Dem frontrunners David Crowley and Francesca Hong highlighted their experiences as elected officials and warned of the dangers of presumptive GOP nominee Tom Tiffany ahead of today’s gubernatorial primary election.

Hong, a state rep from Madison, has continued to lead Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, and the rest of the Democratic primary field by double digits in the latest polling.

“I knew, as a wild card, as an outsider, I would have to out-hustle folks. And what that has allowed us to do is actually listen to more voters, to meet more voters, and make sure that voters know that they have a fighter in Francesca Hong and a home in our movement,” Hong said at a Madison event.

Hong held events with campaign volunteers in both Madison and Sun Prairie yesterday, while Crowley also made a Madison stop along with events in Oshkosh, Stevens Point and Milwaukee. 

While Hong leads in the polls, Crowley said his campaign has “caught lightning in a bottle” and is continuing to build momentum. He highlighted his experience as both a legislator and county executive.

“I actually got stuff done, and I’m not sure what any of my opponents, including Tom Tiffany, can actually point to,” Crowley said.

Crowley reported more than $1 million in donations since re-entering the race July 18 following the financial woes of Dem candidate and Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez that resulted in her departure from the race. Crowley had endorsed Rodriguez upon suspending his campaign July 8, then got the backing of Dem Gov. Tony Evers when he jumped back in.

“The primary has been chaotic; it’s been messy, but so is our democracy, and at the end of the day it’s about making sure all of our voters across this state, that they have great options,” Crowley said. 

Aside from the comment on his experience, Crowley didn’t make comments about his primary opponents. When asked about one of Hong’s past tweets, the county executive said that he “likes Thanksgiving” and his favorite food is dressing. 

The comments come amid national media attention this past week over a 2020 tweet from Hong to “cancel thanksgiving.” Hong has since walked back that statement and said her campaign was “not about the tweets” but about the people of Wisconsin. 

“It’s not just about winning tomorrow, but it’s about uniting our borders. It’s about bringing in new voters. It’s about making sure everyone in Wisconsin sees themselves in our vision for a better Wisconsin for everyone,” Hong said.

Hong did not mention any of her fellow Dems at the Madison campaign event but did call Tiffany both an “election denier” and a “traitor.”

Crowley and Hong face former DOA Secretary Joel Brennan and state Sen. Kelda Roys of Madison in the Democratic gubernatorial primary today.

Evers stood by his late endorsement of Crowley, though the governor said he “might have done it a week or two earlier.”

Evers has joined Crowley in a last-minute campaign blitz across the state ahead of the gubernatorial primary, including a visit with around a dozen campaign volunteers in Madison yesterday. 

On his decision to endorse, Evers said yesterday he “felt that of the remaining four, David clearly was the candidate that I would support.”

Crowley announced his return to the race July 18 with Evers’ endorsement against a field at the time that included Hong, Brennan, Roys and former Lt Gov. Mandela Barnes. Barnes has since dropped out.

Evers said he had not spoken to any of the other Dem guv candidates or asked them to drop out. He said he would campaign for Hong if she won the primary, despite previously questioning if she could win a general election against Tiffany, since “the alternative is not good.”

Like Crowley, he pushed back on the framing of the race between Crowley and Hong as a matter of the party establishment versus progressives, saying the Democratic Party “has been open to all sorts of folks.” 

“We’re a big tent. We can handle this and continue our big tent ways of winning races,” Evers said.