David Crowley wins Wisconsin Democratic governor primary despite trailing in polls

David Crowley won Wisconsin's Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday, beating Francesca Hong by less than one percentage point. The result surprised many people, because recent polls had shown Hong leading by up to 36 points.

Crowley, who runs Milwaukee County, had actually stopped his campaign more than a month before the vote. He then rejoined the race less than a month before election day. Hong, a state representative, had faced bad publicity in the final days of the campaign.

Analysts think many undecided voters moved to Crowley very late, too late for polls to notice. Some also believe Hong's supporters were more likely to answer polls than Crowley's were. It was the second week in a row that a progressive Democrat lost despite a large polling lead.