Socialist Francesca Hong Underperforms the Polls, Fights to Hang On in Wisconsin Gubernatorial Primary

The race between Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to serve as the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin governor remained too close to call late Tuesday evening.

Heading into Election Day, polls widely favored Hong, a controversial ultra-progressive chef and state lawmaker who previously called for abolishing the police and Thanksgiving. However, Hong underperformed in early returns on Tuesday evening, creating a closer-than-expected race. By 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday evening, both candidates had received roughly 39.9 percent of the vote each, with an estimated 82 percent of votes counted.

The winner of the Democratic primary will take on Congressman Tom Tiffany, a Trump-backed Republican, in the race to replace retiring Democratic Governor Tony Evers.

Hong also benefitted from Republican ad spending. GOP-allied groups funded pro-Hong spots in an effort to secure her primary election win, believing that her radical views would make her an easier opponent in the general. Hong was on the receiving end of $3.5 million in spending from the Republican Governors Association alone. Her total campaign fundraising amounted to less than a third of that.