Crowley's Narrow Win Over Socialist Hong Reflects Democratic Establishment's Fear of Radical Left Candidates
Source: M.D. Kittle. "Crowley Stuns In WI, Beating Socialist In Dem Governor Primary." August 12, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that Wisconsin's Democratic establishment (Gov. Evers and others) stepped in at the last minute to save a more moderate candidate's campaign because they were terrified that nominating an outspoken socialist would hand Republicans an easy win in November. The narrow victory margin and the fact that even prominent socialists like Bernie Sanders wouldn't endorse Hong are presented as evidence that even the left recognized she was too radical to win.
Conclusion
Wisconsin Democratic Party establishment figures rescued David Crowley's campaign and helped him narrowly defeat Francesca Hong because they feared her socialist positions would make her unelectable in the general election against Republicans.
Premises
- Gov. Tony Evers publicly stated he didn't think Hong could win in November and made a flurry of campaign appearances for Crowley in the final ten days before the election
- Prominent national socialist figures like Bernie Sanders and AOC refused to endorse Hong despite her being a fellow Democratic Socialists of America member
- Crowley himself noted the unusual alignment of Evers, the Republican Governors Association, and Turning Point USA all viewing Hong as 'the best candidate to lose this race'
- Hong's record includes extreme positions (tweeting to cancel Thanksgiving, defunding/abolishing police and ICE, eliminating prisons, and proposing the nation's highest income tax rate) that establishment Democrats viewed as general-election liabilities
- Hong attempted to walk back her most controversial positions (e.g., claiming she now loves Thanksgiving) during the campaign, suggesting even she recognized these positions were politically damaging
- Crowley's victory margin was razor-thin (four-tenths of a percentage point, ~3,000 votes) despite Hong holding a commanding lead in pre-election polls, indicating the establishment intervention was necessary and nearly failed
Assumptions
- Electability concerns, rather than genuine ideological preference, were the primary motivation for establishment Democrats' support of Crowley
- Hong's socialist positions as expressed in past tweets and statements accurately represent her genuine political views rather than evolved positions
- Support or non-support from national socialist figures like Sanders and AOC is a meaningful indicator of a candidate's viability or Party strategy
- The polling lead Hong held before the primary was a reliable indicator that voters were drawn to her socialist platform specifically, rather than other factors
- The Milwaukee vote-counting delays and 'human error' are relevant to the legitimacy or narrative of the race outcome, implying possible skepticism about election integrity