In a shocking display of tone-deafness, Wisconsin Democrats are repeating the same top-down mistakes that have fractured their party for years. After Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s campaign imploded amid a major financial reporting fiasco – complete with inaccurate filings, unreported expenses, a fired campaign manager, and cash-on-hand numbers that didn’t add up – the establishment quickly coalesced around Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who had previously dropped out of the race (suspended his campaign, then restarted his campaign in 1 week). Gov. Tony Evers endorsed Crowley to “unite the party” ahead of the August 11 primary, and other establishment Dems appear aligned in this effort.
It’s the same old playbook of hand-picking candidates and sidelining voters, and it’s destined to backfire as the DSA-aligned progressive movement gains momentum.
Francesca Hong, the state representative and DSA progressive single mother running on affordability for working families, has surged. Betting markets like Kalshi and Polymarket now show her with over 70% implied odds of winning the nomination. Grassroots energy is real, but the establishment’s rush to reinstall Crowley signals panic over a potential upset by a candidate who is actually resonating with the party’s working-class voters (or what’s left of them, as Hong is working to attract Dems that flipped from Clinton/Obama towards Trump over the past decade).
This tactic should sound familiar to every Democrat paying attention. Time and again, the party elite has overridden voter preferences. In the cases of Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020, and Kamala Harris in 2024, the establishment machinery worked to consolidate support, bypass competitive election processes, or tilt the scales against challengers who energized the base. In each instance, the establishment chose the path of least resistance — expediency, electability narratives, or comfortability when choosing a candidate that had name recognition in establishment circles, instead of letting rank-and-file Democrats decide. The result has been eroded trust, lower enthusiasm, and repeated warnings from the party’s far left flank, all of which add fuel to the DSA fire. Wisconsin Democrats seem determined to learn nothing from this history.
Crowley’s re-entry immediately after bowing out reeks of backroom coordination. Rodriguez’s exit has exposed establishment incompetence. Rather than letting the primary play out and empowering voters to choose, party leaders are circling the wagons around another safe, connected figure in the must-win region of MKE. This disenfranchises rank-and-file Democrats and provides the DSA crowd with additional fodder to make their case as the best alternative on the left.
The Rodriguez financial fiasco is more than an embarrassing accounting error. Firing the campaign manager and suspending the bid didn’t fix the underlying issues. It just created a vacuum that the establishment immediately had to fill with Crowley. This was a slap in the face to Mandela Barnes, who has been in the race since day 1, yet not a single establishment heavy hitter has publicly endorsed or thrown support behind him.
Meanwhile, Hong represents the rising DSA-influenced wing of the party, with strong grassroots support focused on issues like housing costs and wages. Establishment fears that her nomination could complicate the general election against Republican Tom Tiffany are understandable from a tactical standpoint, but dismissing far-left progressive energy ignores the national movement towards electing DSA candidates in places like New York City and Colorado. This trend is clearly terrifying the Democrat establishment, which sees its traditional control slipping away. Suppressing it won’t make it disappear; it will only radicalize and mobilize it further, potentially leading to third-party challenges or long-term party realignment towards the far left.
Wisconsin is the most 50/50 battleground state in the union. Hand-picked candidates who lack broad enthusiasm run the risk of repeating national failures. It signals contempt for the democratic process they claim to defend. Democrat voters are tired of being told who their choices are. The DSA movement’s growth reflects genuine frustration with status quo politics – frustration the establishment exacerbates every time it intervenes.
Democrats should let the primary run its course, and let voters decide between Crowley’s so-called establishment resume and Hong’s socialist vision (oh yeah, we forgot Barnes and Brennan are still in the race too). If history is any guide, this latest maneuver won’t unify the party. It will deepen divisions and empower DSA supporters who argue the “establishment” cares more about control than winning over voters fair and square.
This heavy-handed intervention will backfire spectacularly on the Democrat establishment. Once again, choosing candidates for voters will accelerate the very DSA insurgency they fear, while alienating moderates and ensuring that future battles within the party will be even more bitter and divisive. Wisconsin Democrats ignore the rising DSA tide at their peril.
