MADISON, Wis. (AP) 鈥� Over the last month, Democratic socialists have notched victories in the liberal strongholds of , , and .
Now Francesca Hong, a single mother who has worked as a dishwasher and line cook, is trying to with her campaign for governor in Wisconsin, a swing state known for razor-thin election margins where winning over moderate, independent voters is crucial.
Hong’s candidacy has turned the Democratic primary on Aug. 11 into the latest test of just how far left voters are willing to go in the November midterms.
鈥淲e do this in Wisconsin, we鈥檙e going to change politics across the country,鈥� the 37-year-old Hong said as she headed into the final month of campaigning. “People who are frustrated and have a lot more to lose 鈥� and I鈥檓 one of those people 鈥� are ready to coalesce around someone they can believe in.鈥�
John Ravdabaugh, an undecided independent voter, came away impressed after hearing Hong speak at the retirement home where he lives. Even though the democratic socialist label concerns him, Ravdabaugh said he would consider voting for Hong.
鈥淓very system reaches a point where change is necessary,鈥� he said.
Whoever wins the primary will advance to almost certainly face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, one of the most conservative members of the House, who has Tiffany has only token opposition in the primary.
The governor’s race is integral to Democrats鈥� hopes of for the first time since 2010, and it will send a signal about where the country’s politics are headed by shaping a key political battleground that helps decide presidential campaigns.
Trump-backed Republican d
erides Democratic rivals as 鈥榗razy鈥�
Tiffany has focused much of his criticism on Hong and former Lt. Gov. , another Democratic candidate for governor.
鈥淭his November, the choice is common sense or crazy,鈥� Tiffany posted on social media in June. Tiffany included screenshots of a Barnes post where he voiced support for cutting prison populations by half and Hong’s posts where she advocates for defunding and abolishing the police.
As a candidate, Hong has not backed away from her calls to defund and abolish the police. Hong also supports increasing taxes on the wealthy and creating a state-owned bank to help pay for free health care and free child care, a $20 minimum wage, and a moratorium on data center construction.
Hong dismisses concerns that she鈥檚 too liberal to win over key independent voters in a state Trump carried twice and narrowly lost a third time.
鈥淚 worry that鈥檚 a miscalculation of where voters are at in our state, that we鈥檙e underestimating what people want,鈥� Hong said in an interview.
There’s a history of socialism in Milwaukee
Last month, democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, setting herself up to clinch the office in November.
Then three congressional candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another democratic socialist, defeated establishment-backed politicians.
And just last week, beat U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in the Colorado primary, a stunning victory for the 29-year-old, first-time candidate against an incumbent who took office before she was born.
But those victories have been in either congressional or mayoral races in large urban centers, a far different landscape than Wisconsin.
In 1910, during socialism鈥檚 heyday in the United States, Milwaukee sent the first socialist to Congress and was the first major American city to elect a socialist mayor. Milwaukee elected two more socialist mayors before 1960.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, perhaps the best known democratic socialist, won all but one county in Wisconsin in the 2016 Democratic primary. In 2023, two state lawmakers from Milwaukee revived the in the Legislature, which had been dormant since 1935.
Hong, the first Asian American elected to the state Assembly in 2020, is one of four members of that caucus.
Barnes, 39, served four years in the state Assembly before his four years as lieutenant governor under . In 2022, Barnes came within 27,000 votes of ousting Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.
鈥淚鈥檝e been around longer than anybody fighting these fights,鈥� said Barnes, who grew up in Milwaukee and is vying to become Wisconsin’s first Black governor.
He played down the idea that democratic socialists are surging.
鈥淧eople aren鈥檛 looking for labels, necessarily,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople are looking for bold solutions.鈥�
Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki, who is not working for any of the Democrats running this year, said Barnes has an advantage as the most well-known candidate in the race.
鈥淚 have believed from the day since Mandela Barnes got into the race, he’s the favorite,鈥� Zepecki said. 鈥淚t is his race to lose.鈥�
Hong rival leans into electability argument
, a former nurse and health care executive who is also running for the Democratic nomination, said she’ll have broader appeal in November. She cites her experience in the private sector and her flipping of a state Assembly seat in a conservative Milwaukee suburb, and she emphasizes her ideas for lowering costs for working people.
鈥淚鈥檓 not worried about other candidates in this race,鈥� Rodriguez said in an interview. 鈥淲hat I鈥檓 worried about is making my argument to Wisconsinites about why I鈥檓 the best person to lead the state, how I am going to fight for them.”
She launched a $1 million this week that features her in nursing scrubs talking about taking on Tiffany and lowering health care costs.
Other Democratic candidates are state Sen. , who has the endorsement of the statewide teachers union, and , a former top aide to Evers.
, the state鈥檚 former economic development director, dropped out of the race in June and endorsed Rodriguez. , the top elected official in Milwaukee County, dropped out this week but did not make an endorsement.
Mainstream Democrats worry about winning in November
More moderate Democrats worry that nominating Hong could hurt them in the general election, especially in Wisconsin where independent voters are key in statewide races that are often decided by tiny margins.
Neera Tanden, who leads the Center for American Progress, said “it鈥檚 especially important in the age of Trump鈥� to select viable candidates.
鈥淚n Wisconsin, whoever wins the general election will be the person overseeing elections in 2028 and whether people are seated in 2029.鈥�
Evers won his two races for governor by just over 1 percentage point in 2018 and just over 3 points in 2022. Trump won Wisconsin by less than a point in 2024, and lost by less than a point in 2020.
Dave Smith, 72, a retired doctor from Madison who heard Hong speak Tuesday, said the democratic socialist label will be tough for voters of his generation to accept.
鈥淭he platform, much of that resonates well,鈥� said Smith, who is undecided whom he will vote for in the Democratic primary. 鈥淢y vote will likely go to who is the most electable in the fall.鈥�
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Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.
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