State Rep. Francesca Hong formally conceded the Democratic primary for governor overnight, calling Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to concede and ending any possibility of a recount in the exceptionally close race. She will attend this morning’s Democratic unity breakfast with Crowley and other party leaders, according to WISN 12 political director Matt Smith.
Hong, a democratic socialist and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, trailed Crowley by roughly 3,000 votes, 39.8% to 39.4%.
Hong told supporters in Madison late Tuesday that Democrats need to unify ahead of November. Her campaign manager later claimed the team was “proud of the race we ran” and had “campaigned clean.” The concession marks a sharp end to a campaign that once led polls by double digits.
Hong’s defeat exposed the limits of far-leftsocialists in a battleground state. Her record included a series of inflammatory social media posts that drew national attention. She once wrote that “police exist to uphold white supremacy” and called to “defund then abolish” law enforcement, declaring “reform can’t be an option.” She posted “Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” describing the holiday as a celebration of “colonialism and the original superspreader event.” Another post described America as “an abundance of suffering,” while a 2019 tweet recounted anxiety at a Culver’s because of “many old white people.”
Hong attempted to walk back the comments late in the race, claiming some were “jokes” or that she had “evolved.” She insisted she no longer supports abolishing police and now calls Thanksgiving her “favorite holiday.” The same progressive energy that powered her early surge proved insufficient once the full scope of her past statements became known to a broader Democratic electorate. But DSA affiliation and appearances alongside radical online voices like Hasan Piker only reinforced the perception that she represented a hard-left agenda ill-suited for statewide office in purple Wisconsin.
The outcome hands Democrats a more conventional nominee in Crowley, who had dropped out of the race only to re-enter with the backing of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers. Yet the primary still leaves the party defending a candidate from high-tax, high-crime Milwaukee County against Tiffany, a Trump-endorsed congressman focused on border security, school choice and fiscal restraint.
Hong’s overnight concession and decision to close the door on a recount offer a clear lesson. Hong paid a heavy price for her previous comments on Thanksgiving, anti-police rhetoric, disdain for American traditions, and abysmal appearances on CNN and Fox News. The general election will now test whether the radical flank Hong represented will unite behind Crowley.
