{"id":3855,"date":"2026-08-12T22:39:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T22:39:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3855"},"modified":"2026-08-12T22:39:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T22:39:19","slug":"3-takeaways-from-david-crowleys-comeback-from-the-politics-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=3855","title":{"rendered":"3 takeaways from David Crowley\u2019s comeback: 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 Fears grow that the possible closing of federal archives sites could bury key parts of American history<\/a><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s edition, we break down the key lessons from last night\u2019s Wisconsin primary upset. Plus, Andrea Mitchell digs into the fraying relationship between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/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

3 takeaways from David Crowley\u2019s comeback<\/h2>\n

Analysis by Adam Wollner<\/h3>\n

Five weeks ago, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley<\/strong> dropped out of the Wisconsin governor\u2019s race, saying \u201cit has become clear that I will not be the Democratic nominee.\u201d <\/p>\n

Today, that\u2019s exactly what he is. Crowley\u2019s primary victory is one of the more astonishing political comebacks in recent memory. He relaunched his campaign 10 days after he ended it, as establishment Democrats embarked on a last-minute mission to stop the rise of state Rep. Francesca Hong<\/strong>, a democratic socialist. <\/p>\n

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Here are three reasons that help explain how he pulled it off. <\/p>\n

1. An unusually volatile race. <\/strong>There were several twists and turns that shook up the final stretch of the primary. In addition to Crowley\u2019s re-emergence, two other prominent contenders \u2014 Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez<\/strong> and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes<\/strong> \u2014 also abruptly dropped out last month. <\/p>\n

Left with two leading candidates in Hong and Crowley, neither of whom had ever run statewide, a large chunk of the electorate didn\u2019t decide who they were backing until late. A Marquette University Law School poll conducted July 22-27 showed that a third of primary voters were undecided and 16% backed Barnes, who would end his campaign days later. The survey showed Hong at 38% \u2014 close to her final vote share, as Bridget Bowman points out \u2014 and Crowley at 7%. <\/p>\n

That suggests undecided voters who weren\u2019t previously tuned into the mid-summer contest swung sharply to Crowley in the closing days. <\/p>\n

2. Democratic voters still prize electability. <\/strong>Another important development that happened after the well-regarded Marquette poll was in the field: Hong underwent more intense scrutiny. During a series of national interviews, Hong was pressed on \u2014 and walked back \u2014 some of her past controversial positions, fueling concerns she was too far outside the mainstream to win a general election in the swing state.<\/p>\n

That argument was furthered by Tony Evers<\/strong>, the popular outgoing two-term governor, as he barnstormed the state with Crowley. <\/p>\n

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Madison voter Ali Plummer<\/strong> told Shaquille Brewster that she backed a lot of Hong\u2019s policies, but ultimately cast her ballot for Crowley because she\u2019s a \u201crisk-averse person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the primary, you want to vote for your conscience, but I really was like, we\u2019d have to beat Tom Tiffany<\/strong>, so I voted for David Crowley,\u201d Plummer said.<\/p>\n

3. The importance of TV ads. <\/strong>As far as competitive statewide contests go, Wisconsin didn\u2019t see much in the way of ad spending. But the ads that did air were largely pro-Crowley leading up to primary day.<\/p>\n

Crowley\u2019s campaign and allied outside groups spent $4 million on ads after he got back into the race. By comparison, Hong\u2019s campaign and groups supporting her spent less than a half-million dollars on ads throughout the primary \u2014 none of which ran on broadcast or cable TV. <\/p>\n

Even though campaigns have been forced to adapt to an increasingly fractured media environment, old-fashioned TV ads have not outlived their usefulness.<\/p>\n

Read more How David Crowley pulled off the \u2018unbelievable\u2019: Winning in Wisconsin after dropping out<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddf3\ufe0f More from last night\u2019s primaries:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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