Hold onto your cheese curds, Wisconsin, because the Badger State just delivered one of the wildest political upsets of the entire 2026 midterm season.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley pulled off a jaw dropping victory over State Rep. Francesca Hong in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, and absolutely nobody saw this coming. As first reported here, the margin separating these two candidates was a razor thin 3,211 votes out of hundreds of thousands cast.
With over 95 percent of ballots counted, Crowley grabbed 313,321 votes for 39.78 percent, while Hong pulled in 310,110 votes at 39.37 percent. The Associated Press called it just before 4 a.m. Eastern Time. That is a nail biter of epic proportions.
Here is what makes this so absolutely bonkers. Hong, a self described Democratic Socialist backed by far left factions and controversial internet personality Hasan Piker, was supposed to cruise to an easy win. A late July Marquette University survey had her sitting pretty at 38 percent among primary voters while Crowley was scraping by at just seven percent. When leaners got factored in, Hong ballooned to 46 percent against Crowley's measly 11. A State Navigate poll conducted August 3 through 6 showed Hong commanding 44 percent to Crowley's 22.
So how on earth did Crowley pull this off? The man literally suspended his own campaign at one point because fundraising and polling looked so bleak. He even endorsed Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez temporarily. But when Rodriguez dropped out over campaign finance problems, Crowley jumped back into the contest on July 18 and scored a massive endorsement from retiring Governor Tony Evers.
Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes also exited the race on July 30, clearing the field even further. State Senator Kelda Roys grabbed roughly 7.5 percent, while former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan collected about 4.7 percent. Several previously withdrawn candidates still appeared on the ballot and siphoned small portions of support.
The evening got even spicier when a controversial USB error in Milwaukee County delayed vote tallying. Once those outstanding ballots finally got incorporated, Crowley's slim advantage held firm.
Hong's team acknowledged the results fell within recount territory, but the Madison based representative chose to concede Wednesday morning rather than drag things out.
All tallies remain unofficial until certification wraps up in coming weeks.
Now Crowley faces Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November. Tiffany dominated his own primary with roughly 95 percent support. Pre primary polling actually looks favorable for Crowley, with an RMG Research survey from late July showing him ahead 46 to 43 percent over Tiffany.
The political establishment just got served a massive plate of humble pie. Every pollster who guaranteed a Hong blowout is probably updating their resumes right about now.
Read more breaking news stories at: Trending Politics News
Last edited by a moderator:
