A mysterious entity behind a poll showing leftist Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong with a double-digit lead admitted to faking its polls as part of a “social experiment.” 
Median Strategies <a href="https://medianstrategies.com/">directed</a> media outlets on Monday to discount the polls it released this election season, claiming it was conducting an experiment on trust in unverified polling. The group released polls on the Los Angeles mayoral race and Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary, which it now says were fabricated. 
“All previously published polling releases have been withdrawn and should not be cited or treated as genuine polling data,” the entity said. “Median Strategies was created as a short-term social experiment examining how purported polling information could enter and spread through the political information ecosystem without independent verification.&#8221;
The group added that the &#8220;experiment&#8221; was not funded by any candidate, campaign, PAC, or media entity. It also said no one received any financial benefit from the project or had any ties to betting markets. 
Hong narrowly lost the bid to be the Democrats’ nominee in the Wisconsin governor’s race to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. While the poll from Median Strategies showing her up by 23 points turned out to be fake, <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/governor/democratic-primary/2026/wisconsin">numerous</a> other polls, including from Marquette University Law School, showed her up by over 20 points as well. 
The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-08-17/poll-showing-bass-leading-raman-by-double-digits-was-bogus-company-says">first reported</a> on the fake polling after reaching out to Median Strategies about one of its polls showing incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass with a 12-point lead over leftist Councilwoman Nithya Raman. According to the poll, most of those who backed Spencer Pratt in the June election were shifting to Bass. 
“Faced with a choice between the incumbent and a Democratic Socialists of America-aligned challenger, most Pratt voters appear to be treating Bass as the more familiar, more moderate option rather than sitting out the race,” a memo from Median Strategies said. 
The poll purported to be a survey conducted between July 30 and August 5 of 560 Los Angeles voters. When pressed by the L.A. Times, Median Strategies admitted to faking the poll. That did not come before Bass cited the poll in a now-deleted post on X.
“Doing the work, showing up, and gaining momentum. Let’s do this, LA!” the Bass campaign posted. 
After learning of the revelation, Bass called for a criminal investigation. 
“Any bad faith attempts to influence elections should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” a spokesman for Bass told the L.A. Times. 
Before its website was scrubbed and replaced with the announcement that its polls were fake, Median Strategies <a href="https://archive.ph/DU9yK">billed</a> itself as an “independent polling and research” firm. 
“Polling has a credibility problem. Ours is the fix: no partisan clients, no campaign or party money, numbers that go wherever the data takes them even when it’s inconvenient. Trustworthy polling, rebuilt,” the website said. 
The Daily Wire reached out to Median Strategies, asking if it will release the results of its experiment or provide any further information.

Democratic Socialists Seek Latest Shock In Wisconsin Primary

Mysterious Group Admits To Faking Polls — One Showed Socialist Up Big Before Loss

2026 midterm

David Crowley

Francesca Hong

Karen Bass

Los Angeles

Nithya Raman

polling

polling industry

Spencer Pratt

Wisconsin

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is pushing back against left-wingers who blamed him for Francesca Hong’s narrow defeat in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, arguing that he simply does not have the resources or ability to endorse every candidate favored by the Left.
“My response is that we have limited resources and capabilities, and there are a lot of really great candidates who have run for office who we have not endorsed,” Sanders told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/13/bernie-sanders-wisconsin-progressives-hong-01037121">Politico</a> Wednesday. 
“We can’t endorse every single candidate,” he added, while praising Hong for running a “very, very great, and very strong, grassroots campaign.”
Sanders’ comments come after Hong’s upset defeat triggered a blame game among the left, with some arguing that the Vermont senator and other national leaders could have tipped the race in Hong’s favor had they gotten involved.
Hong, a Democratic Socialist of America member, entered Tuesday’s primary as the overwhelming polling favorite but narrowly lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who had the backing of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Crowley defeated Hong by roughly 3,000 votes.
The result immediately <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hongs-stunning-loss-has-some-on-the-left-breathing-a-sigh-of-relief">prompted criticism</a> from some of Sanders’ allies and other figures on the Left. 
Nathan J. Robinson, editor of the left-wing magazine Current Affairs, said Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) were “directly responsible for Hong’s loss,” while DSA political operative Deep Singh Badhesha argued that a single rally from Sanders or Ocasio-Cortez could have been enough to put Hong over the top.
Cenk Uygur, co-founder of the Young Turks and Justice Democrats, likewise argued that Sanders and other left-wing leaders have a responsibility to support candidates throughout the country. 
“If they endorse people, it makes a difference. If they don’t endorse people these days, sometimes it makes a bigger difference,” Uygur told Politico.
Uygur also took issue with Sanders’ earlier explanation for staying out of the race. Sanders <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dsas-anti-thanksgiving-governor-candidate-is-even-too-far-for-bernie">had said</a> on the “Pod Save America” podcast that he was “not that familiar” with the Wisconsin contest. 
“I love Bernie, but that’s not true. Sorry, brother, but you have a giant team,” Uygur said. “Of course somebody on your team knows who’s running for governor in Wisconsin.”
Our Revolution, the organization created out of Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, also criticized the broader left-wing movement after Hong’s loss. 
“We cannot build progressive power while gatekeeping our own movement through the eyes of the establishment,” the group wrote Wednesday.
Sanders, however, sought to distance himself from the organization.
 “Our Revolution is an organization I’ve not had any interaction with, any participation with … for I think nine years,” Sanders said. “They do what they want and they say what they want. They have nothing to do with me.” 
Our Revolution declined to comment on Sanders’ remarks.
Sanders instead pointed to several far-left candidates he endorsed who won their respective Democratic primaries, including Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Wisconsin congressional candidate Rebecca Cooke, and Minnesota congressional candidate Matt Little.
“Needless to say, I’m feeling really very good,” Sanders said. 
Sanders has increasingly used his political operation to back insurgent candidates this cycle, with his endorsements helping candidates including Flanagan and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed win their primaries. 
Ocasio-Cortez has also campaigned for leftist candidates but declined to endorse Hong, saying her focus was on winning back Congress.
But Hong’s loss also came after weeks of scrutiny over her past statements and positions, including calls to abolish police and prisons and controversial comments about Thanksgiving and American culture. Evers repeatedly argued that Hong was spending too much of the campaign defending her past social media posts rather than discussing issues.
Crowley will now face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany to determine control of the Wisconsin governor’s mansion.

Senator Bernie Sanders Continues Fighting Oligarchy Tour In Pennsylvania

Sanders Fires Back At Leftists Mad He Didn’t Endorse Francesca Hong

2026 election

2026 Midterms

Bernie Sanders

Democratic Party

Democratic Socialism

Democratic socialists

Democratic Socialists Of America

Leftism

Leftist

Francesca Hong’s stunning defeat in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary has triggered a bitter debate on the Left, with some prominent Democrats and activists arguing that the socialist candidate’s loss may ultimately be good for their movement.
Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, entered Tuesday’s primary as the heavy favorite after surging to the top of the field. But Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who reentered the race just weeks before the election with the backing of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/david-crowley-stuns-socialist-frontrunner-in-wisconsin-dem-governor-primary?author=Daily+Wire+News&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Socialist+Frontrunner%E2%80%99s+Stunning+Collapse+Hands+Wisconsin+Dems+A+November+Lifeline">pulled off the upset</a> by roughly 3,000 votes.
The razor-thin loss has exposed a divide within the Left over whether Hong’s campaign represented a missed opportunity for the burgeoning socialist movement or a warning about the limits of its appeal in a battleground state. 
“There’s a reason the institutional left mostly stayed away,” one Democratic operative who works with left-wing campaigns told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/12/dsa-progressive-francesca-hong-wisconsin-01035101">Politico</a>. “The people who made those calls are relieved.”
A donor adviser who works with left-wing candidates similarly described Hong’s loss as “a good thing for the movement,” arguing that the results showed voters may be receptive to left-wing policies, but that candidate quality still matters. 
“This is a far better outcome,” the adviser said, arguing that a candidate who avoided some of Hong’s more controversial statements could have won.
The reluctance of the Democratic Party’s most prominent socialist figures to back Hong has become a major source of anger among her supporters. 
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dsas-anti-thanksgiving-governor-candidate-is-even-too-far-for-bernie?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=DSA%E2%80%99s+Anti-Thanksgiving+Governor+Candidate+Is+Even+Too+Far+For+Bernie">declined</a> to endorse Hong despite her commanding poll position, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) also declined to get involved.
Their absence stood in sharp contrast to the national support given to other left-wing candidates this year, including Sanders-backed Minnesota Senate candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/candidate-known-for-pro-trans-knife-shirt-defeats-dem-establishment-pick-in-senate-race">Peggy Flanagan</a> and Michigan Senate candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-secures-far-lefts-biggest-victory-yet-over-dem-establishment">Abdul El-Sayed</a>— both won their primaries.
“This movement will fail if we see more letdowns at the critical moment, like we saw in this race,” said Nathan J. Robinson, editor of the leftist magazine Current Affairs. “Especially if AOC wants to be taken seriously as a national leader of the left movement, she needs to actually support the candidates out there who have a chance to notch victories.”
DSA political operative Deep Singh Badhesha similarly argued that the race could have ended differently if Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez had intervened. 
“Wisconsin being this close is very frustrating because folks like AOC and Bernie Sanders stayed out,” Badhesha said. “If they just did one rally in Wisconsin for Hong, that would have probably wrapped it up for her.”
But Hong’s defeat was not merely a consequence of a lack of national support. Her campaign was dogged by a series of controversial past statements that gave Democrats concerned about the November general election ample reason to keep their distance.
Hong previously called for Thanksgiving to be canceled, wrote that police “exist to uphold white supremacy” and should be “defund[ed] then abolish[ed],” and made controversial comments about race and American culture. The controversy became particularly damaging in the final weeks of the campaign, as Crowley successfully framed himself as the more electable Democrat in a state where Republicans are eager to reclaim the governor’s mansion.
Even Evers, who ultimately backed Crowley, warned that Hong was putting too much emphasis on controversies surrounding her social media posts. 
“I think she’s in a tough place,” Evers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/from-piker-to-bernie-nobody-wants-to-be-seen-with-francesca-hong?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=From+Piker+To+Bernie%2C+Nobody+Wants+To+Be+Seen+With+Francesca+Hong">said</a> before the election. “She has spent her entire campaign dealing not with the issues, but what’s on the Twitter.”
Hong’s loss also comes amid a broader debate over whether a string of recent Democratic primary victories represents a genuine socialist insurgency or simply a series of candidate-specific successes. 
Still, not everyone on the Left views the result as a setback. Hasan Piker, the left-wing streamer who campaigned heavily for Hong, <a href="https://x.com/DSA_Watch/status/2087610635026886950">argued</a> Wednesday that the campaign’s ability to generate significant turnout without support from Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez or major establishment Democrats was itself an accomplishment. 
“The fact that she was able to, alongside the local DSA chapters, the fact that this campaign was able to bring this much turnout is incredible,” Piker said. “Do not let anybody discourage you.”
For Hong’s most committed supporters, however, the frustration is increasingly directed toward the national leaders who they believe abandoned a candidate who had a genuine chance to win.
For other Democrats on the Left, the lesson is almost the opposite: Hong’s defeat may have prevented a potentially damaging general election campaign and demonstrated that the party’s most radical candidates still face significant limits when they move beyond deep-blue districts and into statewide battlegrounds.
Crowley will now face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in November, with both parties fighting for control of Wisconsin’s governor’s mansion after Evers announced he would not seek another term.

Gubernatorial Candidate Francesca Hong Holds A Campaign Rally In Milwaukee

Hong’s Stunning Loss Has The Left Breathing A Sigh Of Relief

2026 primaries

Abdul El-Sayed

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Anti-capitalist

Democrat civil war

Democrats

Hasan Piker

Peggy Flanagan

Socialism

David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive who pulled off a stunning upset over the summer’s socialist surge, has blamed systemic racism for police shootings, opposed legislation to protect law enforcement, and declared Wisconsin the worst place in America to raise a black child.
In August 2020, Crowley went all-in on the Black Lives Matter narrative surrounding the domestic disturbance call that ended with the officer-involved shooting of Jacob Blake. The then-29-year-old, who had a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sex-assault-charge-against-jacob-blake-dropped-in-plea-deal-feminists-silent?author=Ashe+Schow&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Sex+Assault+Charge+Against+Jacob+Blake+Dropped+In+Plea+Deal%2C+Feminists+Silent">felony warrant out for his arrest</a>, was armed with a knife and was attempting to get into the driver’s seat of an SUV when he was shot seven times, triggering widespread unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and setting the stage for the later acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse.
“Make no mistake, Blake’s wounds are the result of systemic racism, the policies and practices that entangle our institutions and produce racially disparate outcomes, regardless of the intentions of the people who work within them,” Crowley <a href="https://urbanmilwaukee.com/pressrelease/milwaukee-county-executive-david-crowley-statement-on-kenosha-shooting/">said</a>. “It’s the reason why Wisconsin is ranked as the worst place to raise a black child, why child poverty in the Black community is markedly higher compared to their white counterparts, and why Milwaukee County ranks as 71st healthiest county out of 72 counties in the state.”
Crowley also connected the death of George Floyd to a public health emergency. 
“In the midst of a pandemic that has already taken such a toll on people of color, the death of George Floyd is another untenable example of how racism is the real public health crisis our community is facing,” he <a href="https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/County-Executive/News/Press-Releases/Milwaukee-County-Executive-David-Crowley-Responds-to-Death-of-George-Floyd">said</a>. &#8220;These injustices will not go away until we acknowledge and address the hundreds of years of racism that brought us here.” 
In the summer of 2020, Crowley celebrated former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest, suggesting professional sports should grind to a halt until the country achieved racial justice.
“4 years ago,<a href="https://x.com/Kaepernick7"> @Kaepernick7</a> took a stand against systemic racism &amp; police brutality. Make no mistake, it&#8217;s because of his sacrifice that we are witnessing this unprecedented response from our nation&#8217;s sports. Thank you to all who sacrifice in the name of equality. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/NoJusticeNoGames?src=hashtag_click">#NoJusticeNoGames</a>,” <a href="https://x.com/DavidCrowleyWI/status/1298981799561895945?s=20">he wrote on X.</a> 
Before the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/they-burned-cities-for-george-floyd-they-buried-henry-nowak">so-called &#8220;summer of love</a>&#8221; in 2020, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee also opposed &#8220;<a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/04/20/crowley-why-blue-lives-matter-wrong-our-communities/100708258/?gnt-cfr=1&amp;gca-cat=p&amp;gca-uir=true&amp;gca-epti=z116547e1170xxv116547d--72--b--72--&amp;gca-ft=182&amp;gca-ds=sophi">Blue Lives Matter</a>&#8220; legislation that would’ve added law enforcement officers to the state&#8217;s hate crime protected categories, <a href="https://x.com/DavidCrowleyWI/status/855435824179097602?s=20">saying</a> the proposal “only furthers the divide between the urban communities and police that serve them.”
Decision Desk HQ called the race early Wednesday morning for Crowley, who re-entered the contest only weeks before the primary and earned the backing of outgoing Democratic Governor Tony Evers. With nearly all votes in, Crowley leads his socialist rival, who called to cancel Thanksgiving and abolish the U.S. Senate, by a little over 3,000 votes. 
Hong, a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, significantly underperformed in white working-class parts of the state and failed to generate the margins she needed in deep-blue college towns like Madison. The leftist made waves by repeatedly trashing American holidays and questioning her connection to “whiteness” through her white ex-husband and their biracial son. 
“My proximity to whiteness continues, right. … My son is biracial. He’s half white, half Korean, and I think navigating what his identity is and how people perceive him is always at the back of my mind,” Hong previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/francesca-hong-is-the-wisconsin-commie-candidate-drinking-all-the-resentment-kool-aid">said</a>. 
Tuesday’s results mark a major victory for the Democratic establishment, which mounted an 11th-hour effort to slam the brakes on the party’s rebellious socialist surge. Now, Crowley faces a more difficult task: shedding the establishment label that turns off the party’s left flank while holding onto enough independents to take down Republican nominee Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI).
In the final stretch of the campaign, Crowley <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/david-crowley-stuns-socialist-frontrunner-in-wisconsin-dem-governor-primary?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire+News&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=David+Crowley+Stuns+Socialist+Frontrunner+In+Wisconsin+Dem+Governor+Primary">rejected the establishment</a> attack as a racial slur.
“I’m trying to figure out who the establishment is, right? I think that when we talk about the establishment, I don’t know who that is. I’m a kid that grew up in 53206 zip code. My parents was drug addicts and suffered from mental health,” he <a href="about:blank">told</a> reporters. “So when people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African American candidate.” 
“That’s my foundation. That’s what I’m going to continue to do as a county executive, and what I’m going to do as the governor of Wisconsin,” he added.

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate David Crowley Holds Campaign Rally On Eve Of Primary Election

Democrats’ ‘Moderate’ Wisconsin Nominee Has His Own Woke Skeletons In The Closet

Democratic establishment

establishment

George Floyd

Jacob Blake

News

Race relations

A pair of high-profile Democratic primaries in the Midwest were supposed to be runaway victories for far-left candidates, according to weeks of bloated survey numbers. Instead, election night delivered a pair of nail-biting finishes that exposed pollsters as completely out to lunch.
In Wisconsin, Democratic socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong was supposed to waltz into the governor’s nomination. Pundits spent months hyperventilating over her double-digit dominance. Poll after poll showed Hong lapping the field. A late PPP poll put her up by 18, while Marquette had her leading by an eye-popping 22 points in late July.
Yet when voters actually showed up, the supposed landslide vanished into thin air.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who had actually suspended his struggling campaign earlier this summer due to low numbers and thin cash, staged an incredible resurrection. Re-entering the fray with the crucial backing of outgoing Gov.Tony Evers, Crowley pulled off a jaw-dropping comeback. With 95% of the vote tallied, Crowley squeaked out a victory with 39.81% over Hong’s 39.34%, while Kelda Roys lagged far behind at 7.5%. The Associated Press officially called the race for Crowley, capping off one of the biggest polling whiffs in recent Badger State history.
Across the lake in Michigan, pollsters didn&#8217;t fare any better.
In the Democratic senatorial primary, hard-Left favorite Abdul El-Sayed was projected to crush rival Rep.Haley Stevens. Emerson had El-Sayed cruising ahead by 15 points, Mitchell Research put him up by 14, and Data for Progress called it a 13-point lead.
When the final tallies rolled in, the &#8220;landslide&#8221; turned into a total mud fight. El-Sayed barely managed to cross the finish line, eking out a razor-thin 1% victory over Stevens (48.5% to 47.5%), with Mallory McMorrow taking 4.0%.
While both contests ended with outcomes vastly different from the promised hype, one trend is crystal clear: If you’re looking for accurate predictions, you’d probably have better luck asking a crystal ball than reading the latest poll.

From Landslides To Nail-Biters: The Great Midwest Polling Meltdown

Michigan

Polls

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley pulled off a stunning upset Tuesday in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, defeating socialist frontrunner Francesca Hong after polls showed him trailing by double digits just days before the election.
Decision Desk Headquarters called the race early Wednesday morning for Crowley, who reentered the contest only weeks before the primary and earned the backing of outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. With nearly all votes in, Crowley leads his socialist rival by a little over 3,000 votes. 
Hong, a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, significantly underperformed in white working-class parts of the state and failed to generate the margins she needed in deep-blue college towns like Madison.
It’s a narrow but significant victory for the establishment, which pulled off an 11th-hour campaign to stop Hong and ensure the party’s rebellious socialist summer surge hit a brick wall in the industrial battleground of Wisconsin. In the final stretch of the campaign, Crowley seized on Hong’s high-profile stumbles and rejected the establishment label as a racial slur.
“I&#8217;m trying to figure out who the establishment is, right? I think that when we talk about the establishment, I don&#8217;t know who that is. I&#8217;m a kid that grew up in 53206 zip code. My parents was drug addicts and suffered from mental health,” he <a href="http://Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley pulled off a stunning upset Tuesday in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, defeating socialist frontrunner Francesca Hong after polls showed him trailing by double digits just days before the election. Decision Desk Headquarters called the race early Wednesday morning for Crowley, who reentered the contest only weeks before the primary and earned the backing of outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. With nearly all votes in, Crowley leads his socialist rival by a little over 3,000 votes.  Hong, a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, significantly underperformed in white working-class parts of the state and failed to generate the margins she needed in deep-blue college towns like Madison. It’s a narrow but significant victory for the establishment, which pulled off an 11th-hour campaign to stop Hong and ensure the party’s rebellious socialist summer surge hit a brick wall in the industrial battleground of Wisconsin. In the final stretch of the campaign, Crowley seized on Hong’s high-profile stumbles and rejected the establishment label as a racial slur. “I'm trying to figure out who the establishment is, right? I think that when we talk about the establishment, I don't know who that is. I'm a kid that grew up in 53206 zip code. My parents was drug addicts and suffered from mental health,” he told reporters. “So when people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African American candidate.”  “That's my foundation. That's what I'm going to continue to do as a county executive, and what I'm going to do as the governor of Wisconsin,” he added.  His message resonated with enough voters to deliver a comeback that defied a flurry of pre-election polls showing Hong with a commanding double-digit lead over the rest of the Democratic field. One of the final polls before Election Day had Hong leading Crowley 44% to 22%.">told</a> reporters. “So when people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African American candidate.” 
“That&#8217;s my foundation. That&#8217;s what I&#8217;m going to continue to do as a county executive, and what I&#8217;m going to do as the governor of Wisconsin,” he added. 
He also ran on a message of electability, arguing that Hong was far too extreme to win statewide in a swing state where Republicans are already facing national political headwinds.
“The Republican Governors Association is bankrolling millions right now, not to attack a Democrat, but to boost one, because they’ve decided which Democratic nominee they can beat in November,” Crowley <a href="https://www.crowleyforwi.com/">said</a>, explaining his decision to get back into the race. “That is a five-alarm warning sign. We cannot let the GOP choose the Democratic nominee for governor of Wisconsin.&#8221;
But Crowley’s comeback was not without its own vulnerabilities, as scrutiny of his past complicated his standing with leftist voters. 
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/wisconsin-democrat-david-crowley-dirt-mcgirk-twitter-rcna588646">NBC News</a> uncovered old social media posts linking Crowley to a pseudonymous X account called “Dirt McGirk,” which the outlet said featured racist, sexist, and homophobic posts between 2010 and 2014. Crowley insisted other people had access to the X burner account and condemned the posts.
Still, Hong&#8217;s high-profile stumbles in the homestretch appeared to decisively shift the race in Crowley&#8217;s favor, delivering a comeback that defied a flurry of pre-election polls showing Hong with a commanding double-digit lead over the rest of the Democratic field. One of the final polls before Election Day had Hong leading Crowley 44% to 22%.
Evers, who backed Crowley after he reentered the race, had openly warned that Hong would face difficulty defeating Republican nominee Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI).
&#8220;I think she&#8217;s in a tough place. She has spent her entire campaign dealing not with the issues, but what&#8217;s on the Twitter, and I just find that that&#8217;s not a good way to beat Tom Tiffany,&#8221; Evers said in the campaign&#8217;s homestretch. &#8220;It&#8217;s going to be tough&#8230;but I think she&#8217;s at a real disadvantage, especially since she spends a lot of time talking about Twitter.&#8221;
Hong, a 37-year-old state representative and part-time bartender, had ridden a wave of leftist enthusiasm to become the race&#8217;s surprise frontrunner, setting off a late scramble among establishment Democrats to stop her.
Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the Democratic primary in late July as Hong surged in the polls, appearing to concede at the time that her nomination was inevitable.
“Last night I had a very difficult conversation with staff,” Barnes <a href="https://x.com/TheOtherMandela/status/2082894497839468849">said in a social media video</a>. “We’re incredibly proud of all the things that we’ve accomplished and all the resources that we have raised to spread our message. But it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be.”
But Crowley&#8217;s late return to the race ultimately gave Democrats an alternative to Hong, who generated national headlines over a series of old social media posts and leftist policy positions.
“Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” she said in a deleted 2020 social media post. “If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed indigenous folx and women, so be it.”
Hong has also criticized other major American holidays, saying she doesn&#8217;t like fireworks ahead of Independence Day, dismissing Halloween as &#8220;not my thing,&#8221; and claiming Valentine&#8217;s Day brings out &#8220;the worst of humanity&#8221; on a day when &#8220;capitalism tells you how to show love.&#8221;
Hong&#8217;s rise drew national attention but did not result in endorsements from two of the country&#8217;s most prominent Democratic socialists, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Crowley will now face Tiffany, the Republican nominee, in November as both parties battle for control of the governor&#8217;s mansion after Evers decided not to seek another term.
Tiffany has centered his campaign on affordability and reducing the size and cost of state government.
“Let&#8217;s get control of our utility rates, which have been skyrocketing $2 billion plus in the last eight years. Let&#8217;s get control of the red tape and let&#8217;s also audit all of state government,” Tiffany <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2086575835759161785?s=20">said</a> on Fox News over the weekend. &#8220;It is one of the most popular issues amongst people that I&#8217;m talking to at this point. Boy, let&#8217;s root out the fraud and waste because we know what&#8217;s happening here in Wisconsin also.&#8221;

Socialist Frontrunner’s Stunning Collapse Hands Wisconsin Dems A November Lifeline

Elections

Wisconsin&#8217;s Democratic gubernatorial primary was too close to call late Tuesday, with socialist frontrunner Francesca Hong and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley separated by a razor-thin margin after polls had projected Hong was headed for a decisive victory.
With 82% of the vote reported, Crowley held 39.96% of the vote to Hong&#8217;s 39.84%, a virtual tie in a race to determine who faces Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.
The nail-biter marked a dramatic departure from pre-election polling, which showed Hong with a commanding lead over her Democratic rivals. One of the final pre-election polls showed Hong leading Crowley 44% to 22%.
Hong, a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, had ridden a wave of leftist enthusiasm to become the race&#8217;s surprise frontrunner, setting off a late scramble among establishment Democrats to stop her.
Crowley&#8217;s unexpectedly strong showing kept that effort alive late Tuesday, with neither candidate able to claim victory as outstanding ballots were still being counted.

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Socialist Frontrunner Suddenly Fighting For Survival In Wisconsin Governor Primary

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Primary Election

The socialist frontrunner in Wisconsin&#8217;s Democratic gubernatorial primary hired a self-described &#8220;sex worker&#8221; to run her campaign and voted against a law that bans grooming children.
State Rep. Francesca Hong, who held a 20-point advantage in the polls going into Tuesday&#8217;s primary, was one of just six Wisconsin lawmakers to vote against a measure that bars adults from &#8220;engaging in a course of conduct, pattern of behavior, or series of acts with the intention to condition, seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child&#8221; to participate in sexual activity or pornography.
The bill overwhelmingly passed the Wisconsin State Assembly 93-6 and cleared the state Senate by voice vote before Democratic Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI) signed it into law in March.
Hong, according to The New York Post&#8217;s <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/08/11/us-news/wisconsin-socialist-francesca-hong-voted-against-anti-child-grooming-law-responding-to-pervy-teacher-pursuing-14-year-old/">report</a>, has not publicly explained why she voted against the legislation. Others who voted against argued that it was redundant to existing state law.
The legislation initially came about as a response to the case of Christian Enwright, 31, — a teacher from Kenosha who pled guilty to 15 misdemeanor counts of &#8220;<a href="https://captimes.com/news/education/kenosha-teacher-scandal-spurs-legislation-new-policy-and-a-lawsuit/article_28fc8e7e-4328-4e32-9881-bda07e89388e.html">disorderly conduct</a>&#8221; in connection with his interactions with students, including a 14-year-old girl.
&#8220;[Enwright] engaged in classic grooming behavior, preying on the vulnerability of at least one female student, under the guise of being a mentor, to foster and further a predatory relationship with her,&#8221; a school district investigator said.
In addition to inspiring the new anti-grooming law, Enright&#8217;s actions sparked a lawsuit by a student&#8217;s parents against both him and the school district. Media outlets did not publish the names of either the girl or her parents because she still attended school in the district.
Hong entered Tuesday&#8217;s primary as the clear polling frontrunner. The democratic socialist has raised eyebrows during the campaign with a number of her old social media posts — in which she called for the cancellation of Thanksgiving and suggested abolishing the Senate.
She has also called for defunding the police — a position she&#8217;s tried to temper throughout her campaign — as recently as 2021, saying, &#8220;Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option.&#8221;
She also made headlines with her support for legalizing sex work, a point she punctuated by hiring an OnlyFans model to manage her campaign.

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Socialist Voted Against Child-Grooming Bill. She Might Be Elected Governor.

Socialist Voted Against Law That Bans Grooming Kids. She Might Be Elected Governor.

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Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong dished out a stomach-churning &#8220;Feast of the Feminine&#8221; in 2019, explicitly inspired by menstruation, featuring booze, Korean blood sausage, and anatomical graphics.
&#8220;I&#8217;m doin a 6course dinner inspired by menstruation alongside my friends Autumn and Kel,&#8221; Hong posted at the time. &#8220;There will be booze too. Come hang.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I&#39;m doin a 6course dinner inspired by menstruation alongside my friends Autumn and Kel. There will be booze too. Come hang. <a href="https://t.co/PttgObCWWV">https://t.co/PttgObCWWV</a> <a href="https://t.co/qvxOsqvQ2N">pic.twitter.com/qvxOsqvQ2N</a>
&mdash; Francesca Hong For Governor (@FrancescaHongWI) <a href="https://x.com/FrancescaHongWI/status/1179610529687576576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The 37-year-old socialist state representative and former Madison ramen chef, who leads the polls ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic primary, has left voters with a bad taste in their mouths. Just a year after her 2019 banquet, Hong sparked outrage by tweeting a call to &#8220;Cancel Thanksgiving.&#8221; She wrote, &#8220;Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621. If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed Indegenous [sic] folx [sic] and women so be it.&#8221;
Pressed on CNN about her past anti-Thanksgiving tirades, Hong offered up a word salad, saying:
<blockquote>
I&#8217;m a chef, and one of the first meals that I made, that was for the community when I was 16, was a Thanksgiving meal. You know, I always think my hospitality background and owning a restaurant for seven, eight years that bringing folks around the table, to share conversation and build community, is always a good thing. But Thanksgiving is also a time that&#8217;s incredibly painful for many people in our communities. And so, I think there I wanted to make sure that people understood that there are multiple views. But views can evolve, and the position that I&#8217;m running for right now, and I think my background as a chef, will actually help me become a better governor that&#8217;s able to bring more people to the table.
</blockquote>
Establishment Democrats are terrified Hong&#8217;s radical track record will cost them the general election against Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI). Even Democratic Governor Tony Evers publicly doubted her ability to win, adding, “She spends a lot of time, from what I understand, talking on Twitter and all these other extraneous issues. &#8230; People in this room … have seen tornadoes destroy the city, and we&#8217;re going to spend time on that bullsh*t that others are talking about on Twitter? Please.&#8221;
Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who boasts of being an &#8220;anti-capitalist&#8221; business owner, has also unleashed foul-mouthed rants at local industry groups like the Tavern League, publicly branding them with vulgar epithets, the Washington Free Beacon <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/move-over-thanksgiving-francesca-hong-hosted-feast-of-the-feminine-a-6-course-dinner-inspired-by-menstruation/">reported</a>. In another post, she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-says-culvers-trip-gave-her-anxiety-attack-over-white-people">complained</a> about being surrounded by &#8220;too many old white people&#8221; at a local fast-food spot.

Wisconsin Democrats 2026 Convention – June 14

Socialist Francesca Hong Gleefully Hosted ‘Feast’ Inspired By Menstruation

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Renee Faust, who previously went by the name Renee Olstead, is serving as deputy campaign manager for far-Left Democrat Francesca Hong&#8217;s campaign for governor of Wisconsin, <a href="https://heartlandpost.com/hong-deputy-campaign-manager-is-a-former-penthouse-pet-of-the-year-onlyfans-model/">according</a> to The Heartland Post.
Faust first became known as a child television actress. She played Lauren Miller on the CBS sitcom &#8220;Still Standing&#8221; from 2002 to 2006 and later appeared on &#8220;The Secret Life of the American Teenager.&#8221; She also recorded jazz albums produced by David Foster.
Around 2020, she moved into adult modeling and launched an OnlyFans account. In January 2023, she was named &#8220;Penthouse Pet of the Month,&#8221; and in March 2025, the magazine crowned her its 2024 &#8220;Pet of the Year.&#8221;
She has publicly called herself a sex worker and founded the Coalition for American Sex Workers, known as CASW-Local 304. The group lobbies for the decriminalizing prostitution and related policy changes.
In April 2025, Hong and three other progressive members of the Wisconsin Assembly — Reps. Ryan Clancy, Darrin B. Madison, and Christian Phelps — presented Faust with an official citation from the State Assembly. The document, signed at the Capitol on April 19, was delivered to her at Milwaukee&#8217;s Socialist Anti-Gala at Turner Hall. It recognized her advocacy for sex worker rights and her selection as the first person from Wisconsin to be named Penthouse Pet of the Year.
Hong went on to co-sponsor <a href="https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/ab1193">Assembly Bill 1193</a>, introduced in March. The bill would decriminalize adult prostitution, solicitation, and the keeping of a place of prostitution — brothels — in Wisconsin. It would also create a formal sex workers&#8217; &#8220;bill of rights.&#8221; Under the bill, people engaged in commercial sex would received the right not to be prosecuted for sex work, minimum wage and hour protections, protection against discrimination, harassment, unsafe working conditions, access to workers&#8217; compensation and health benefits, and privacy from surveillance. The bill would further ban discrimination against sex workers in housing, public services, and healthcare.
Faust has served in a senior operational role on Hong&#8217;s campaign and, per The Heartland Post, has been a paid campaign operative since at least January of this year. Campaign finance reports show she received a monthly salary of $5,743.77 from the Hong campaign on July 1. Her <a href="https://x.com/renofaust?lang=en">X account bio</a> reads &#8220;HONG 4 GOV&#8221; and links to Hong&#8217;s get-out-the-vote page. The outlet also reported that she has organized campaign events, coordinated logistics for high-profile surrogates including communist streamer Hasan Piker, and directed door-knocking efforts. She has appeared in Instagram videos on behalf of the campaign with Kat Abughazaleh.
Abughazaleh, a former Media Matters researcher, ran for Congress in Illinois&#8217; 9th District on a platform built around anti-ICE activism — she faces federal charges stemming from a protest at an ICE facility, to which she has pleaded not guilty — and pro-Palestinian advocacy. She lost the Democratic primary in March, closing her concession speech with &#8220;F*ck Trump, f*ck ICE, free Palestine.&#8221;
The Hong campaign, in its <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-socialist-francesca-hong-has-former-child-star-onlyfans-model-senior-campaign-role-report">statement</a> to Fox News, described Faust as &#8220;a licensed mental health clinician who has spent her career providing care to trafficking survivors&#8221; and said he has &#8220;helped build the largest grassroots campaign in Wisconsin history&#8221; since joining in December.
Hong, a DSA member backed by several of the group&#8217;s Wisconsin chapters, is the frontrunner in the August 11 Democratic primary, leading her nearest rival by more than 20 points in the <a href="https://today.marquette.edu/2026/07/marquette-law-poll-finds-expanded-support-for-hong-in-democratic-primary-barnes-sits-second-and-crowley-third/">latest Marquette poll</a>. She has built her brand on working-class rhetoric and democratic-socialist politics — though she has lately distanced herself from the national DSA, <a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/07/29/wisconsin-democratic-candidates-for-governor-debate-hold-back-direct-attacks/">telling</a> a debate audience she is &#8220;not here to govern by slogan.&#8221;
The Hong campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Wire&#8217;s request for comment.

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Far-Left Governor Candidate Taps OnlyFans Model As Deputy Campaign Manager

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Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers expressed skepticism Thursday about socialist gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong’s general election prospects, questioning whether her social media-driven strategy and outlandish statements can keep the governor’s mansion in Democratic hands.
Evers, who has endorsed and is campaigning for Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, seemed discouraged when asked whether Hong could win a general election.
“I think she&#8217;s in a tough place. She has spent her entire campaign dealing not with the issues, but what&#8217;s on the Twitter, and I just find that that&#8217;s not a good way to beat Tom Tiffany,” Evers <a href="https://x.com/mattsmith_news/status/2085418136094822499?s=20">told local reporters.</a> “It&#8217;s going to be tough. I mean, do I think that it&#8217;s possible she can win? But I think she&#8217;s at a real disadvantage, especially since she spends a lot of time talking about Twitter.” 
He’s not alone. 
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dsas-anti-thanksgiving-governor-candidate-is-even-too-far-for-bernie">declined to endorse</a> the leftist gubernatorial candidate who generated national headlines in recent days over her previous calls to cancel one of America&#8217;s most treasured holidays. 
“I don’t think so. I met Francesca a couple of years ago, [when] I was in Wisconsin. And she was very, very nice. But, again, this is a race I just am not that familiar with,” Sanders said on the “Pod Save America” podcast.
Hong, holding a commanding lead in the Democratic primary, sparked a political firestorm this week over an unearthed November 2020 post where she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/socialist-governor-hopeful-has-kamala-moment-when-asked-about-canceling-thanksgiving">said</a> Thanksgiving should be scrapped from the American tradition. 
“Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” she said. “If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed indigenous folx and women, so be it.”
That particular comment appeared to bother Evers, who argued it was evidence that the DSA-backed leftist is focused on issues Wisconsin voters don&#8217;t care about.
“She was on CNN, I think, or someplace for a couple days in a row, talking about things that, frankly, are irrelevant. Yeah, it was Thanksgiving. She was talking about Thanksgiving, and yeah, she really likes it, but she doesn&#8217;t like it,” Evers said. “Come on! This is about making sure the people of Wisconsin get what they need to be successful.” 
The 37-year-old dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America is campaigning on a sweeping expansion of government, including abolishing ICE, imposing a one-year moratorium on data centers, creating government-owned grocery stores, and providing universal childcare and paid leave.
Hong also supports legalizing marijuana to fund high-speed broadband and backs a state-run development bank, a 32-hour workweek with no reduction in pay, restoring voting rights to felons, and dramatically reducing the role of prisons and police, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-new-socialist-bartender-is-giving-democrat-elites-headaches?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=26&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=A+New+Socialist+Bartender+Is+Giving+Democrat+Elites+Headaches">The Daily Wire</a> reported. 
Hong&#8217;s campaign is the latest test of democratic socialist candidates in competitive statewide races following recent victories in New York City, Washington, D.C., Denver, and, most recently, Michigan. <a href="https://polymarket.com/event/wisconsin-governor-democratic-primary-winner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prediction markets</a> overwhelmingly favor Hong to win the primary.
“The system is rigged. I’m running for governor to fix it. For years, we’ve been told that doing better is impossible. Well, let me tell you, that’s bullsh*t,” she said in her campaign launch video.

Wisconsin Dem Gov. Says Socialist Candidate Is ‘In A Tough Place’ After Thanksgiving Uproar

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Midterms

Tony Evers

Moderate Democrats are bracing for &#8220;the next war&#8221; inside the party.
Jonathan Cowan, president of the group Third Way, said his organization is launching a $15 million effort running through 2028 to discredit democratic socialism, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/us/politics/democratic-party-socialists-moderates.html">reported</a> on Thursday. 
“We are preparing for the next war that is coming,” Cowan said. 
The money will fund opposition research on the Democratic Socialists of America, polling, social media programs, and work to educate Democratic activists and leaders. 
The push gained urgency after Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow win in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday. Polls before the election had pointed to a blowout. Instead, the leftist barely edged out the establishment&#8217;s pick, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), in a swing state that will also host an early presidential primary in 2028. 
Democrats had hoped to keep such wins limited to more liberal areas. El-Sayed’s nomination raised concerns that a progressive could take the party’s presidential nomination and then lose the general election.
“It is deeply troubling to see radical, far-Left candidates winning in places that are potentially presidential swing states,” Cowan told the Times.
Party leaders including Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and former Vice President Kamala Harris quickly backed El-Sayed after his primary victory.
Cowan criticized candidates who court Democratic Socialists of America organizers and energy while staying distant enough to avoid the formal label, a move he called the “DSA dodge.”
The next test for the Democratic Party comes next week. In Wisconsin, democratic socialist state Assemblywoman Francesca Hong has emerged as the party&#8217;s frontrunner for governor in another battleground state. The primary is August 11.
Moderate Democrats say the goal of their anti-socialist effort is to pinpoint radical parts of the official DSA platform, including defunding the Department of War, abolishing the police and prison system, reparations, and a 32-hour workweek. 
Liam Kerr, co-founder of the Welcome PAC, argued the far-Left has, so far, gained outsider energy and attention without the full weight of those positions.
Not every leftist won this week. Former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) lost badly in her bid to reclaim her seat. But socialist wins have stacked up, including in primaries in New York, Colorado, and now, Michigan. In Detroit, State Rep. Donavan McKinney’s primary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/first-u-s-city-on-track-for-all-dsa-house-delegation?author=Leona+Salinas&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=First+U.S.+City+On+Track+For+All-DSA+House+Delegation&amp;trueLinkId=4d2V2zBlcQS1zDhX%2BwNpOBGRnqtp4hQ7WnYsK1Zu5oBepBe6k7mV0DR2RcVplB7zmG8llYrWfwJOk5%2BeUFsWPg%3D%3D&amp;trueLinkTs=1782495158&amp;trueLinkExpiry=43200">victory</a> over incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar puts the city on track to have both House seats held by democratic socialists if he wins in November, joining Rep. Rashida Tlaib. 
El-Sayed campaigned with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and made opposition to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) central to his race. 
Maurice Mitchell of the leftist Working Families Party, who campaigned in Michigan, rejected moderate Democrats&#8217; response to the rise of socialist candidates. 
“They’re missing the plot,” he said of the moderate Democrats, adding, “There is a populist insurgency taking place in this country.”

Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Holds Rally In Detroit With Sen. Bernie Sanders And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

How Some Dems Are ‘Preparing For The Next War’ Against Socialists

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