{"id":1777,"date":"2026-06-25T21:11:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T21:11:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=1777"},"modified":"2026-06-25T21:11:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T21:11:23","slug":"democratic-socialists-battleground-test-from-the-politics-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=1777","title":{"rendered":"Democratic socialists\u2019 battleground test: From the Politics Desk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Welcome to <\/em>From the Politics Desk<\/em>, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team\u2019s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Mother and son identified as skeletal remains found in Connecticut home bought at auction<\/a><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s edition, Adam Edelman explains why Wisconsin is set to serve as a major test of the extent of democratic socialists\u2019 newfound clout. Plus, Matt Dixon digs into North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley\u2019s ties to the state. <\/em><\/p>\n

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Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Adam Wollner<\/em><\/p>\n

Riding primary momentum, democratic socialists eye a battleground state breakthrough<\/h2>\n

By Adam Edelman<\/h3>\n

After a string of primary successes this month in deep-blue corners of the country, democratic socialists will face a major test on whether their appeal can translate to a battleground state later this summer.<\/p>\n

In Wisconsin, a lengthy list of Democrats are competing to be the next governor, including Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez<\/strong>, who serves alongside retiring Gov. Tony Evers<\/strong>, and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes<\/strong>, who narrowly lost the 2022 Senate race in the state.<\/p>\n

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But it\u2019s been another candidate \u2014 state Rep. Francesca Hong<\/strong>, a democratic socialist \u2014 who has unexpectedly seen a surge of momentum in recent weeks in a field that lacks a clear front-runner. Hong has been at the top of the limited public polling ahead of the August primary and placed second this month in a straw poll at the Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention.<\/p>\n

As the contest enters its final stretch, Hong is seeking to capitalize on victories by democratic socialists and their allies across the country. On Tuesday, three candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/strong> won House primaries, including two that featured Democratic incumbents. That followed democratic socialist candidates winning the Democratic primary for mayor in Washington, D.C., and advancing to a runoff in the Los Angeles mayoral race.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great day to be a democratic socialist,\u201d Hong posted on X yesterday. \u201cWisconsin is next!\u201d<\/p>\n

But those recent democratic socialist wins have all been in mayoral or congressional primaries in solidly Democratic urban centers. The challenge for Hong \u2014 who represents liberal Madison in the Legislature and has faced scrutiny for her past calls to defund and abolish the police \u2014 is making a similar campaign viable in a statewide primary in one of the most closely divided places politically in the country. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe socialist label is less scary to people than it used to be, and people are often choosing them as a rejection of the status quo,\u201d said Andrew Mamo<\/strong>, a Democratic strategist who has worked on campaigns in Wisconsin in previous cycles. \u201cAnd certainly, people\u2019s hopes are up in a way that they haven\u2019t been historically.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the landscape in Wisconsin is different,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about going for a statewide win in a state that [Donald] Trump<\/strong> won twice.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Read more \u2192<\/strong><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd35 Related:<\/strong> Democratic rift over the party\u2019s future widens amid the left\u2019s New York victories, by Natasha Korecki and Allan Smith<\/p>\n

Read more Grandmother suspected in deaths of daughter and four grandchildren in New York apartment, police say<\/a><\/p>\n

For subscribers: Pete Buttigieg is on the road again and aiming to be \u2018useful\u2019 as he weighs a 2028 bid<\/h2>\n

The former Biden Cabinet member and 2020 presidential candidate is working to connect with Black voters and others who feel left behind by the Democratic Party. Henry J. Gomez reports from the campaign trail in Little Rock, Ark. <\/p>\n

Keep reading \u2192<\/strong><\/p>\n

Michael Whatley\u2019s Michigan roots largely disappear from his bio as he runs for Senate in North Carolina<\/h2>\n

By Matt Dixon<\/h3>\n

Former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley <\/strong>has made his ties to western North Carolina a central part of his Senate campaign against former Gov. Roy Cooper<\/strong>, frequently talking about how he \u201cgrew up\u201d in the tiny town of Blowing Rock. An NBC News review found that Whatley has used some variation of that line at least 15 times since he announced his Senate run in July.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up in a tiny, little town in North Carolina called Blowing Rock,\u201d Whatley told conservative commentator Mark Levin<\/strong> in December. \u201cWe have one stoplight and a Hardee\u2019s. You know, I went to church and I played sports and I worked.\u201d<\/p>\n

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But records show that Whatley spent most of his childhood away from North Carolina. He was born in Michigan and stayed there until his early high school years. He then lived in Blowing Rock for roughly three years before going elsewhere in the state for college.<\/p>\n

Whatley\u2019s campaign spokesperson said that the brief period of time he lived in Blowing Rock was formative for him, and there is no contradiction when he calls himself a \u201cson\u201d of the region. <\/p>\n

\u201cMichael Whatley moved to Blowing Rock, graduated from Watauga High School, earned degrees from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Wake Forest University, and today is a proud resident of Gaston County,\u201d said DJ Griffin<\/strong>, his campaign\u2019s communications director. <\/p>\n

He added that Whatley \u201cbecame an adult\u201d in western North Carolina.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a different sentiment than the one the candidate expresses regularly on the stump. His own campaign website says he was \u201craised in Blowing Rock\u201d and makes no mention of his Michigan roots.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f Today’s other top stories<\/h2>\n