Newly crowned Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Crowley called for party unity Wednesday after a contentious primary against socialist challenger Francesca Hong, as Wisconsin Democrats seek to move past a divisive contest and focus on defeating Republican nominee Tom Tiffany in November.
The primary exposed deep divisions within the Democratic Party, with progressive Democrats testing whether they could win a statewide election in a state President Donald Trump won in 2024. The race was fluid in the weeks leading up to the election, with several candidates entering and exiting the contest.
In a speech accepting the nomination Wednesday morning, Crowley sought to put those divisions behind him and urged Democrats to unite around the November election.
“Over the past few months, you’ve heard a lot of people try to define this election as a battle between the Left and the center,” Crowley said. “Between progressives and the establishment. Between insiders and outsiders. That narrative misses the entire point of what we’re doing. Because when I traveled across Wisconsin, I didn’t meet people who introduced themselves that way.
“Every one of us has something much bigger to unite around,” he said. “And that is keeping MAGA extremism from bringing the chaos we see in Washington into our neighborhoods right here in the state of Wisconsin.
“From the very first day I announced this campaign, I said the real threat wasn’t any of my primary opponents,” he added. “The real opponent has always been Tom Tiffany. That remains true today.”
Crowley also praised Hong, who emerged as a leading contender despite resistance from some centrist Democrats.
“I especially want to thank Representative Francesca Hong,” Crowley said. “Her campaign reminded people across Wisconsin that there are no long shots when it comes to believing in a better future and fighting to expand opportunities to every family.
“That kind of passion, it strengthens our democracy, and I look forward to earning their support and everyone who participated in this campaign as we move forward together,” he said.
Hong, a self-described socialist, had faced questions about whether she could consolidate support from the broader Democratic Party and build a coalition capable of winning statewide in November.
Her campaign also drew scrutiny over her standing with the national progressive movement. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), along with Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D MA), did not endorse Hong, despite supporting progressive candidates in other races. Hong also faced criticism for past social media posts calling for the cancellation of Thanksgiving and defunding the police.
Electability was a central theme throughout the primary, as Democrats weighed whether the party’s nominee could assemble a broad coalition to defeat Tiffany in November.
Hong struck a similarly conciliatory tone shortly before the election was called, emphasizing that Democrats would need to unite behind the eventual nominee.
“In 11 weeks, no matter who’s on this ballot, we are going to fight to win for one another,” Hong said. “We will win together, united. Because everyone who’s running in this race, they know that we can make better possible and we must make better possible.”
Democrats from opposite sides of party all rally behind ‘big tent’
Wisconsin Democrats are set to begin a statewide unity tour Wednesday in an attempt to turn the page on the divisive primary.
The effort comes as Democrats confront a contrasting example in Michigan, where progressive Abdul el Sayed won the Democratic Senate nomination against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI). That primary also pitted candidates from different ideological wings of the party against one another, but drew endorsements from prominent Democrats on both sides of the party’s ideological divide.