Wisconsin's Democratic primary for governor remained too close to call early Wednesday, with David Crowley awaiting absentee ballot results from Milwaukee County. Thousands of those ballots were submitted during a period when Crowley had suspended his campaign.
Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist who had been the race's frontrunner, addressed her watch party in Madison around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday as the race remained uncalled.
Crowley suspended his bid on July 8, then re-entered days later after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez withdrew. The Elections Commission reported 67,895 absentee ballots had already been returned for the Aug. 11 primary by July 8.
Hong thanked supporters and said the coalition her campaign built would help Democrats in November. "Wisconsin, we have built something that will change politics forever," she said. "The work we have done will be remembered forever."
She also criticized U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who secured the Republican nomination for governor, specifically targeting his support for AI data centers in Wisconsin. "While he's doing that, we are fighting for hope," she said.
On the Republican side, Tiffany easily defeated challenger Andy Manske, who has never held political office and polled in the single digits throughout the race.
In the Democratic primary for Assembly District 21, Oak Creek Mayor Dan Bukiewicz defeated David Liners with 58 percent of the vote as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The seat is a key target for Democrats trying to flip the state Legislature. Republicans hold a 54-45 majority in the Assembly, meaning Democrats need five seats to take control. The district was held by Republican Jessie Rodriguez for 13 years; she won her last election with 51 percent.
Liners called to concede and said the focus now shifts to electing a Democrat in the general election. Bukiewicz will face Republican Dylan Pfaffenbach.
Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson said uploading absentee ballot results from the City of Milwaukee would take approximately 30 minutes, a process that began after Paulina Gutiérrez, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, delivered the ballots to the Milwaukee County Courthouse.
