WI-GOV: The Surprising Campaign of Rep. Francesca Hong
State Rep. Francesca Hong’s campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor seemed quixotic at best. She was going against better-known candidates like the former lieutenant governor and 2022 U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes and those with more executive experience like Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and was starting out with perhaps the smallest power base, representing an Assembly district with just a portion of the city of Madison.
But she has far outperformed expectations. The January reports on campaign contributions showed her with 5,477 unique donors, far ahead of Barnes, who was second with 3,360, and then Rodriguez, with 2,095 unique donors, as Urban Milwaukee reported.
Then came the Marquette Law School poll in late February showing she was the first choice of respondents, with 11% favoring her for governor, compared to 10% for Barnes and 6% for current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez. MU pollster Charles Franklin put that result at the bottom of the poll’s section on the governor’s race, noting that 65% of respondents hadn’t decided.
“The results show people aren’t thinking about the race much,” he cautioned in remarks to Urban Milwaukee. “Just 8% have heard a lot. So it’s too early to handicap front runners. Except for Barnes, Hong and Rodriguez, the candidates are barely known. The spring will be a time for greater attention and voters forming more solid impressions.”
https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2026/03/09/murphys-law-the-surprising-campaign-of-rep-francesca-hong/