Socialist candidate for governor who wants to cancel Thanksgiving loses in narrow Wisconsin primary

Francesca Hong and David Crowley.

Francesca Hong, the card-carrying socialist candidate with a history of wanting to cancel Thanksgiving, defund the police and a general fear of older white people, lost her bid to win the Democrat party's nomination for Wisconsin governor, despite a series of polls showing she had a comfortable lead heading into primary day.

The results of the election couldn't have been closer and the outcome wasn't called until the wee hours early Wednesday, and, when the race was called, David Crowely came out on top with 39.78% of the vote to Hong's 39.37%, according to The New York Times. Crowley, a Milwaukee county executive who's viewed as a much more moderate candidate, edged Hong by just a little more than 3,000 votes in the end. 

Crowley had actually dropped out of the race in July, then got back in a few weeks ago as the field thinned and picked up a key endorsement from Tony Evers, Wisconsin's former governor, who had planned to stay out of the primary fray, but said he decided to go public with an endorsement of Crowley because he thought Hong was likely to lose in the general election if she were to win the primary. 

U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany will be facing off against Crowley in the November midterms after he cruised to victory Tuesday with 95% of the vote to capture the GOP nomination. Tiffany has been endorsed by President Trump, and polling conducted prior to the primary result showed Crowley held a slim lead over Tiffany if the two were to go head to head.

Speaking to reporters after his blowout win, Tiffany focused on his top priorities as potential governor. "I love Wisconsin, but I see the direction our state is going in and I know we can do better," Tiffany said Tuesday night. "Our property taxes are among the 10 highest in the nation, our utility rates are the second highest in the midwest, and from 2018-2025, we ranked No. 40 in job creation."

Crowley didn't address supporters given that the race was called well after midnight, but his campaign manager Garren Randolph released a statement saying, "David is focused on bringing people together, earning the support of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and anyone who believes Wisconsin is at its best when we work together and deliver results,” Crowley’s campaign manager Garren Randolph said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.

Tuesday's upset sent shockwaves through the political world as numerous polls showed Hong enjoyed leads approaching 30% over her rivals. The polls ended up being so far off from the eventual result, noted pollster Frank Luntz called for polling reform in a post on X, saying, "I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of primary polling in the Midwestern United States until we can figure out what the hell is going on."

For more on the shocking result from Wisconsin, watch the video below.