BLOC Milwaukee, a community organizing group focused on Black residents in the city, issued dual endorsements on Friday for two Democratic candidates for governor, underscoring the internal divisions within the party as it heads into its state convention this weekend.
In a post on X, BLOC Milwaukee announced support for socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, stating that both candidates “have shown a genuine commitment to addressing the needs, concerns, and priorities of the people.” The move comes as Wisconsin Democrats gather in Madison for their 2026 convention, where delegates are expected to consider resolutions on issues including the elimination of school choice programs, the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the adoption of ranked-choice voting, and the leftist packing of the U.S. Supreme Court.
BLOC Milwaukee operates as Black Leaders Organizing for Communities and describes itself as a vehicle for building long-term political power in Black communities through face-to-face organizing and leadership development. Its policy priorities include economic justice measures, criminal justice reforms, and expanded government-run social services. The group has employed a “silent canvass” method in past efforts, which emphasizes structured, low-key voter contact over direct debate.
The organization receives significant support from national progressive networks. It is fiscally sponsored by Tides Advocacy, which has received tens of millions of dollars from the Open Society Foundations, the philanthropic network founded by George Soros. BLOC has also received funding from the Center for Popular Democracy, another left-leaning group that draws support from similar sources, including Tides and major foundations such as the Ford Foundation and Wyss Foundation. These connections place Bloc within a broader ecosystem of national progressives.
Despite previously receiving Bloc Milwaukee’s endorsement during his 2022 U.S. Senate campaign and participating in the group’s signature silent canvass efforts, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes was not included in this cycle’s endorsements. The shift aligns with the reality surrounding Barnes’ campaign, as the Milwaukee Courier, Wisconsin’s oldest Black newspaper, published an editorial saying Barnes shouldn’t run before he even announced, and Reid Epstein of the New York Times echoed that sentiment.
The dual endorsements reflect tensions between the party’s progressive base, represented by Hong’s socialist platform, and more palatable establishment figures such as Crowley. Similar divisions are expected to surface at the state convention, where a straw poll conducted by WisPolitics will offer an early test of grassroots support among party activists. Recent polling has shown Hong leading among some Democratic primary voters, while establishment-backed candidates maintain stronger positioning in the swing state for the general election.
Funding from networks tied to Soros and other major progressive donors shapes local priorities, prioritizing progressive national ideological goals over practical solutions. The convention’s focus on far-reaching proposals, combined with candidate endorsements that span the party’s ideological spectrum, illustrates the challenges Democrats face in presenting a unified front for the fall elections.
