigned on policies including universal child care, free school meals and a moratorium on new data-center construction. Crowley, who returned to the race after briefly leaving it, received the endorsement of Democratic Governor Tony Evers and has presented himself as a candidate capable of competing in the November general election.
The primary was held after Evers announced that he would not seek a third term. The crowded Democratic field narrowed in the weeks before voting, with former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes and Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez among those leaving the race.
Republican U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany has secured his party's nomination and is set to face the Democratic nominee in November. Tiffany, a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, has made Wisconsin's gubernatorial contest one of the closely watched statewide races of the 2026 midterm elections.
The Democratic primary remained unresolved Wednesday as election officials continued processing outstanding ballots, including thousands of absentee ballots from Milwaukee. The Associated Press reported that about 28,000 absentee ballots in Milwaukee were delayed in processing, leaving the final result uncertain.
