Gov. Tony Evers said Francesca Hong probably cannot defeat Republican Tom Tiffany in the November general election, as he campaigned Monday with Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in a late push to stop the democratic socialist from winning the Democratic primary.
In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Evers was asked whether he believed Hong could beat Tiffany.
“Probably not,” he said. “Obviously she’s an extraordinarily talented person, but at the end of the day, it was about issues.”
Evers is spending the final days before the Aug. 11 primary crisscrossing the state with Crowley, whom he endorsed in July after Crowley reentered the race. The endorsement came days after Crowley had suspended his campaign and followed the withdrawal of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez amid a massive campaign finance scandal.
“It’s always been people before party,” Evers told the Journal Sentinel. “I want, more than for Democrats to win in November, it’s to leave Wisconsin in good hands when someone else takes over. Wisconsin comes first, always.”
A recent Marquette University Law School poll showed Hong leading the Democratic field with 38% support, Crowley at 7% and 34% of voters undecided. The winner of next week’s primary will face presumptive Republican nominee Tom Tiffany in November’s general election.
