David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive, narrowly defeated state representative Francesca Hong in the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary held on August 11, 2026. Crowley won with approximately 39.8% of the vote compared to Hong’s 39.4%, a margin of roughly 3,000 votes [1, 2, 3, 4].

Crowley was endorsed by outgoing Governor Tony Evers, who did not seek reelection and had initially thrown support behind Sara Rodriguez before she withdrew from the race [1, 2, 4]. Crowley emphasized his executive experience and electability in his campaign, appealing to Democratic voters concerned about the November general election matchup against Republican Tom Tiffany. Crowley told supporters, "We knew that the stakes were too high for me to sit on the sideline, and that we need the best candidate, not just with executive leadership, but somebody who has a proven track record of getting things done" [1].

Hong ran as a progressive democratic socialist from Madison, focusing on policies like childcare, free school meals, paid leave, raising the minimum wage, and a moratorium on new data centers. She is a former chef and single mother who gained support from progressives including Reps. Ilhan Omar and Ro Khanna. However, she faced criticism for past social media posts calling to defund the police and cancel Thanksgiving, remarks she later walked back. Hong stated, "I'm not defunding the police, not abolishing police. I am serious about public safety" [1, 2, 3, 4]. She did not receive endorsements from national progressive leaders Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [2, 3, 4].

Other candidates in the Democratic primary included state senator Kelda Roys and former state official Joel Brennan, who received 7.5% and 4.7% of the vote, respectively [1, 2]. Mandela Barnes, the 2022 Democratic Senate nominee, ended his gubernatorial campaign on July 31, 2026, before the primary [1].

On the Republican side, Congressman Tom Tiffany, a Trump supporter, won the GOP primary unopposed with 95% of the vote. Tiffany will face Crowley in the general election, making Wisconsin a key swing state battleground [1, 2, 3, 4].

The general election will decide the next governor of Wisconsin, with both parties aiming to secure control in this politically competitive state. Crowley’s win sets the stage for a November showdown against Tiffany.