Wisconsin Democrats will vote next Tuesday in a gubernatorial primary whether to support David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive endorsed by two-term Gov. Tony Evers, or far-left socialist Francesca Hong who, among other things, has called for the cancellation of November's Thanksgiving celebration.
A Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsin Democratic primary voters conducted in late July, before former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out, showed Hong with a significant lead over the other candidates. More than 112,000 absentee ballots had already been returned by the day the poll was released.
Complicating the path for Crowley is the fact that he withdrew from the race on July 8 and only got back in 10 days later, with the backing of Evers, after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez ended her candidacy. Then, 12 days later, Barnes also ended his campaign amid allegations of inappropriate behavior.
Barnes and Rodriguez, who were both seen as potential front-runners, remain on the ballot and votes already cast for them can't be undone.
“We've created a mess,” said Michael Gebben, a 64-year-old Democrat who voted absentee for Rodriguez before she dropped out. “Hopefully we can get out of it.”
As Crowley sprinted across the state to capture undecided voters, Hong was trying to batt down controversies.
Hong, a single mom and former restaurant cook, faced questions about past social media posts where she called for canceling Thanksgiving because “we should stop celebrating colonialism,” disparaged Valentine’s Day as “another day capitalism tells you how to show love” and repeatedly called for defunding the police.
She has tried to backtrack or clarify many of those past statements in recent days, now saying that she does not support abolishing the police.
Whoever wins the Democrat primary, they will face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a staunch supporter of President Trump and one of the most conservative members of Congress.
Tiffany pointed to Hong’s comments on Thanksgiving and said she wants “to destroy the traditions and culture that unite us.” Tiffany, who had 10-times more cash on hand than either Hong or Crowley did entering August, has portrayed the race as a contest between chaos and common sense.
