A new poll finds state Rep. Francesca Hong with a commanding lead in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor.
The poll released Tuesday by the nonprofit State Navigate and sponsored by UpNorthNews and Main Street Alliance asked nearly 1,100 Wisconsinites their preference in the Aug. 11 primary. The survey was in the field from July 23 through July 26 — after the chaotic withdrawal of Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and reentry into the race of Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points.
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It found Hong leading other Democrats by nearly 30 points.
“She’s gonna win this primary,” said Chaz Nuttycombe, founder and executive director of State Navigate in an interview with WPR. He pointed to her being strongly favored among voters in the survey, and a strong backup choice to other candidates.
When pressed to make a choice, 44% of Democrats polled said they would vote for Hong, compared to 15% for Crowley and 14 % for former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. State Sen. Kelda Roys, former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan and Rodriguez all had 4% support. Thirteen percent of voters said they did not know who they favored.
State Navigate’s new poll showed that Hong has strong support from young voters, especially those under age 29.
It’s the second poll in two weeks to name the democratic socialist as the leader in the primary. In a survey that did not include Crowley, the Marquette Law School Poll found Hong in the lead. But Marquette also found almost half of Democratic voters were still undecided about who they’d ultimately pick.
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