Wisconsin’s Next Governor
The 2026 Wisconsin Governor’s race looks like an open field right now. Pundits are expecting many candidates to get in the Democratic primary and for Trump to functionally inaugurate a Republican candidate with his endorsement. We have some predictions, and some aspirations.
On the Republican Side
MAGA businessman Bill Berrien dropped out after Congressperson Tom Tiffany got in (also after scandalmonger Dan Bice exposed his sexual interest in people his party hates). The unpopular Washington County Executive Joshua Schoemann was never a strong candidate. If Tommy Thompson stops teasing and gets in the race, he will give Republicans a traditional conservative (non-MAGA) choice. The fact that an 83 year old former politician is the best moderate Republicans can find shows how strong a grip Trump holds. He will probably take his time endorsing Tiffany, though. Trump likes to keep his lackeys in the dark and sucking up. When it comes, Trump’s endorsement will likely functionally end the GOP primary.
Tom Tiffany is a fascist and liar from up north in Minocqua, so his ascension is another sign of Republican power shifting from neoconservative Milwaukee suburbs (the WOW counties) to the more rural MAGA part of the state. Centrist Democrats are going to spin this as a good reason to repeat their losing strategy of disregarding the party’s left and activist base to try and peel off those traditional, more moderate Republicans. This strategy is obviously flawed, because there are so few Republican moderates. Remember, the best that voting bloc MIGHT offer up is bringing the octogenarian Tommy Thompson out of retirement.
Centrists will always find a rationalization for chasing Republicans rather than mobilizing the Democratic base. If Thompson got in and won, they would argue that also means Democrats need to move right to prevent him stealing precious undecided moderates. Centrists will say anything to avoid addressing structural inequity or offending their elite donors.
The Democratic Field
We’re not going to play coy. Milwaukee Beagle is excited for Francesca Hong’s run. It’s hard to imagine a candidate or campaign that more clearly tests our theory that enthusiastic, unapologetic left populism beats fascism. A restaurant worker and small business owner who represents eastern Madison in the State Assembly for only 5 years, Hong entered this race as an outsider, and according to conventional wisdom, a long shot. But, Wisconsin has long been clamoring for change, and long been denied it, so an outsider might be exactly right for this moment.
Hong is refusing corporate money, offering real solutions like “tax the fucking billionaires” and was a leader in the uninstructed campaign pressuring Biden to stop funding genocide. She says her campaign “is about moral courage and showing up for working-class people who value human rights and equal rights.”
Hong as Governor will also shift the political landscape in Wisconsin dramatically, and start breaking the strangle-hold elites and corporations have on Wisconsin’s future. We’re betting that she will not only re-invigorate disillusioned Democrats and left activists to whoop her milquetoast rivals in the primary, but will also tap into anti-elite sentiment across the political spectrum to clobber Tiffany in the general. It looks like she’s got a good start on both. Her small dollar donations, statewide presence and social media buzz are blowing other Democrats away and her messaging exposes Tiffany’s allegiance to Trump over Wisconsin’s working class.
As of September 18, “Hong leads the field by raising over $115k in less than 2 days, 89% of online donations under $100. Hong launch video outperforms [all other Democrats in the race combined] by over 332% on Facebook, 111% on Instagram, 223% on Twitter, 373% on TikTok.”
We could cheerlead Fran Hong all day long, but this is a governor’s race round up, so we should at least acknowledge the other Democrats. From most to least conservative...
Missy Hughes
Soon after leaving her position as CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Hughes announced her candidacy. At WEDC she gave businesses tax breaks to exploit Wisconsin workers. Now she’s running for governor on a Scott Walker-esque “open for business” platform, but with a “main street” rebrand.
Sara Rodriguez
The current Lieutenant Governor was the first candidate to jump in the race, seeming to surprise Tony Evers as much as everyone else. A former nurse from Brookfield with a short stint in the assembly, Rodriguez likely needs the shine of incumbency as Lt. Governor to win. Like everything Evers touches, that shine is pretty dull.
David Crowley
The Milwaukee County Executive is likely tapping friendships with Milwaukee progressives to try and run in both the centrist and progressive lanes. His mild, technocratic talking points are going to strain the credibility of any progressive that endorses him, though. His record is even worse. Crowley has shown how he’ll act when he gets close to power: funding killer sheriffs and fucking Milwaukee over by supporting Act 12. Those moves are simply disqualifying, no matter how friendly he might be.
Mandela Barnes
Former Lt Governor Mandela Barnes has not yet joined the race, but rumor is, he will. Before seeking higher office, Barnes was an organizer with MICAH, so he had even more credibility than Crowley, credibility he also burned when he got close to power. As Lt Governor, the prisoner and social justice advocates he used to work with had a very hard time finding his support, or even presence. Barnes does have a better excuse than Crowley. A Lt Governor, like a Vice President, has a hard time doing much that the Governor doesn’t want them to. But, when Barnes ran for US Senate against Ron Johnson, he had more agency, and again chose distance from his organizing past. If Barnes gets in the race, he’s going to have to rebuild trust before he’ll deserve base support. With Fran Hong running so strong, interest in building that trust might be hard to find.
Kelda Roys
The State Senator from Madison is currently looking second-best to us. Roys ran a good primary race with strong values against Tony Evers back in 2018. When Republican disunity gave Senate Democrats unexpected leverage during the budget hearing, Roys showed herself ready to use it. Even when our miserable, weak Governor Evers and Senate Minority Leader Hesselbein wanted Senators to fold, Roys fought for the people. In her campaign announcement, Roys emphasized fighting Trump and protecting education and healthcare.
Our predictions may prove wrong. Wisconsin’s polite, notoriously conflict averse electorate might balk at Francesca Hong’s brash “tax the fucking billionaires!” approach and outsider status. If so, we need the most progressive back up plan possible. Unless Barnes joins the race and runs on his original principles rather than failed centrist strategy, Roys is clearly that back up. She has more experience than Hong and a more patient, tactful approach, but also a demonstrated ability to stand firm for Wisconsin rather than conceding to powerful elites or the party establishment.
Let’s not hedge our bets too soon! Hong is currently looking more popular and electable than Roys. If everyone who wants to tax the fucking billionaires threw some cash or volunteer hours into team Hong, especially at this early phase of the race, we’d be well on our way to getting ourselves a governor to believe in.
