Wisconsin and Minnesota primaries put Democratic rift on display as progressives challenge the party center
And Minnesota head to primaries Tuesday that could sharpen a fight inside the Democratic Party over who gets to define its future. In both
Wisconsin and Minnesota head to primaries Tuesday that could sharpen a fight inside the Democratic Party over who gets to define its future. In both states, left-leaning candidates are pressing their case against more traditional Democrats in races with wider national resonance.
In Wisconsin, state Rep. Francesca Hong, who calls herself a democratic socialist, is the front-runner in the race for governor. In Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is seeking the party’s nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat against Rep. Angie Craig, a centrist Democrat.
What is at stake
The Wisconsin governor’s contest matters well beyond Madison. Democrats see the state’s governor’s mansion as a crucial target for 2028 and beyond, and Gov. Tony Evers has been campaigning with David Crowley, another Democratic contender. Hong has also been out in public, talking with voters in Milwaukee and at a community event in the city last month.
The Minnesota Senate primary has become a test of whether progressive candidates can keep winning in swing states, not just in deep-blue cities. The broader question has surfaced in other contests this week as well, with left-versus-center battles also playing out in states including Alabama and South Carolina.
A broader Democratic divide
Progressive candidates have won primaries repeatedly this year, often riding frustration among Democratic voters with party leadership. Many of those victories have come in places that already lean heavily liberal, from New York City to Denver. Last week, though, progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed won the party’s nomination for a competitive Senate race in a swing state, giving the movement fresh momentum.
That makes Tuesday’s votes closely watched. If Hong prevails in Wisconsin and Flanagan holds off Craig in Minnesota, it would add to a run of wins for the party’s left flank and complicate efforts by Democratic leaders to argue that a more moderate pitch is safer in battleground states. If the establishment side wins, it would give the party center a needed counterweight.
On the ground, the campaigns have been active and noisy. Voters in Wisconsin began in-person absentee voting on July 28 for what has been described as a chaotic Democratic primary for governor. In Minnesota, the Senate hopefuls have been making the rounds, including a forum at Farmfest earlier this month. The fight is not abstract. It will shape how Democrats talk to swing-state voters heading into the next election cycle.
“The latest battle over the Democratic ideological divide this year shifts to the upper Midwest on Tuesday,” one campaign preview said, and the results could tell party strategists whether the left’s surge is spreading beyond safe territory.
