The Latest: Democratic socialist is neck and neck with moderate in Wisconsin governor primary
Primary elections are taking place in six U.S. states on Tuesday — Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won Minnesota's Democratic U.S. Senate primary over centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig in the latest moderate-vs.-progressive contest in the Democratic Party. In the race for governor, state House Speaker Lisa Demuth won the GOP primary despite President Donald Trump's endorsement of opponent Mike Lindell, known as the MyPillow Guy. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won the Democratic nomination with minimal opposition.
The Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor is another high-profile clash between the party’s establishment and progressive wings, as democratic socialist Francesca Hong tries to rise above moderate candidate David Crowley. The race remained too early to call as it approached midnight local time. In a Republican primary for U.S. House, Trump-backed candidate Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, won the GOP nomination for Duffy’s old congressional seat.
And Sen. Darline Graham advanced to a runoff in South Carolina’s special Republican primary to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate. The first-time candidate will face U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who also emerged from a 10-way field in Tuesday's primary. The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff is expected to claim the U.S. Senate seat over the Democratic nominee.
Here's the latest:
Milwaukee elections officials say a human error will delay reporting the results of about 28,000 absentee ballots by at least an hour.
The ballots could determine the winner in the tight race between democratic socialist Francesca Hong and more moderate challenger Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
Milwaukee Election Commission Director Paulina Gutierrez said human error was to blame for audit logs being uploaded onto flash drives instead of ballot results.
Hong spoke to her supporters late Tuesday night, saying, “We are ready to keep fighting.”
Crowley has not addressed his supporters as the race remains too early to call.
Democratic socialist Francesca Hong is telling her supporters that she will keep on fighting as the outcome of the Wisconsin Democratic governor’s primary remains too early to call.
Hong did not concede the race or declare victory against Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
“We have built something that will change politics forever,” Hong said. “The work we have done will be remembered forever. I know we don’t have the final results right now, but what I do know is we are ready to keep fighting.”
Hong also looked ahead to November in the race against Republican Tom Tiffany, not knowing whether she or Crowley will be the one facing him.
“We will win together, united,” Hong said.
Flanagan took the stage at her party shortly after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and laid into GOP nominee Michele Tafoya.
She said Tafoya supports Trump on issues from immigration enforcement to the war in Iran.
“We already have too many spineless ‘yes sir’ senators who won’t stand up to Donald Trump,” she said. “Minnesota, we are not going to send him another one.”
Craig gave a gracious concession speech at a Saint Paul brewery after losing the Democratic primary. She framed the coming general election in stark terms and wasted no time going after the Republican nominee.
“To every person who supported me, I ask you tonight to support and elect Peggy Flanagan as the next senator from Minnesota,” Craig said. “Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy, and Michele Tafoya would be nothing more than a rubber stamp to his dangerous agenda.”
She stood in front of a large American flag with her wife by her side.
“This is the moment, folks, to use democracy to save democracy,” Craig said.
Flanagan’s win is the latest for an insurgent progressive over the party’s establishment.
She defeated centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig with a pledge to fight the influence of corporations and confront Trump.
Flanagan was backed by popular progressives including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who rallied with her in the campaign’s final weeks. She was also supported by the retiring incumbent, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.
Flanagan highlighted Craig’s support from wealthy donors and blasted her vote for a Trump-backed immigration bill, which became a liability after immigration agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Flanagan enters the general election as the frontrunner in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to a statewide office in 20 years. But Republicans see an opening from Flanagan’s progressive views and backlash to a fraud scandal involving the widespread theft of public funds dispersed by state agencies to social services organizations. Republicans say Democrats turned a blind eye while Flanagan was lieutenant governor.
The win by the state House speaker was also a rare loss for a Republican primary candidate endorsed by Trump.
Demuth argued that she’s the most electable and experienced Republican candidate, pointing to her role as a legislative leader. She became speaker in a power-sharing agreement for the Minnesota House, which is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats.
Some Minnesota Republicans worried Lindell would be unable to win over independents and moderate Republicans who reject the 2020 election lies he’s best known for promoting, potentially dragging down the entire GOP ticket.
Demuth will face Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who had no serious opposition for the Democratic nomination. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz dropped his reelection campaign in the aftermath of a fraud scandal involving the widespread theft of tax money his administration gave to organizations that were supposed to use it for social welfare programs.
The first-time political candidate will go on to face Republican Gov. Phil Scott in November.
Janoo, 38, has spent her career working with the United Nations and international development organizations. She billed herself as the more progressive candidate while running against Aly Richards in the primary. Richards was also a first-time candidate.
Scott, who has served five terms and is one term away from becoming the state’s longest-serving governor, ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
Vermont is one of two states, along with neighboring New Hampshire, that hold a gubernatorial election every two years.
Bill Ventress voted for Republican Rhett Marques in the special congressional primary in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.
Ventress said Marques has a proven record already in the district after serving in city government and the Alabama Legislature.
“He’s done a great job in every position he’s been in, and I know he will again,“ Ventress said.
Marques, who was backed by President Donald Trump, defeated five GOP rivals to secure the Republican nomination. He will face incumbent Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in November.
The former sports broadcaster is working against history after winning the GOP U.S. Senate nomination in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican statewide since 2006.
She indicated fraud will be at the center of her pitch as she tries to convince voters to give the GOP a chance. The Democratic-controlled state government has been embroiled in scandal after failing to detect and stop the widespread theft of tax money from public assistance programs.
“We will not reelect politicians who let criminals steal billions and treat accountability as optional,” Tafoya said in a statement Tuesday night. “We deserve better, and it’s time we demand better.”
Tafoya will face either U.S. Rep. Angie Craig or Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who have fought a tense campaign for the Democratic nomination.
Rebecca Cooke’s Democratic primary win in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District sets up a key battleground in the fight for control of the U.S. House.
In a rematch of the 2024 election, Cooke will face incumbent U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who flipped the seat four years ago. Democrats hope to win back the district Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind represented for 26 years before retiring.
The 3rd District is one of 31 on the 2026 U.S. House map that Trump won by less than 10 percentage points.
Speaking to supporters after defeating U.S. Rep. John Larson, Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, said the Democratic Party needed to act with more urgency in its fight with President Donald Trump.
“If we are going to fix this mess that we are in, we need to build a Democratic party that is bringing a whole new energy to this fight,” Bronin said.
While Bronin praised Larson for his liberal politics and longtime service, he said the party needed to adapt, and if it is too slow to do so, “then the changes are going to come from the ground up. And that’s a message the party needs to hear.”
Fourteen-term Democratic Rep. John Larson is the 10th House incumbent to lose their primary this cycle and the sixth ousted by a younger challenger. Overall, 70 representatives will not return to their seats next year, the most at this point in the calendar in recent history.
The 3rd Congressional District is a top target for Democrats to flip this year. Cooke will battle two-term incumbent Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden for the seat in November.
Van Orden is one of President Donald Trump’s biggest supporters. But he will face a tough reelection bid in a narrowly divided district in a year where Trump’s approval ratings are low in Wisconsin.
Cooke defeated former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge in the primary. Berge ran an underdog, insurgent campaign against Cooke who was more well known and better financed.
Cooke narrowly lost to Van Orden in 2024 and also ran in 2022 but lost in the Democratic primary that year.
Democratic socialist Francesca Hong and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley are neck and neck.
The winner will advance to face Republican Tom Tiffany.
Hong was counting on support from her home city of Madison, the liberal state capital, to overcome Crowley, who has served as the top elected official in Milwaukee County for six years.
Crowley has the endorsement of two-term Gov. Tony Evers and has been running as the more moderate choice.
The 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy won a five-person Republican primary for Duffy’s old congressional seat in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District.
Alfonso rode President Donald Trump’s endorsement to victory in the race where his opponents and some longtime Republican leaders in the district argued he was too young and inexperienced.
Duffy returned to Wisconsin to help campaign for Alfonso, who was waging his first run for any office. Alfonso is married to Duffy’s daughter.
Alfonso defeated four other challengers including Kevin Hermening, a Republican with deep ties to the district who was also one of the American hostages held in Iran starting in 1979.
The Democratic nominee for Minnesota governor said she will bring tangible improvements for Minnesotans, including making life more affordable and tackling fraud.
“You expect leaders to deliver results, not excuses,” Klobuchar said.
She went on to preview the case she will make against her Republican rival. The GOP primary is too early to call between MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and state House speaker Lisa Demuth, but Klobuchar said both are more interested in serving the president than the state.
“When my opponents were asked to name one place where they disagreed with Donald Trump, they couldn’t do it,” Klobuchar said.
Larson still stressed to supporters that Democrats must “come together, heal and move forward.”
Larson, a longtime Democrat who has represented the state’s 1st Congressional District for nearly 30 years, was ousted by former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.
“Tonight, the people have spoken. And they’ve made that clear. They’ve made it clear what their decision is. And now is the time for all of us to come together,” Larson said, thanking his supporters, family and friends.
Larson added that he intended to “fulfill my responsibility to the last day.”
South Carolina’s most populous county of Greenville once again showed its independent streak in Tuesday’s special U.S. Senate primary by helping Rep. Ralph Norman secure a spot in the August 25 runoff.
At 9 p.m. ET when he locked a runoff berth, Norman had a plurality of the Greenville County vote and a sizable lead over U.S. Sen. Darline Graham.
Norman was also Greenville County’s top vote-getter in the June 9 primary for governor, outperforming Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson, who both advanced to the June 23 runoff over Norman.
A plurality of Greenville County voters also preferred businessman Mark Lynch over the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in the June 9 Senate primary. Greenville and Spartanburg counties were the only two counties Lindsey Graham lost on June 9.
She will face Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell in the November general election for the 7th Congressional District seat.
Akin served as assistant superintendent in a public school system, was interim superintendent of a private Christian school and founded a nonprofit.
Alabama is holding special primaries in four congressional districts after redrawing lines in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s redistricting decision. Alabama Republicans reshaped the 2nd Congressional District to make it more likely to elect a Republican, and altered the lines of three others, including the 7th District.
Sewell still remains the favorite to win in November.
A native of Selma, Sewell has served in Congress since 2011. She has sponsored legislation aimed at restoring and modernizing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“I’ve been accused of not being a politician,” she said at her election night speech. “Guilty as charged.”
Graham, who is now in the Republican U.S. Senate runoff in the race to replace her late brother, was tapped to serve his remaining months in office. She touted what she had done in the Senate so far and her work outside of politics, but leaned into the newcomer role.
“I will spend the next to weeks of this runoff meeting with voters and, unlike some politicians, listening to their concerns — yes, listening to their concerns,” she said. “This seat belongs to the people of South Carolina, and I will work hard to earn your vote.”
Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, topped Larson in a race that evoked the battle over generational change in the Democratic party.
A Rhodes scholar, lawyer and U.S. Navy Reserve officer, Bronin, 46, was a sophomore at Yale when Larson, 78, was first elected to the 1st District seat in 1998.
Bronin’s campaign got a big bump earlier this year when the state party endorsed him at a May nominating convention.
Larson has had to fight concerns about his age and health, which intensified last year after he suffered a partial seizure during a speech on the House floor.
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s run for U.S. Senate ended with a loss for a man who almost never used to lose in South Carolina.
Sanford jumped at the opportunity to run for U.S. Senate in the state’s two-week special Republican primary since he had plenty of money remaining in his campaign account and a burning need to tell everyone the U.S. is drowning in debt.
His concession speech Tuesday was another campaign speech. He talked about how the U.S. will spend more national debt interest than defense this year and Social Security and Medicare are less than a decade away from bankruptcy.
“We are on an unsustainable course, and no civilization across the pages of time has been able to outrun math,” Sanford said.
The former governor had a blast getting back on the campaign trial. He spent most of his election night talking to his sons and supporters and drinking a few beers.
“This is a very emotional night, because I’m usually standing here celebrating with Lindsey,” said the sister of the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, after she secured a place in the Republican runoff to replace him.
Darline Graham was subdued for a victory party, as she thanked God, her family and President Donald Trump.
“His steadfast and his complete and total endorsement means so much to me,” she said of the president. “He knows that I will stand with him, and fight for his agenda, just like Lindsey did.”
Tafoya, a newcomer to politics, defeated Adam Schwarze, a Marine veteran and Navy SEAL who had the official backing of the state Republican committee, and Royce White, who had an existing profile as a prior candidate, conservative commentator and a brief professional basketball career.
Tafoya will face an uphill battle in Minnesota, where Democrats have a two-decade streak of winning top offices. But Republicans think Tafoya, who is known outside of politics and doesn’t have a controversial voting record, is well-positioned to pull off an upset victory.
President Donald Trump did not make an endorsement in the primary.
Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews spoke to WIS News 10 after both Darline Graham and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman notched the top two spots in the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate in South Carolina.
Andrews, who was elected in her party’s June primary, batted away attacks from Norman’s election night speech before pitching her vision in an uphill race to win the red state.
“Unfortunately for Ralph, I guess, I am not a socialist, I am not a democratic socialist, I’m a mom and a pediatrician,” said Andrews. “I’m running, as I said, to address our affordability crisis and our broken healthcare system.”
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