HOME / POLITICS / MADISON, WIS.
Crowley Survives Socialist Surge, Flanagan Wins Minnesota Senate Primary in Wild Night for Democrats
Primary results across five states expose the same fault line running through both parties ahead of November — establishment picks squeaking by insurgents on the left and right.
Voters in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut, Vermont and South Carolina went to the polls Tuesday in primary contests that laid bare the ideological tug-of-war still gripping both major parties three months before the midterms.
In Wisconsin's marquee race, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly defeated state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist who built an energetic grassroots coalition, to win the Democratic nomination for governor. Crowley took roughly 40% of the vote in a race too close to call for much of election night, and will face the Republican nominee in November. A win would make him Wisconsin's first Black governor.
Flanagan Makes History Bid
In Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan defeated centrist Rep. Angie Craig for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, extending a string of wins this cycle for the party's progressive wing over more moderate rivals. Flanagan, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, would become the first Native American senator elected from Minnesota if she wins the general election.
On the Republican side of Minnesota's ballot, state House Speaker Lisa Demuth won the GOP nomination for governor, turning back a challenge from MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and Army veteran Kendall Qualls.
CROWLEY IN FIRST PLACE WITH CLOSE TO 40 PERCENT OF THE VOTE, HONG SITTING IN SECOND — A RESULT POLLING HAD ONCE CALLED UNTHINKABLE.
The results extend a pattern seen across this year's primary calendar: progressive challengers are drawing real energy and real votes, but establishment-aligned Democrats are, for now, still finding ways to hang on. Party strategists have watched the trend nervously, wary of a repeat of intraparty splits that have complicated general-election messaging in past cycles.
What's Next
Crowley moves on to face the Republican nominee in what's expected to be one of the most closely watched governor's races of the cycle, while Flanagan's matchup will test whether Minnesota Democrats can hold a Senate seat in a year of national headwinds. Both races, along with contests in the other states that voted Tuesday, will shape how each party approaches its midterm strategy over the next three months.