Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), lost last night to David Crowley, a moderate establishment candidate. Polling before the race had shown Hong with a strong lead, and so her defeat came as a surprise. Not only that but it “revealed limits to the far left’s power,” argues Politico this morning, “and is undercutting the narrative of an emerging insurgency.”
But there is less to Hong’s defeat than meets the eye. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), the nation’s most high-profile democratic socialists, refused to endorse Hong, and did not campaign with her. “Bernie, AOC, and most national groups stayed out,” a progressive Democratic strategist told Politico. “Abdul El-Sayed was a great foot forward, Graham Platner was not, and we didn’t need our political reputation hanging on this race.”
Other DSA stars, such as Melat Kiros and Chris Rabb, who had campaigned for progressive primary candidates in Michigan and Colorado, also refused to campaign for Hong. Said a Democratic operative, “There’s a reason the institutional left mostly stayed away… The people who made those calls are relieved.”
