Holy Hannah! I was wrong!
For weeks, I had mentally moved Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong from candidate to Democrat nominee for governor. One late July poll had Hong at 44%, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley at 15%, and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes at 14%.
From WPR:
The poll released Tuesday by the nonprofit State Navigate and sponsored by liberal groups UpNorthNews and Main Street Action asked nearly 1,100 Wisconsinites their preference in the Aug. 11 primary. The survey was in the field from July 23 through July 26 — after the chaotic withdrawal of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and reentry into the race of Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points.
It found Hong leading other Democrats by nearly 30 points.
“She’s gonna win this primary,” said Chaz Nuttycombe, founder and executive director of State Navigate in an interview with WPR. He pointed to her being strongly favored among voters in the survey, and a strong backup choice to other candidates.
When pressed to make a choice, 44 percent of Democrats polled said they would vote for Hong, compared to 15 percent for Crowley and 14 percent for former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. State Sen. Kelda Roys, former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan and Rodriguez all had 4 percent support. Thirteen percent of voters said they did not know who they favored.
It’s the second poll in two weeks to name the democratic socialist as the leader in the primary. In a survey that did not include Crowley, the Marquette Law School Poll found Hong in the lead. But Marquette also found almost half of Democratic voters were still undecided about who they’d ultimately pick.
Crowley had even suspended his campaign on July 8 before climbing back into the race 10 days later.
About 30 minutes before the polls closed Tuesday, I checked the race again and nearly fell out of my chair. Crowley was close, really close.
I figured Hong would pull it out. I remembered going to bed in 2020 convinced Donald Trump would win Wisconsin, so perhaps election-night confidence isn't one of my spiritual gifts.
Then Wisconsin finished the job. Crowley beat Hong 39.8% to 39.4%, a margin of just over 3,000 votes. A candidate who had quit the race a month earlier defeated the woman who had enjoyed a 29-point polling lead.
My home county didn't exactly calm my nerves. Unofficial Portage County results gave Hong 4,703 votes to Crowley's 3,752. She took roughly 44% of the Democratic gubernatorial vote here.
I looked at the statewide county map afterward and discovered far more Wisconsinites are comfortable with Democratic Socialism Communism than I'd care to meet at a property-rights seminar.
Hong is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and her campaign proudly collected endorsements from progressive figures. Yet two names were absent: Sen. Bernie Sanders (Commie-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) — and her soon-to-be-frozen eggs.
Neither endorsed her.
Their silence fascinates me. Maybe electability worried them; perhaps Hong's old statements and political baggage raised too many red flags; possibly they simply didn't think she was a strong messenger for their movement.
I know Sanders supporters who couldn't stand her, even while agreeing with much of her ideology. Whatever the reason, the movement's two biggest stars stayed away while streamer Hasan Piker traveled to Wisconsin and campaigned for her.
From WPR:
When state Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, took part in two livestreams on Monday, it was a sign of the times. Leading Twitch and YouTube streamers have greater reach than many traditional media platforms, and appearances with these new-media influencers are an avenue to broader recognition.
The appearances got eyeballs on Hong, and raised money for her gubernatorial campaign, where she’s a leading Democratic contender. But they also drew criticism for associating with streamers who have made comments some have found to be antisemitic and anti-American in the past.
The two streamers that Hong joined on Monday are well-known leftist provocateurs. Michael Beyer, who goes by Mike from PA, has over 100,000 followers on Twitch. Hasan Piker, among the most successful political streamers around, has more than 3 million.
Piker has said America “deserved” the September 11 attacks, a comment he later said was intended to highlight the United States’ foreign policy choices. He also said that reports of sexual violence during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israelis “don’t matter” to his broader understanding of the conflict.
Beyer has called Jews a “constructed” and “demonic” ethnicity. He later said he was speaking about Zionists, referring to the political ideology that Israel should exist as a self-determined Jewish homeland.
Ann Jacobs, the Democratic chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said for Hong to stand alongside these men reflects an endorsement of antisemitic ideas. On Wednesday, Jacobs tweeted that Hong was “willing to sell out the Jews of Wisconsin for a few bucks.”
“Why are those people you want to be in conversation with? Is it just for the money? You’re willing to sell out the Jews of Wisconsin so that you can raise money? That’s disturbing,” said Jacobs, who also co-chairs the Jewish Caucus of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, in an interview with WPR.
“I don’t think we should tolerate all forms of opinions,” she added. “I don’t think that we should tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all these other hate groups that are rampant right now on social media.”
Democrats now have a much more conventional nominee in Crowley, who heads into November against Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany. President Donald Trump endorsed Tiffany months ago. I'll vote for Tiffany, although I'm not especially enthusiastic about him. Wisconsin remains one of America's most important swing states, and the governor's office enormously matters.
The Democratic family fight is becoming fun to watch. Democratic socialist Melat Kiros knocked off longtime Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary.
Progressives also scored Tuesday when Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won her Senate primary.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, handed the establishment a victory by the width of a cheese curd.
So where does Bigfoot enter the picture?
I've believed the big guy could be roaming the Northwoods for years. After watching Francesca Hong blow a 29-point polling lead to a guy who temporarily quit the race, my confidence in Sasquatch has risen. Considerably.
I'm not saying Tuesday proved Bigfoot exists.
I'm saying people should take the footprints a lot more seriously.
Wisconsin's primary was another reminder that politics rarely follows the script we're handed. PJ Media VIP members help us keep following the facts, challenging the conventional wisdom, and having a little fun when the political experts miss by a country mile. Join today and get 60% off with promo code FIGHT.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member