MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democrats casting in-person absentee ballots Tuesday in Wisconsin’s chaotic Democratic primary for governor are divided over whether a democratic socialist could prevail in the swing state's general election, echoing concerns of those who are backing the incumbent governor’s choice to replace him.
Democrats are hoping to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn full control of Wisconsin
state government for the first time since 2010. But they have failed to coalesce around one candidate for the top job, spurring fears that they could miss an opportunity to win in November.
Tuesday was the first day voters could cast their absentee ballots in person ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
Insurgent democratic socialist Francesca Hong has garnered strong support among the most liberal wing of the party. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who narrowly lost a 2022 U.S. Senate race, is hoping that voters in his hometown of Milwaukee help him overcome Hong, whose base is in Madison. Those two cities hold the largest number of Democratic voters in Wisconsin.
Also in the race is Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is running with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers. Crowley had dropped out of the race on July 8, but got back in on July 17, the day after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez dropped out amid a campaign finance scandal.
Ian Anderson, who cast his ballot in Madison, said he voted for Hong because “she's exactly the burst of energy we need.”
Anderson, 46, said he was “very frustrated” by Evers' late endorsement in the race.
“It's the latest example of the Democratic Party meddling,” said Anderson, who works for the state Department of Natural Resources.
Nicole Santos, 45, said Hong was the only primary candidate with the “fortitude” to stand up to President Donald Trump.
“To get back on track we need to go a little further left,” she said.
But Crowley voters on Tuesday said they backed him because they believed he had a better shot at beating Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November. Tiffany, who is running with the backing of Trump in a state Trump won in 2016 and 2024, faces only nominal opposition in the primary.
It would be “tough” for Hong to beat Tiffany, said retired attorney John Hawley, 68, of Madison.
“I’d like to think I’m wrong, but north of Madison and Milwaukee I don’t think she’ll come across that well,” he said in reference to more rural parts of the state.
Erica and Mario Johnson, a married couple who are both Black and from Milwaukee, both voted for Crowley, because they see him as best positioned to beat Tiffany. Crowley and Barnes are each seeking to become the state’s first Black governor.
Crowley has the “most executive experience,” said Mario Johnson, 63, who retired from a career in the federal government.
He worries that Hong won’t be able to defeat Tiffany, but if Hong wins the primary, “I’ll bite the bullet and vote for her.”
If Hong wins the primary, 67-year-old retired physician Steve Wiesner said he will vote for a Republican in November for the first time in his life.
“I would never support her or any (democratic socialist) candidate at this point,” Wiesner said after casting his ballot in downtown Milwaukee for longshot candidate Joel Brennan.
The five Democratic candidates are scheduled to meet for their only debate Tuesday night.
And hours after polls opened for early voting, a judge heard arguments in a Democratic lawsuit seeking to allow voters who already returned their ballots to cancel those and cast a new one. As of Tuesday, nearly 108,000 ballots had already been returned by mail.
The lawsuit was filed last week with support from the Wisconsin Democratic Party. They are seeking an order from a judge to immediately allow for already-cast ballots to be canceled, a rarely used practice known as ballot spoiling.
Democrats argue it's necessary given that Rodriguez and former state economic director Missy Hughes ended their campaigns, and Crowley got back in the race, after tens of thousands of ballots had already been returned.
Hughes and Rodriguez’s names remain on the ballot.
Dane County Circuit Judge David Conway, noting the urgency of resolving the issue with the election two weeks away, said he would issue a ruling by 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
In-person absentee voting, which began Tuesday, runs through Aug. 9. All absentee ballots must be received by the time polls close on election day Aug. 11 in order to be counted.
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Mayes-Osterman is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. She reported for this story from Milwaukee.
