Francesca Hong and David Crowley battle for the lead in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor

2026 ElectionFrancesca Hong and David Crowley battle for the lead in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governorThe key battleground state race was too close to call late Tuesday night, according to NBC News’ Decision Desk.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Francesca Hong and David Crowley.AP; Getty Images for WisDemsShareAdd NBC News to GoogleAug. 11, 2026, 11:53 PM EDTBy Adam Wollner and Adam EdelmanWisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor was too close to call late Tuesday night, according to NBC News’ Decision Desk, with state Rep. Francesca Hong and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley separated by only a few hundred votes. The race was more competitive than most Democrats expected entering election night. Hong, a democratic socialist, had held a substantial lead in the public polls. And Crowley had dropped out of the race one month ago after initially struggling to gain traction, only to re-enter 10 days later with outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ endorsement. But Hong faced growing scrutiny in the closing stretch of the campaign over her past controversial positions, fueling Democratic concerns that the 37-year-old state lawmaker from Madison was too far left to win a general election in the swing state. Crowley, 40, was also a largely unknown quantity statewide. Evers, a popular governor who chose not to run for a third term, went to bat for him on the campaign trail, arguing he was the most electable candidate in the primary. Pro-Crowley outside groups amplified the message with closing ads on TV, as polls also showed a large chunk of voters headed into the final weeks of the race undecided.The primary, which had lacked a clear front-runner for much of the year, was shaken up on several occasions over the last month.Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, who some moderate Democrats expected would establish herself as a leading candidate, unexpectedly exited the race in mid-July amid issues with her campaign finances. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Ba...