Cow country coup catapults Crowley over commie. A firsthand account.
Madison, Wis. — It was just before 11 p.m., and the mood in the Atwood Music Hall’s auditorium waxed to euphoria as Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong of Dane County took the lead over Milwaukee County’s David Crowley, and then waned to the happy rumble of pregamed college students at their first watch party. In between, they booed when Trump was on the CNN feed and cheered when Madison or Hong was mentioned. The vibes were good, and the numbers — mere Persian esoterica when Red Bull and alcohol thin the bloodstream — were much too anti-vibes to be bothered with. After all, Hong was only down a few thousand votes, and she’d get them at some point . . . it was inevitable.
Hong attendees celebrate a tie game in Madison as their candidate drew even with Crowley for a moment before the terminal descent. Time: 10:06 PM pic.twitter.com/W00djTDjAO
— Luther R. Abel (@lutherabel1) August 12, 2026
However, descend the stairs stage right into the basement, and the Hong team — with their triple stack “Hong Hong Hong” shirts — was slumped against walls and bathroom signage as they reckoned with their campaign’s almost certain defeat once the mail-in ballots of Milwaukee were to be tabulated in the wee hours. Their own county had gone for Hong, currently representing the region in the Wisconsin State Assembly, only by seven points. Marquette, the region’s premier polling outfit, had Hong in the lead by 22 points statewide just two weeks before. It was a certified gobsmacker, especially for a surging fringe movement that had been a media darling for months.
Even hours before, just 45 minutes after polls closed, one could see the campaign was spooked. Standing next to the stage, I watched as Hong’s hype man took the mic and shouted victory while his face sweated defeat.
Pity the losing campaign’s hype man. pic.twitter.com/q6P1UO5gxa
— Luther R. Abel (@lutherabel1) August 12, 2026
David Crowley owes Kelda Roys the position of her choosing should Crowley defeat Republican Tom Tiffany in the general election. Roys, a progressive who promoted many of the statist interventions of Hong, managed to attract 7.5 percent of the overall — nearly 60,000 votes in an election decided by fewer than 4,000.
Kelda Roys kneecapped Francesca Hong like she was a pulling guard. Ouch. Progressive on socialist violence.
— Luther R. Abel (@lutherabel1) August 12, 2026
While I watched the crowd watch the returns, I turned to see our very own Caroline Downey mixing it up with the CNN election-night coverage.
Spotted at the Francesca Hong watch party in Wisconsin 👀 pic.twitter.com/jWyaxz9Lde
— Caroline Downey (@carolinedowney_) August 12, 2026
Amusingly, and only so because they lost, the Hong campaign was barring right-wing media from entry. Fox News and others were pulled from the line and told to make themselves scarce. National Review was the sole conservative presence on the floor, which seems worth a subscription.
Git gud? https://t.co/70ANIqTmqw pic.twitter.com/kTOJ1ceA3Q
— Luther R. Abel (@lutherabel1) August 12, 2026
The Democratic Socialists have suffered a humiliating defeat after the near miss of El-Sayed in Michigan.
Relative to the socialist he’s a centrist. Good on Dems for making the sane choice. https://t.co/FgAXFo84sb
— Luther R. Abel (@lutherabel1) August 12, 2026
Dairyland Dems have proved themselves capable of rebuffing socialist interlopers (which is to say civic arsonists). . . . May others elsewhere do the same. Games of chicken with opponents boosting the most insane elements of their counterparts have no place in the serious business of governance.