It was in the summer of 2025 that Gov. Tony Evers announced he would not seek a third term in office. The number of candidates seeking to win the Democratic nomination for governor eventually surged to seven, but one week out from the primary Election Day, there were just four left. After the night of Tuesday, Aug. 11, the party will seek to unite behind the winner against the presumptive Republican nominee Tom Tiffany.

“You know, I think right now, we are truly in a movement moment,” said Francesca Hong.

On a Wednesday night in July, there’s a packed house at the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Ozaukee County in Grafton. It’s standing room only to hear from Hong, the front-runner in the 2026 Democratic primary for governor.

“I may not be the most polished candidate. I know that there are questions about executive experience and leadership,” she said.

A democratic socialist, Hong has served three terms in the Wisconsin Assembly — not the typical resume for a gubernatorial candidate.

“I would say, one of the most powerful messages that I carry with me, in knowing maybe this is time for a leader like me,” she said.

Hong has consistently polled well ahead of the rest of the field and her political movement is built on bringing new people into the voting booth.

“It’s imperative that we grow a coalition and the electorate. For Democrats to win power and maintain power, we have to make sure that our coalition is multi-generational, multi-faith and with, representing zip codes from all across the state,” she said. “It’s exciting to hear folks have their plan to vote and it’s their first time to vote.”

David Crowley, who serves as Milwaukee County Executive and was previously in the Assembly, is polling second in the Democratic primary a week out from the election, and just a few weeks after stepped out of the race.

“Democracy can be messy,” he said in an interview.

Crowley dropped out in early July and endorsed Sara Rodriguez, but then got back in after her campaign blew up a week later — this time with the endorsement of Evers. This in-and-out maneuver is not recommended for candidates, but Crowley probably got more attention than if he was in the race the whole time.

“Hindsight is always 20/20, right? So trying to wonder what would have happened or how things would have unfolded if I was in this race, we don’t know. I can’t look into a crystal ball, but we did see a resurgence of energy,” he said. “I mean, I think we had more people at our relaunch party than was at our launch party.”

Joel Brennan, a former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration in Evers’ first term, and Kelda Roys, a state senator who has also served in the Assembly, are the other two Democrats in the race.

“Campaigns change in very short order,” Brennan said.

They have consistently polled in the low single digits, and share the idea that if more people knew their names they’d have more support.

“My challenge from the beginning has been that I am just not as well-known as other candidates, not as well-known in some parts of the state. I think when people have seen and heard from me, they understand my experience, the work that I’ve done, the vision that I have — like, I win over lots of those people,” Brennan added in an interview.

“We need a candidate at the top of the ticket who will not only beat Tom Tiffany, but help us deliver a Democratic Assembly and Senate,” Roys said. “Most importantly, we need somebody who’s actually capable of doing the job of governing.”

Waiting on the other side of the primary is Tom Tiffany, a U.S. representative from northern Wisconsin who is largely unopposed in the Republican primary.

“Are we going to stop big government socialism right here in Wisconsin? Yeah,” Tiffany said at a rally on July 28 in Muskego.

Tiffany’s record in Congress and the Wisconsin Legislature before that shows he is a far-right conservative, but he has spent millions introducing himself to the state as a folksy everyman.

“My mom quilts. I’ve been a dam tender, a boat captain and a girl dad, with perfect attendance at 20 ‘Nutcrackers,'” he said in one ad.

“Tom, you know ma’s going to hold you to it,” said a family member in another ad. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Tiffany replied.

“Yeah, I mean it was one of the goals from the start, was to make sure that people got to meet me on my own terms,” he said in an interview.

Democrats have spent their millions on their own ads, but aren’t worried Tiffany has gained too much of an advantage.

“Tom Tiffany has been the front-runner presumptive nominee for months. To still be doing intro ads is a little bit embarrassing,” Hong said.

“Listen, I like Old Fashioneds. I’ve got four daughters and a son — I like going to ‘The Nutcracker’ with them. That is not what qualifies me to be governor,” said Roys.

“We don’t have to redefine, we just have to make sure that people know who he has always been. And like my grandma used to say, you know, when someone shows you who they are the first time you have to believe them,” Crowley said.

“Whoever wins this primary is going to come out with wind at our back, with momentum, and then will be the time where Tom Tiffany can’t just look over his shoulder and talk about his mother. He’s going to have to look over his shoulder and talk about Donald Trump,” said Brennan.

After the primary, Tiffany’s ads will have an opponent to attack by name. For his part, Tiffany said he’s not worried about which Democrat he faces.

“There really isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between the candidates,” Tiffany said. “I mean, they’re very similar and whoever comes out of the primary is going to be advocating for the same stuff.”