Wisconsin Dem primary deadlocks; Trump picks split
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- Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary is deadlocked with 94% of votes counted — David Crowley, backed by Governor Tony Evers, leads democratic socialist Francesca Hong by less than one percentage point (39.9% to 39.5%)
- Hong, running without endorsements from Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is pushing to abolish ICE, impose a one-year data-centre moratorium and raise taxes on billionaires — and has walked back past social media posts calling to 'Cancel Thanksgiving'
- Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota's progressive Lieutenant Governor, beat moderate Representative Angie Craig 59% to 39.4% in the state's Democratic Senate primary
- Trump-endorsed Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO and promoter of debunked 2020 election-fraud claims, lost Minnesota's Republican gubernatorial primary to House Speaker Lisa Demuth, 32.5% to 43.4%, despite a personal 'SPECTACULAR' Truth Social endorsement from Trump in May
- Rhett Marques, Trump-backed candidate, won Alabama's newly redrawn 2nd Congressional District Republican primary with 50% of the vote, buoyed by a Supreme Court-approved redrawn map that eliminates a Black-majority district
- Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, advanced to an August 25 GOP run-off against Representative Ralph Norman (32.7% to 24.7%) in South Carolina, though critics called her candidacy a 'coronation' based on family name and Trump's backing
- Vermont Democrats saw Amanda Janoo win the gubernatorial primary 49.1% to 46.5% over Aly Richards, while Republican incumbent Phil Scott ran unopposed
- A Reuters/Ipsos poll cited in the coverage found over 70% of liberal Democrats call it 'essential' their candidates support raising corporate/billionaire taxes (76%), expanding abortion access (72%) and universal government healthcare (71%)
Why it matters: Minnesota is the cleanest natural experiment of Trump's 2025 endorsement clout: Mike Lindell, personally boosted by Trump on Truth Social in May, lost the GOP gubernatorial primary by nearly 11 points. Wisconsin's sub-one-point spread means the progressive-vs-establishment Democratic fight won't be resolved before November, when the winner faces Republican Tom Tiffany, who locked his nomination with 95.3%.
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