Your Daily Guide

Crowley Narrowly Beats Hong For Governor

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley upset State Rep. Francesca Hong to become the Democratic nominee for governor. With 98% of votes counted, Crowley had 39.78% of the vote compared to Hong’s 39.37% when the Associated Press called the race at 2:34 a.m. Wednesday morning.

• The margin is within a single percentage point, which is close enough that Hong could have asked for a recount if her campaign paid for it. But she conceded the race. Polls had shown Hong with a commanding lead in the race leading up to the election, but polling also showed many voters were still undecided.
• Crowley will face U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who cruised to victory over medical services technician Andy Manske in the Republican primary, in the Nov. 3 general election. [AP]

DIna Nina Martinez-Rutherford Wins in District 76: Winning in a crowded Democratic field, Madison Alder Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford is the Democratic nominee for Hong’s seat representing Assembly District 76, which covers much of the isthmus and the east and north sides of the city.

• Martinez-Rutherford is heavily favored to win the general election over Republican candidate Nina Chat. A victory would make her the first openly transgender person to serve in the state legislature. [News 3]

Other Statewide Races: David Varnam will join Tiffany’s ticket as the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, while current Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski will campaign with Crowley on the Democratic side.

• For the Democratic nomination for state treasurer, Yee Leng Xiong beat Dylan Helmenstine. This fall, he’ll face GOP incumbent John Leiber, who ran unopposed in the primary. If Xiong wins the general election in November, he will become the first Hmong American to win a statewide office in any U.S. state.
• In the Republican primary for Secretary of State, Jay Schroeder won over three other candidates. He’ll face Milwaukee alder JoCasta Zamarripa in the general election. [ 🔒WSJ, WisPolitics]

Incumbents Win in Dane County: Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett easily beat back a challenge from Jack Ordman, a software engineer who was part of the Ridglan Farms protests. Barrett has held the role since 2021.

• U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan easily won over challenger Douglas Alexander in the 2nd Congressional District with roughly 88% of the vote. Since no Republican candidate qualified for the ballot in the November election, another term for Pocan is all but assured. [Cap Times]

Get Your Hot Election Results Here! City Cast Madison executive producer Hayley Sperling and I got up in the wee hours this morning to record today’s podcast breaking down the latest results from Tuesday’s election up and down the ballot. Give it a listen!

🛏️ Long-Awaited Men’s Shelter to Open: Madison’s new men’s shelter at 1904 Bartillon Drive had an open house Monday ahead of its Sept. 1 opening, showing off the new sleeping areas, kitchen, and other amenities. But the $27 million facility is capped at 250 residents, less than the current shelter on Zeier Road. [News 3]

😎 UW-Madison Buildings Finally Get Cool: Over 30 campus buildings that have been closed due to a water main break have reopened, just weeks before students return to school. The break caused air conditioning to shut down in 34 buildings, forcing UW-Madison to close those buildings for the last six weeks. [🔒WSJ]

🚨 Family Says Police Used Excessive Force: A Sun Prairie family is pursuing legal action against the Dane County Sheriff’s Office and the Sun Prairie Police Department for allegedly racial profiling and using excessive force against a 19-year-old woman and her father. Body cam footage shows Deputy Tory Boyce throwing Bryanna Montgomery to the ground and kneeling on her back after following her home for six miles after she allegedly ran a stop sign.

• Meanwhile, four Madison police officers were disciplined for the vehicular pursuit last fall of a 72-year-old Black driver who never exceeded the speed limit. The Oct. 2 chase lasted eight minutes, and officers drove between 68-75 miles per hour at various points. At one point, one squad car drove on the bike path alongside John Nolen Drive. [Madison 365, YouTube, Isthmus]

⚖️ Ex-Employee Sues Epic Over Noncompete Clause: Andrea Hull, a former employee of a subsidiary of Verona-based Epic Systems, is suing the company in federal court in California. Hull claims that since she left Epic after 11 years, the company has restricted her ability to perform her new job, which she believes is in violation of California law. [WPR]

💧 Is Wisconsin’s Water Vulnerable to Cyberattack? After a wave of cyberattacks hit water utilities in several states, including Minnesota, cybersecurity experts say that many of Wisconsin’s smaller utilities are at risk. Chris Groh of the Wisconsin Rural Water Association says many smaller operations don’t have IT employees or other resources on hand to defend themselves. [WPR]