Progressive candidates for governor in Wisconsin and the U.S. Senate in Minnesota are making their final pushes ahead of the Aug. 11 election, increasing the pressure on a Democratic establishment that has spent the year on its heels.
Wisconsin Democratic Primary Pits Democratic Socialist Against Governor’s Pick
Democratic socialist Francesca Hong is working to secure a four-way Democratic gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin, facing a leading rival who has won the backing of popular Gov. Tony Evers, who isn’t seeking a third term. Evers got behind Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley on July 18, the same day Crowley reentered the race after dropping out 10 days earlier. Crowley rejoined after the candidate he backed, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, ended her candidacy amid a campaign finance scandal.
Evers and Crowley spent the final days before the Aug. 11 election crisscrossing the state together. Standing next to Evers at a campaign stop in Madison on Aug. 11 to thank volunteers, Crowley said, “I feel like we caught lightning in a bottle.” Evers and establishment Democrats hoped to coalesce around Crowley in a chaotic primary that saw two other candidates drop out, most notably former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes on July 29. Barnes and Rodriguez remain on the ballot, and absentee votes already cast for them cannot be undone.
Republican Spending Targets the Wisconsin Democratic Primary
Republicans are putting money behind Hong, believing she will be a better matchup for Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November. Through its Right Direction Wisconsin PAC, the Republican Governors Association poured nearly $3.6 million into commercial spots that set Hong apart from President Donald Trump and drew attention to her progressive platform. Crowley and other Democrats argue the ads are designed to bolster Hong’s standing because Republicans see her as the easier opponent.
At a rally in Madison on the night of Aug. 9, Evers expressed confidence that Crowley gives Democrats the best chance to defeat Tiffany. Wisconsin went to Trump in both 2016 and 2024, and the Legislature’s two chambers have remained under Republican control since 2011. Holding the governor’s office is central to Wisconsin Democrats’ efforts to gain full control of the state government for the first time in 16 years. In the race to replace Tiffany in Congress, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s son-in-law Michael Alfonso is running in a five-person Republican primary with an endorsement from Trump.
Minnesota Senate Primary Shaped by Immigration Enforcement Surge
In neighboring Minnesota, voters are choosing between moderate U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a Democratic U.S. Senate primary playing out in the aftermath of Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement surge in the state. The contest has been defined by the Minneapolis deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of federal immigration agents, which triggered filmed altercations and widespread public pushback against Trump’s immigration directives.
Both Craig and Flanagan spent the weekend traversing the Twin Cities metro area ahead of the primary. Speaking in a suburban Eagan driveway on Aug. 9, Craig addressed voter angst over Washington, arguing that members of Congress should stop trading stocks and becoming lobbyists, and that the U.S. must restrict corporate campaign spending. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has not endorsed in the Senate primary, but his wife, Gwen Walz, endorsed Craig and campaigned with her on Aug. 9. Flanagan campaigned on Aug. 8 with U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, to emphasize the need to root out deep-pocketed special interests.
The race stands as one of the most expensive Minnesota has seen, with millions backing both candidates, though funding has fallen disproportionately in Craig’s favor. The winner will enter the November general election as the front-runner to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.