Minnesota-Wisconsin primaries: Hong, Flanagan, Craig in key races

Progressives and moderates will once again face off in the Democratic primaries in Wisconsin and Minnesota on Tuesday. The party will decide whether to move further to the left or center after a crushing loss to Republicans in 2024.

Populist progressives have used economic anger to defeat establishment Democratic candidates across the country in recent months, sparking potentially dramatic political changes within the party. Last week in Michigan, progressive former health official Abdul El-Sayed defeated more moderate Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens in the primary to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.). — the latest stunning upset for party establishment figures who have long supported Stevens.

Progressive excitement will be put to the test again on Tuesday as candidates in the mold of New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders, R-Vt., compete against establishment-backed moderates for gubernatorial and U.S. Senate nominations in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

In Wisconsin, Francesca Hong is running to become the state’s next governor and is the clear favorite in polls heading into Election Day. Hong, who leads his field by double digits in recent polls, is endorsed by the Milwaukee chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and is a die-hard progressive. Prominent Democrats such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) also support Hong.

Some of Hong’s past statements have gained attention in recent days, including calling for the cancellation of Thanksgiving and the abolition of the police. Hong has since distanced himself from both statements.

He is running against a camp that includes more moderate Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is backed by outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Mr. Crowley had previously withdrawn from the race, but some Democrats feared that Mr. Hong was too progressive to win the general election in the purple state, so he re-entered and secured the support of Mr. Evers.

Hong’s platform includes providing universal child care, creating public grocery stores, establishing a public option health plan, and starting a public bank. She also called for higher taxes on Wisconsin’s wealthy to pay for more services.

The Democratic winner will likely face Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) in the general election. Tiffany has served in the House of Representatives since 2020, representing northern Wisconsin. He is a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Tiffany proposes freezing property taxes, reducing other tax increases and increasing energy production.

The Republican Party is capitalizing on the rise of progressives within the Democratic Party and labeling the left wing of the party as “communists.” Not a single Democrat who will be attracting attention in this year’s major primaries supports communist policies.

In Minnesota, progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and moderate Democratic Rep. Angie Craig are locked in a tight race to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Del.).

Flanagan, the state’s No. 2 candidate after outgoing Gov. Tim Walz, has run a progressive campaign and has received support from Smith as well as influential left-wing politicians such as Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, as well as the backing of the official state Democratic Party, the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, but unlike Hong, he does not have the backing of the Twin Cities DSA branch.

She is pushing for a universal health care system known as Medicare for All, wants to dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and wants to end the sale of assault weapons to Israel.

Support for Israel has become a flashpoint for Democrats in the primaries, as many on the left object to the Jewish state’s actions during the Gaza war, which began in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Flanagan called Israel’s actions “genocide.”

But Mr. Flanagan has come under fire for his closeness to Mr. Walz and for a series of social services fraud scandals that led to his 2024 running mate abandoning his bid for re-election. Flanagan expressed regret that the administration did not act sooner, but defended the administration’s response and subsequent crackdown on wrongdoing.

President Donald Trump and his Republican allies used years-old fraud allegations to launch an immigration crackdown and cut off some Medicaid funding in Minnesota earlier this year.

In a debate with Flanagan, Mr. Craig said, “Republicans are going to have a hell of a time with you” over the connection to the fraud scandal.

Craig, on the other hand, is a moderate who flipped a Republican-held seat in 2018. She moved to the top minority position on the House Agriculture Committee this Congress, defeating several other strong candidates to secure the seat.

She argues that her ability to win in purple districts makes her the best candidate against Republicans in what is expected to be a close election. Craig has received support from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Although Mr. Craig does not support Medicare for All, he has introduced a bill that would create a government-run health care plan known as a public option or Medicare for All. Craig also supports traditional U.S.-Israel relations, and last month voted against an amendment that would have stripped U.S. aid to Israel, expressing dissatisfaction with the current Israeli leadership.

But Craig has been criticized for being the only Minnesota Democrat to vote in favor of the Laken-Riley law. The bill would require ICE to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested, charged with, or convicted of robbery, theft, theft, shoplifting, assault on a law enforcement officer, or any crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

Immigration enforcement has become a hot topic in Minnesota after federal agents shot and killed two Americans in the state during an immigration crackdown earlier this year.

Mr. Craig later withdrew his support for the bill, saying he regretted it in an op-ed in the Minnesota Star Tribune and calling it “the wrong decision” in a debate with Mr. Flanagan last month.

Mr. Flanagan pounced on Mr. Craig for a vote.

Flanagan said of Craig’s vote during the debate: “It is appalling to vote for Donald Trump’s immigration bill, which has terrorized our communities and enabled loss of life, economic impact and trauma, three days into the second Trump administration.”

Tuesday’s Democratic winner is expected to face Republican Michelle Tafoya in the general election. Tafoya, a former sports broadcaster, is leading in opinion polls by a wide margin.

Minnesota will also hold its gubernatorial primary on Tuesday, which will likely determine who Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will face in the general election. The Republican camp includes MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and Minnesota Congresswoman Lisa Demuth.