MADISON, Wis. — Rep. Francesca Hong backed David Crowley on Wednesday after narrowly losing the Wisconsin Democratic primary, saying the campaign was about building a movement, not just winning office.
“This campaign was not about getting one person into office,” Hong said in a statement on X. “It is about building a movement for permanent affordability and a government that puts working people first.”
The last 11 months have been one of the greatest joys of my life. Traveling the state, meeting people in churches and dive bars and bike races and dance parties and in their homes, and hearing about what matters most to them informed every decision we made on the trail. It will… pic.twitter.com/Navh81hgvP
— Francesca Hong For Governor (@FrancescaHongWI) August 12, 2026
The Democratic socialist said the last 11 months have been some of the “greatest joys” of her life, particularly meeting with voters and hearing about what matters most to them.
She added that those conversations will continue to inform her work in the Wisconsin State Assembly. She congratulated Crowley and his team and pledged her full support heading into the general election.
“I fully support him and look forward to working with him to defeat Congressman Tiffany in November,” Hong said.
Hong spoke to supporters late Tuesday night as the outcome of the race hung in the balance, affirming that the close race in the battleground state sent a clear message: There is unignorable angst among the party’s voters.
“We have built something that will change politics forever,” Hong told supporters late Tuesday. “The work we have done will be remembered forever.”
Crowley, who is vying to become Wisconsin’s first Black governor, pitched himself as the candidate best positioned to win in November against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump.
His win was the movement’s first major success in a purple state. It also fed fears in the party’s leaders that such candidates, farther afield and often carrying political baggage of past stances such as defunding the police, would struggle to beat Republicans and imperil the party’s hopes of recapturing control of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House.
The general election is Nov. 3.
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