State Rep. Francesca Hong urged her supporters not to write her name in for governor, telling a Milwaukee crowd she is no longer a candidate and they should back Democrat David Crowley and the rest of the ticket.
“I’m not out here to tell you what to do. But I do got to say, please do not write me in or vote for me. I’m no longer a candidate,” Hong said at the first stop of a statewide tour meant to boost Democrats in November.
The plea underscored lingering tension inside the party after Hong, a democratic socialist, lost the Aug. 11 primary to Crowley by fewer than 4,000 votes. Establishment Democrats had scrambled in the final weeks to stop her, after Crowley dropped out of the race in July and then reentered with an endorsement from outgoing Gov. Tony Evers.
Some Democrats worry that anger over that intervention could keep Hong’s voters from turning out for Crowley or prompt them to cast protest write-in ballots in a state where races are often decided by razor-thin margins. Crowley faces Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.
Domino Williams, outreach chair for the Milwaukee chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said some Hong supporters would not have voted for Crowley without her explicit instruction.
“I think it’s really big for her to be doing this, and it’s definitely going to win some people over that maybe just wouldn’t have voted unless she did this,” Williams said, adding that convincing others will still be “a little tough.”
Hong, 37, of Madison, called the primary loss “incredibly painful” but said a Democratic trifecta—control of the governor’s office and both legislative chambers—is “absolutely vital” for priorities such as fully funded public schools, health care and labor protections.
She said she and Crowley agree on increasing the minimum wage and funding schools and local governments. They differ, she said, on how to pay for those programs, and she still wants to pursue confiscatory taxation.
Hong endorsed Crowley the day after the primary and has said she will campaign for him. Crowley has pledged to earn the support of her voters.
Republicans have already used the pairing against Crowley. The Republican Governors Association accused him of embracing Hong’s agenda, citing her past social media posts criticizing Thanksgiving and calling for reduced police funding; comments she later walked back.
Hong’s tour includes additional stops across the state over the next month ahead of Wisconsin’s general election is Nov. 3.
