Progressives and Trump Endorsements Get Mixed Results in Tuesday Primaries
Wisconsin frontrunner Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong lost to David Crowley.
President Trump’s endorsed candidates saw uneven wins in Tuesday’s primaries, as some advanced in South Carolina and Wisconsin but one suffered a notable defeat in Minnesota.
Democrats also had mixed results: Progressives scored a major victory in the North Star State, but the closely watched Wisconsin gubernatorial contest between a Democratic Socialist and an establishment-backed candidate ended in a narrow loss for the former.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the candidate retiring Democratic Governor Tony Evers backed, won with 3,783 votes separating him and state Representative Francesca Hong with almost all ballots counted.
The contest had more drama than most network schedules. Ms. Hong was widely viewed as walking away with a victory, with polls showing the Democratic Socialist as many as 30 points ahead. Mr. Crowley at one point polled in the single digits and suspended his campaign July 8. Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez dropped out of the race July 17 after revealing her campaign manager double counted donations, leaving her effort with a serious cash shortfall.
Mr. Crowley returned to the race the next day, buoyed by Mr. Evers’ endorsement in response to Ms. Hong’s surging campaign. Media reports highlighting Ms. Hong’s onetime opposition to the Thanksgiving holiday, which she called a vestige of “colonialism,” and other quirky positions destroyed her seeming popularity.
The victor faces in November Mr. Trump’s favored candidate, Republican Congressman Tom Tiffany, who easily won his primary. Democrats cast more than 750,000 ballots versus Republicans’ just under 500,000.
“From day one, this campaign has been about what comes next for Wisconsin: making life more affordable, strengthening our schools, creating good-paying jobs, and making sure opportunity reaches every corner of our state,” Mr. Crowley’s campaign manager wrote on social media early Wednesday.
“I love Wisconsin, but I see the direction our state is going in, and I know we can do better! Our property taxes are among the 10 highest in the nation, our utility rates are the second highest in the midwest, and from 2018 to 2025, we ranked number 40 in job creation,” Mr. Tiffany told supporters after his primary win. “This is why the fight matters.”
Reporting of roughly 28,000 Milwaukee absentee ballots was delayed Tuesday night because of what election officials described as human error — loading vote-audit logs instead of actual results onto USB drives destined for county election headquarters.
In South Carolina, Republican Senator Darline Graham and Congressman Ralph Norman advanced to an August 25 runoff in the special election to succeed Ms. Graham’s late brother, Lindsey Graham. The senator died July 11.
Ms. Graham, a first-time candidate Republican Governor Henry McMaster appointed to complete her brother’s term this year, finished first in the 10-candidate field. Mr. Norman, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was second. Former Governor Mark Sanford and other prominent Republicans failed to make the runoff.
Mr. Trump endorsed Ms. Graham, giving her crucial support despite her lack of political experience. He told reporters Tuesday night she had called to thank him after advancing. Asked whether he would campaign for her, the president said, “I think so,” while adding he also likes Mr. Norman.
The runoff winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November. The last Democrat elected to the Senate from the Palmetto State was the late Ernest F. “Fritz” Hollings, who won his sixth term in 1998. He did not seek reelection in 2004 and was succeeded by Jim DeMint. Republicans have held both of South Carolina’s Senate seats since.
In Minnesota, Republicans delivered one of the night’s clearest rebukes to a Trump endorsement. State House Speaker Lisa Demuth defeated MyPillow founder Mike Lindell by more than 45,000 votes to gain the gubernatorial nomination.
Mr. Trump said Tuesday that Mr. Lindell, one of his most outspoken allies and a persistent promoter of claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen, “deserves a BIG WIN.”
Instead, Ms. Demuth won broadly across the state, including areas where Mr. Trump performed strongly in 2024, 43.4 percent to Mr. Lindell’s 32.5 percent. She will face Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who defeated six primary opponents.
Mr. Lindell said late Tuesday his team will investigate “anomalies” in the vote totals.
Minnesota Democrats handed progressives a significant victory in the race for Ms. Klobuchar’s Senate seat. Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan defeated Congresswoman Angie Craig, an establishment-backed moderate, for the nomination to succeed retiring Senator Tina Smith.
Ms. Flanagan had support from progressive Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, as well as Ms. Smith. Ms. Craig had endorsements from establishment figures including House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Ms. Flanagan will face Republican Michele Tafoya, the former NFL sideline reporter who won her party’s Senate primary. Mr. Trump did not endorse in that Republican contest.
Wisconsin produced another victory for Mr. Trump’s endorsement operation. Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, won the five-candidate Republican primary for Wisconsin’s Seventh Congressional District.
Mr. Trump held two campaign events for Mr. Alfonso, including a telephone rally Monday. Democrat Fred Clark won his party’s nomination for the seat.
Elsewhere in Wisconsin, Democrat Rebecca Cooke defeated Emily Berge in the Third Congressional District primary, setting up a rematch against Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden, a strong Trump ally who narrowly defeated Ms. Cooke in 2024.
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