Francesca Hong Hits The Road To Boost David Crowley And Democrats

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong addresses the crowd at her election night even on Aug. 11, 2026. Angela Major/WPR

Francesca Hong, the progressive state legislator who narrowly lost the Democratic primary for governor, is hitting the road over the next month to rally her supporters around other Democratic candidates this November.

That includes Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who squeaked out a victory over Hong on Aug. 11. It also includes Democrats down the ballot, as Hong’s party eyes the possibility of winning control of the governor’s office, Senate and Assembly, known as a “trifecta.”

In purple Wisconsin, statewide elections are nearly always decided by slim margins. That means Hong’s strong base of support — which had her leading in polls throughout spring and summer — could be key to Crowley’s odds of success.

“It is so important that those people who found their voice through the (Hong) campaign continue to use that voice,” said Becky Cooper, Hong’s campaign manager. “We can’t let go of that just because … one person whose name was on the ballot is no longer on the ballot.”

Attendees cheer as results come in for state Rep. Francesca Hong and her opponent Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at Atwood Music Hall in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR

Cooper now oversees “We Make Better Possible,” which aims to engage people with progressive policies and candidates.

“The whole goal is getting that Democratic trifecta, and we talked about that throughout the campaign as well, that it is really important that we retain the governor’s office,” said Cooper.

The tour will launch in Milwaukee Saturday, with stops in Beloit, Stevens Point, Menomonie, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Madison and Ashland over the course of the next month. At the events, supporters can connect with local community groups, and will also hear from Hong about supporting Crowley and other Democrats.

“Throughout the course of the campaign, we saw how passionate people were about making things right in Wisconsin,” Hong said in a social media post announcing the tour. “It was never about just one candidate. It was about our neighbors, families, and future.”

Just don’t call it a Democratic Party unity tour.

“It’s not so much about the candidate or about the organization putting their message out and saying, you know, ‘Get on board,’” Cooper said. “It’s much more about them recruiting and saying these are our beliefs and our values, and if you align with that, we would love your help.”

That’s a different approach than the breakfast that took place the Wednesday morning after the primary’s dramatic and late-night finish. There, Hong joined Democratic candidates to demonstrate how united the party was. That morning, she also issued a statement expressly endorsing Crowley.

There hasn’t been the same level of fence-mending this election cycle among Republicans, who’ve presented a unified front for most of the year. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the GOP candidate for governor, did not face a well-known primary opponent, thanks in part to his endorsement from President Donald Trump in January.

Hong and Crowley presented as political foils

In the final weeks of the summer’s topsy-turvy Democratic primary, Hong and Crowley were often presented as political foils. Hong was seen as the upstart Madison representative, aligned with democratic socialist policies, and he the affable Milwaukee politician willing to work across the aisle.

Crowley’s upset win, by less than half a percentage point, defied the odds. Some of Crowley’s supporters, including national Democrats, were relieved. A far-left candidate might resonate with primary voters, they reasoned, but couldn’t pull off a win in the general election.

“We need to be able to put together the kind of coalition that helps us win statewide,” said Kate deGruyter, who works at Third Way, a think tank that supports centrist Democratic candidates and opposes the party’s democratic socialist wing. “Making sure that we have a candidate, a coalition and a brand that is able to continue building on this opportunity that Republicans have given us is incredibly important.”

The way deGruyter sees it, Hong’s brand of politics could have scared off more moderate voters. But she’s skeptical that Hong’s progressive base alone is the key to a Crowley victory in November.

“I am delighted to see Francesca Hong and her team out there talking to voters, making sure they understand that voting for the Democratic ticket is important,” she said. “I think that everybody across the Democratic coalition needs to be focused on trying to get folks to the polls, and that can be meaningful. But those voters in the middle need a different pitch than somebody who’s got a strong DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) tie.”

The first event of the tour will take place at a Milwaukee brewery, hosted by LuAnn Bird, a progressive activist who ran twice for the state Assembly as a Democrat. Bird says, for her, those distinctions among Democrats aren’t important when Democrats face their best odds at controlling the Senate, Assembly and governor’s mansion in over a decade.

“I don’t think there’s that much of a gap at all,” Bird said. “I think it’s more in the implementation phase. I think some of us are really ready for change now, and maybe some of the traditional Democrats aren’t as ready to move as quickly as some of us would like.”

But Bird argued that the grassroots energy behind Hong’s campaign offers Crowley, and the whole party, an opportunity.

“It isn’t about the candidate. It’s about us,” she said. “If we want to get these things changed, we got to get the right person elected, and right now it is definitely David Crowley.”

Francesca Hong to campaign for David Crowley, Democratic candidates was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.