WASHINGTON — The headline from Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary may be that progressive state Rep. Francesca Hong fell short, but Washington Post analyst Josh Rogin says the real story is how close she came — and what that says about the trajectory of the party’s left wing.
Appearing on Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “NewsNight,” Rogin pushed back against the notion that Hong’s defeat represents a repudiation of progressive politics. Instead, he argued, the outcome reflects voter concerns about electability — not ideological rejection — and that the progressive “message is actually on the rise.”
‘Weak candidate, without any establishment support, almost won’
Rogin, The Washington Post’s intelligence lead and global security analyst, framed Hong’s performance as a warning sign for establishment Democrats who might be tempted to declare the party’s progressive wing in retreat.
“I think a lot of people are missing the story here. It’s not that she lost, it’s that, weak candidate, without any establishment support, almost won,” Rogin said. “She got 39 percent of the vote in Wisconsin, okay? And that’s not the state where the DSA is supposed to win.”
Hong, a Madison Democrat and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, captured nearly two-fifths of the primary vote despite lacking the institutional backing that typically anchors statewide campaigns. Rogin noted that but for “those stumbles in the final weeks, she would’ve won.”
According to Rogin, the narrow margin — Hong came within 0.5 points of clinching the nomination — should serve as a wake-up call to party leaders who believe progressive energy is fading.
Electability concerns, not ideology, drove the outcome
“She didn’t lose because of the message, she lost because the voters questioned her electability,” Rogin said, drawing a sharp distinction between ideological appeal and practical political calculations.
That analysis suggests that while Democratic primary voters may still harbor doubts about a progressive candidate’s ability to win a general election, they are increasingly open to left-wing policy positions — a shift Rogin characterized as part of a longer-term trend.
“That message, that progressive whatever it is message, is gaining steam, even in Wisconsin, compared to yesterday, compared to last year, and will continue to gain steam,” he said.
A signal for the party’s future
Rogin’s comments come as Democrats grapple with internal divisions over strategy and messaging heading into the 2026 midterms. Wisconsin, a perennial battleground state, has often been viewed as a proving ground for whether progressive candidates can compete outside deep-blue strongholds.
Hong’s performance — nearly toppling an establishment-backed rival in a state where democratic socialist candidates have historically struggled — suggests the party’s leftward push is broadening its geographic reach, even if it hasn’t yet broken through to victory.
“So, I think if Democrats were smart, they would pay attention to the fact that she came within 0.5 points of becoming the nominee,” Rogin added.
Whether party leaders heed that advice remains an open question, but the Wisconsin primary has injected new energy into the debate over how Democrats should position themselves in the races to come.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/08/13/wapos-rogin-hong-didnt-lose-due-to-lefty-message-it-was-electability-fear-lefty-message-is-on-the-rise/