Wisconsin's Dem primary for governor too close to call

Hong's win was expected, with her two most high-profile opponents withdrawing from the race before election day.

By Ben Whedon

Published: August 11, 2026 11:42pm

Wisconsin's Democratic primary for governor was too close to call well into Tuesday evening, marking another major polling miss as the race had been expected to be a landslide.

What had been expected to be a landslide for democratic socialist candidate Francesca Hong quickly turned into a close contest, with Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley carving out a modest edge early in the night.

As of press time, Crowley led with 40.0% of the vote to Hong's 39.7%, with 84% of precincts reporting.

The withdrawal of two of Hong's most high-profile opponents from the race before election day had been thought to position her for an easy win. Both Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes sought the nomination, but dropped out ahead of time.

Hong's polling lead reached as high as 22 points in some surveys, marking the results as an abysmal miss for pollsters.

The winner will go on to face Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., who did not face a serious primary contest. The race is expected to be one of the more competitive gubernatorial contests of the 2026 cycle.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.