David Crowley narrowly won the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin governor, edging state Rep. Francesca Hong by nearly 4,000 votes with absentee ballots still trickling in from Milwaukee County. The Milwaukee County executive received 39.88% of the vote to Hong's 39.38%, setting up a fall showdown against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany that could become the most expensive governor's race in Wisconsin history.
A Comeback Built on Milwaukee's Absentee Count
Crowley's win was tighter than many expected, according to Urban Milwaukee, which reported he carried Milwaukee County by about 2,400 votes, taking 43.04% there compared to Hong's 41.46%. Milwaukee County's results were delayed by at least an hour because of slow absentee reporting, and the outlet's report notes that the City of Milwaukee was late in releasing its absentee numbers. Crowley ultimately outperformed Hong on those absentee ballots, a margin that appears to have decided the race.
The Democratic primary drew seven candidates in total, a crowded field that reflected the rarity of the moment. This is Wisconsin's first open-seat gubernatorial election without an incumbent running since 2010, following Gov. Tony Evers' announcement in July 2025 that he would not seek a third term, according to AP News.
Crowley's Zigzag Path Back Into the Race
Crowley's path to the nomination was anything but linear. He dropped out of the race in early July before returning to it weeks later, this time with Evers' backing. Evers formally endorsed Crowley on July 18, and the two barnstormed the state together in the two weeks before the primary, a stretch Hoodline covered in its hail-Mary tour before the vote.
Evers also criticized Hong during the closing stretch of the campaign, per the same account. Crowley leaned on his record as Milwaukee County executive, promoting himself as the only candidate in the field with elected executive experience. He was first elected to that post in 2020 and previously served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2017 to 2020.
A Crowded Field Winnows Fast
The primary field thinned dramatically in its final weeks. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez's campaign imploded amid irregularities in her financial reports and the termination of her campaign manager. Mandela Barnes, who had polled at 16% in a Marquette University Law School Poll that ended data collection on July 27, dropped out of the race on July 31, citing no path to win; he said he would instead focus on helping the eventual Democratic nominee defeat Tiffany.
That same Marquette poll had shown just how volatile the race was heading into its final days: Hong at 38%, Crowley at just 7% and previously peaking at only 6% in earlier surveys. U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore also lined up behind Crowley, and Crowley in turn endorsed Rodriguez after her campaign fell apart, according to the report from Urban Milwaukee.
Hong's Response and a Possible Recount
Hong, who made history in 2020 as the first Asian American elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature and represents Assembly District 76 in Madison, said the final results were not yet available. She told supporters that Wisconsin has built something that will change politics forever, a reference to the progressive coalition her campaign built in Dane County. Hong is a former professional chef and co-founder of Morris Ramen in Madison, and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who helped form the first Assembly Socialist Caucus in the Wisconsin Legislature in 2025, according to background compiled from her campaign and public records.
Wisconsin law allows a recount when the margin between candidates is less than 1%, according to Verified Voting. The state covers the cost of a recount if the margin is 0.25% or less, but the requesting campaign must pay for it if the margin falls between 0.25% and 1%, unless the recount flips the outcome. Campaigns also have the option to request recounts in specific counties rather than statewide.
Facing Tiffany in November
Crowley now heads into a general election against Tiffany, who cleared his own primary early after President Trump endorsed him in January, prompting rival Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann to drop out within 24 hours, as previously reported by PBS. No sitting member of the U.S. House has ever been elected governor in Wisconsin, a historical hurdle Tiffany will have to clear in a race both parties expect to be extraordinarily costly.
Crowley grew up in Milwaukee's 53206 ZIP code, an area identified in a 2013 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee study as having the highest male incarceration rate in the nation, a background he has cited in shaping his focus on equity policy and urban revitalization. In 2023 he helped negotiate the bipartisan passage of Wisconsin Act 12, which overhauled local revenue-sharing and allowed Milwaukee County to raise local sales taxes to address long-term pension liabilities, an achievement central to his pitch as a pragmatic dealmaker heading into the fall campaign.
