Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley has won the Democratic nomination for governor of Wisconsin, according to a race call by the Associated Press. He narrowly defeated state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist whose campaign had challenged the party establishment.
Crowley had at one point actually suspended his foundering campaign, facing low poll ratings and scarce campaign funds. But he relaunched it days later with the backing of outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in an effort to turn back the momentum by Hong.
The Hong loss comes after progressives saw a series of wins in recent primaries around the country. But the narrow margin of the loss still signals Democratic voters seeking change.
Turnout in the Wisconsin Dem primary was head-and-shoulders above the GOP race. People are excited to vote for an anti-Trump candidate and they’re bickering on the margins over who the best person for the job will be.
To say they’re “turned off”, you need to explain where the 310,230 people who voted for Hong came from. Nevermind the 32,237 that went to Barnes even after withdrawing. Clearly, culture warriors aren’t so unpopular that they can’t generate an enormous and enthusiastic base of support.
The Republicans, the neoliberals, and the national media are going to call you a socialist whether you run as one or not.
If you’ve got popular policies and a socialist outlook, might as well put them both on the ballot together. The crown jewel of American Capitalism, NYC, just put an out-and-proud Socialist Mayor. If you can win there, you can win anywhere.