Wisconsin's August Democratic primary for governor has become an unexpected proving ground for whether democratic socialists can win beyond their traditional urban strongholds. State Rep. Francesca Hong, who represents Madison and embraces the democratic socialist label, has surged to the top of limited public polling and placed second at the Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention this month, positioning herself as a formidable contender in a crowded field lacking a clear frontrunner.
Hong's rise comes on the heels of a string of victories by democratic socialists and their allies across the country. Three candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won House primaries this week, including two races against Democratic incumbents. Earlier, democratic socialist candidates claimed the mayoral primary in Washington, D.C., and advanced to a runoff in Los Angeles. The momentum has energized the movement, with Hong declaring on social media, "It's a great day to be a democratic socialist. Wisconsin is next!"
But Wisconsin presents a fundamentally different terrain than the solidly Democratic urban centers where recent democratic socialist victories have occurred. The state is one of the most politically divided in the nation, having voted twice for Donald Trump. Hong herself has drawn scrutiny for past calls to defund and abolish police, positions that may resonate differently in a statewide contest than in a safely liberal legislative district.
Democratic strategist Andrew Mamo, who has worked campaigns in Wisconsin, sees both opportunity and risk. The democratic socialist label has lost much of its stigma in some circles, he argues, and voters are increasingly willing to embrace candidates as a rejection of the political status quo. But translating that appeal from congressional and mayoral races in Democratic enclaves to a statewide gubernatorial primary in a true battleground state remains an open question.
"The landscape in Wisconsin is different," Mamo said. "We're talking about going for a statewide win in a state that Trump won twice."
Hong faces competition from Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, who serves alongside retiring Gov. Tony Evers, and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who narrowly lost a 2022 Senate race in the state. The field is crowded and unsettled, giving Hong an opening if she can expand her base beyond her Madison core.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Wisconsin will tell us whether democratic socialists have genuinely moved the needle on working voters outside coastal cities, or whether they've simply captured energized activists in places they were already winning."
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