David Crowley pulls off upset over Francesca Hong in Wisconsin's Democratic primary for governor

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin's race for governor, NBC News projects, dealing a major upset to democratic socialist Francesca Hong.

The result marks a dramatic turnaround for Crowley, who had dropped out of the race roughly a month ago after initially struggling to gain traction only to re-enter days later with outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' endorsement.

Hong, a state lawmaker from Madison, had led in the polls in the final stretch of the race, but faced growing scrutiny over her past controversial positions and general election viability. Her loss is a setback for progressives, who have found success in other high-profile primaries around the country this year against establishment-backed candidates.

Crowley will face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is backed by President Donald Trump, in a general election that will be one of the marquee gubernatorial matchups this fall. Crowley took 39.8% of the Democratic primary vote to 39.4% for Hong with 98% of the expected vote tallied.

Crowley, 40, has served as Milwaukee County executive since 2020. Before that, he was a member of the state Assembly representing an urban Milwaukee district. As recently as late July, he was in the single digits in the well-regarded Marquette University Law School poll, with a large plurality of voters behind Hong, but more than a third saying they were still undecided.

His victory marks the final unexpected development of a volatile primary that had long lacked a clear front-runner.

Crowley's campaign and allied outside groups also spent $4 million on ads during the primary, according to AdImpact - well more than any of his Democratic rivals. By comparison, the Hong campaign and groups supporting her spent less than a half-million dollars on ads.

Meanwhile, a group tied to the Republican Governors Association has spent nearly $3 million on ads casting her as too liberal - an apparent effort to boost the party's preferred general election opponent in the primary.

On the GOP side, Tiffany - who has represented the 7th Congressional District, which comprises much of the northern part of the state, since 2020 - easily won the party's gubernatorial nomination.

In a speech to supporters, Tiffany said, "Stand with me as we protect the Wisconsin way of life, and stand with me as we move Wisconsin forward."

Democrats have held Wisconsin's governorship since 2019, and are hoping to flip control of at least one state legislative chamber for the first time since the 2010 election.

The winner of the Crowley-Tiffany matchup will hold power during the 2028 presidential election. Tiffany voted against certifying Joe Biden's 2020 victories in Arizona and Pennsylvania as a member of the House.

If Crowley wins in November, he would the first Black governor in Wisconsin history.