Archive · 12 Aug 2026

Moderate Crowley edges Hong in Wisconsin primary; Lindell loses Minnesota

Moderate Crowley edges Hong in Wisconsin primary; Lindell loses Minnesota

Every few years, states hold special elections called primaries so that voters can pick which candidates will run for big jobs like governor.

On Tuesday, voters in two states — Wisconsin and Minnesota — chose their party's candidates for governor and for other big jobs.

In Wisconsin, two Democrats wanted to run for governor: Francesca Hong, who wants big changes, and David Crowley, who is more moderate.

The race was very close, and news organizations projected that Crowley won by just a few hundred votes.

Crowley will now face a Republican named Tom Tiffany in the big November election.

In Minnesota, Mike Lindell wanted the Republican job, and President Trump told people to vote for him — but Lindell lost anyway to Lisa Demuth.

Minnesota Democrats picked Peggy Flanagan to run for the United States Senate, a job that Tina Smith is leaving.

These results show that voters are still deciding how much change they want, and that even a president's support does not always decide an election.

Sources