Subscribers like you are seeing these results before anyone else.

(And trust us, there’s a growing wait list of folks eager to join you here. Aren’t you glad you made reservations?) 

We’ve teamed up with Main Street Action and pollster State Navigate to give you the latest read on voters in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor.

Before we jump into it, we want to welcome everyone who’s visiting us for the first time. Don’t be a stranger. We normally publish this newsletter from our Chippewa Falls lakeside newsroom every Thursday evening around 6:00 p.m., about the time your humble editor is ready to head out and order some cheese curds and a tasty beverage. 

It’s our review of top Wisconsin political headlines from the week, with plenty of links to stories across the UpNorthNews website and social media platforms — including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. — and a little supper club wisdom shared at no extra charge.

Nice to have you here. Let’s get right to the reason you stopped by: the first poll to measure the current field of Democratic candidates for governor, which underwent significant upheaval a couple of weeks ago.

Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison) has widened her lead over the other candidates in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, according to a statewide poll conducted by State Navigate for UpNorthNews and Main Street Action. After asking undecided voters which candidate they’re leaning toward supporting, Hong picks up 44% of respondents (42% before pushing those who were first noncommittal). 

It marks the first time Hong has exceeded 40% support in a poll, and her total is now more than double that of the next two closest candidates: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (15%) and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (14%).

Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and former Administration Secretary Joel Brennan remain at single-digit support and their 4% is matched by Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, who dropped out of the race.

The poll of 1,085 likely Democratic primary voters in Wisconsin was fielded from July 23-26, 2026. The survey has a margin of error of ±3%. Respondents were contacted via text and completed an online survey designed by the State Navigate Polling Committee. Results were weighted by party identification, age, gender, race, education, voter registration date, and region, with benchmarks derived from the voter file, the US Census Bureau, and prior election results.

Voters were asked about their second choice for gubernatorial candidate. Barnes was cited most often, by 20% of respondents, followed by Crowley with 12%, and Hong and Roys at 9%. 

There’s much more in the poll that you can read on our website starting at 11:30am, including which issues matter most to voters and the percentage of the primary electorate that self-identifies as Democratic Socialist, but you’re the first to see these topline numbers showing Hong’s growing lead. UpNorthNews will update our coverage with reaction from Hong and others who will be watching the candidates tonight in their only televised debate.

Today also marks the beginning of early in-person absentee voting at local election clerks’ offices. To learn your polling place and its voting hours, go to the Wisconsin Elections Commission voter website: MyVote.WI.gov.

From our regular Thursday installment of our Question of the Week: We’re currently asking if you think the eventual primary winner will barely win or barely break a sweat? After all, despite Hong’s strong showing in this poll, we’ve already seen that a lot can change by the time Election Day rolls around. So click the box below to head to our website and tell us what you think.

Click on your choice and feel free to say more in the comment box—and leave your first name and hometown so we can share your answer in our next Thursday edition.

That’s all for this special edition of our newsletter. We’ll have our usual family-style helping of news, features, and links to other UpNorthNews coverage in our regular Thursday evening get-together. Until then, you can stay up to date all day with our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Thanks for reading!