First off, congrats to David Crowley. Democrats and Progressives should absolutely unite to support him, and I will vote for him as soon as voting opens.

However, Francesca Hong's popularity and the passion she ignited should still stand for something. There's a reason she had momentum and David Crowley up until just a few days ago dropped out. Progressivism is becoming more popular in Wisconsin and in the nation in general, and respectfully Crowley likely got this far because the Democratic Party rallied around him at the last possible moment to keep Hong from winning. Crowley still won the Democratic primary, and no progressive/socialist-leaning politics are not fully embraced by the mainstream, but all of that still seems significant.

So my question is, where does that leave progressive politics in Wisconsin? Does this make any impact in the state, or do we embrace the status quo and stick to the party lines? Because a lot of what she ran on still seems pretty popular and got Wisconsin citizens excited for the first time in a while. Regardless of who won, it seems sad if that gets lost. And some of the headlines are in essence viewing this as the Democratic establishment squashing progressivism in the state, which seems rather deflating for those of us who care about those issues. It would be nice to see somebody tap into what actually excites their population and what we actually want rather than what will get their party's endorsement in the hopes it makes them more electable.

What Does Hong’s Popularity Mean for Progressivism Moving Forward?