- 极左翼领跑者弗朗西斯卡·洪和佩吉·弗拉南根令温和派民主党人担忧大选前景
2026年8月11日 美国东部时间早上5:00 / 福克斯新闻
作者：保罗·施泰因豪泽
威斯康星州民主党州长竞选领跑候选人弗朗西斯卡·洪在该州初选前一天接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访。
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威斯康星州麦迪逊讯——连续第二周，中西部地区成为左翼与中间派建制派争夺民主党未来的高风险关键战场。
一周前，极左翼候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔赛义德在关键密歇根州民主党参议院初选中以微弱优势击败更温和的众议员黑利·史蒂文斯，这场选举成为民主党党内意识形态内战迄今为止最大的舞台，如今焦点转向周二威斯康星州和明尼苏达州的全州提名决战。
本次选举的利害关系：明尼苏达州将上演顶级参议院对决，这是全国十余场将决定民主党能否从共和党手中夺回参议院控制权的选举之一；而在关键摇摆州威斯康星州，共和党正力争拿下州长职位。
除明尼苏达州和威斯康星州外，康涅狄格州、佛蒙特州、南卡罗来纳州和阿拉巴马州也将举行初选：康涅狄格州和佛蒙特州的现任州长正寻求连任，以延长其任期；南卡罗来纳州将举行一场竞争已故参议员林赛·格雷厄姆继任者的初选，唐纳德·特朗普总统的背书在共和党提名战中的影响力也将在此接受检验。
民主党团体斥资1500万美元打击民主社会主义者：‘致命威胁’
美国民主社会主义者（DSA）成员、州众议员弗朗西斯卡·洪正在威斯康星州竞选民主党州长提名
威斯康星州众议员、民主党州长候选人弗朗西斯卡·洪于2026年8月10日在威斯康星州森普雷里的竞选活动中向支持者致意。（保罗·施泰因豪泽/福克斯新闻）
“密歇根州证明了劳动人民已经准备好接受不同的选择，威斯康星州将是下一个，”埃尔赛义德获胜后，民主党州长候选人弗朗西斯卡·洪写道。
洪是州众议员，同时也是美国民主社会主义者成员，在民主党州长提名决战中处于民调领跑位置。今年夏天，两名主要竞争者退选，另有一名候选人重新参选，让这场初选充满变数。
本次初选获胜者将在大选中大概率对阵共和党众议员汤姆·蒂凡尼。蒂凡尼在共和党州长提名竞选中是民调和筹款双料领跑者，将接替决定不再竞选第三任期的民主党州长托尼·埃弗斯。获得特朗普背书的蒂凡尼是众议院自由核心小组的强硬右翼成员。
2026民主时刻：随时关注福克斯新闻选举中心
共和党州长候选人、威斯康星州众议员汤姆·蒂凡尼
威斯康星州共和党众议员汤姆·蒂凡尼作为共和党州长候选人，于2026年8月10日在威斯康星州奥科诺莫沃的竞选活动中发言。（保罗·施泰因豪泽/福克斯新闻）
洪现年37岁，曾是厨师，也是单身母亲，获得了多位全国知名进步派人士的背书，包括明尼苏达州众议员伊尔汗·奥马尔和加利福尼亚州众议员罗·卡纳——后者是2028年民主党总统候选人的潜在人选。但长期以来的左翼旗手、佛蒙特州参议员伯尼·桑德斯上周表示，他不打算为洪背书，称自己对她的竞选活动和本次选举不够了解。洪也未能获得另一位顶级进步派领袖、纽约州众议员亚历山德里亚·奥卡西奥-科特兹的背书。
洪的竞选纲领包括保障带薪休假、将该州最低工资从每小时7.25美元提高到20美元，以及在威斯康星州实施为期一年的人工智能数据中心建设暂停令。洪多年前的社交媒体帖子引发了争议，帖子呼吁削减警察经费并废除警察部门。但她表示，自己不再支持削减警察预算或废除警察部门。
“我不会削减警察经费，不会废除警察。我对公共安全是认真的，”洪周六在回答选民提问时强调。
过去两周，洪还因2020年的一条旧社交媒体帖子登上全国新闻头条，当时她声称美国应该“取消感恩节”，以“停止庆祝殖民主义”。在 backlash 声中，洪收回了关于感恩节的言论，现在称感恩节是她“最喜欢的节日”。
在谈到被重新翻出的推文时，洪周六告诉记者，她已经“成长”并“吸取了教训”。
蒂凡尼在初选前一天接受采访时，与前弗吉尼亚州州长格伦·扬金共同参加了几场竞选活动。他告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，威斯康星州将成为一道“防火墙……我们将成为阻止社会主义的地方”。
认识2026年中期选举中向民主党宣战的极左翼叛乱分子
共和党州长候选人汤姆·蒂凡尼告诉福克斯数字频道：“威斯康星州将成为阻止社会主义的地方”
威斯康星州副州长萨拉·罗德里格斯和前副州长曼德拉·巴恩斯是民主党提名的主要竞争者，两人今年夏天都退出了竞选。此前暂停竞选并支持罗德里格斯的密尔沃基县行政长官戴维·克劳利重新参选。
克劳利获得了埃弗斯的背书，埃弗斯在初选前的最后阶段加入了他的竞选活动。
越来越多的温和派民主党人担忧，如果正如许多人预期的那样，洪获得民主党州长提名，这将为蒂凡尼拿下州长办公室助力良多。
一位要求匿名以便畅所欲言的威斯康星州民主党策略师认为，如果洪作为本党候选人参选，“将伤害民主党在这个中西部摇摆州的下议院选举、关键国会和立法选举”。
与此同时，包括共和党州长协会支持的一个超级政治行动委员会在内的亲共和党超级政治行动委员会已经斥资数百万美元在初选中为洪造势，因为他们认为洪是最弱的民主党候选人。
当被问及选举可行性的担忧时，洪周日告诉福克斯新闻：“这场选举属于选民。我们让选民来决定。得票最多的候选人就是最具选举可行性的候选人。所以我们专注于在选举日之前、投票站关闭之前与选民接触。”
特朗普背书候选人在威斯康星州敲响警钟：‘常识对抗疯狂’
佩吉·弗拉南根（左）与安吉·克雷格（明尼苏达州民主党人，右）合影。
明尼苏达州副州长、参议院候选人佩吉·弗拉南根（左）与她的民主党挑战者、明尼苏达州民主党众议员安吉·克雷格（右）合影。（汤姆·威廉姆斯/CQ滚呼叫协会 via 盖蒂图片社；大卫·伯丁/盖蒂图片社）
明尼苏达州也上演了民主党内战，进步派副州长佩吉·弗拉南根与更温和的众议员安吉·克雷格是争夺本党提名的两大领跑者。现任参议员、民主党人蒂娜·史密斯将于今年年底退休。
明尼苏达州已经24年没有选出共和党籍联邦参议员了。但获得桑德斯和另一位重量级进步派人士、马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦背书的弗拉南根如果赢得初选，可能会助力共和党在这个倾向民主党但竞争激烈的州拿下参议院席位。
前长期电视体育记者转型政治活动家、保守派评论员米歇尔·塔福亚获得了全国共和党参议员委员会的背书，在共和党参议院提名竞选中处于民调和筹款领跑位置。其他主要竞争者包括前海军海豹突击队队员亚当·施瓦茨、2024年参议院候选人、前NBA球员罗伊斯·怀特，以及退役美国海军军官汤姆·韦勒。
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米歇尔·塔福亚福克斯新闻采访
米歇尔·塔福亚在明尼苏达州启动共和党参议院竞选活动时接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访。（保罗·施泰因豪泽/福克斯新闻）
明尼苏达州现任民主党州长蒂姆·瓦尔兹是2024年民主党副总统候选人，今年年初宣布不会寻求第三任期，原因是该州在处理一起重大儿童保育欺诈调查时面临巨大政治压力和全国审视。
资深民主党参议员艾米·克洛布查尔是本党州长提名的绝对领跑者。
迈尔·林德尔是My Pillow创始人兼前首席执行官，也是特朗普的亲密盟友，曾与特朗普一起否认前总统乔·拜登在2020年白宫选举中的胜利。他与明尼苏达州众议院议长丽莎·德穆特是共和党州长提名的主要竞争者，其他候选人还包括医疗科技高管肯德尔·夸尔斯。
在南卡罗来纳州，周二的共和党参议院特别初选在格雷厄姆突然去世一个月后举行。格雷厄姆去世时正寻求连任，并已获得连任提名。
州长亨利·麦克马斯特任命达琳·格雷厄姆·诺登填补林赛·格雷厄姆的席位。
州长亨利·麦克马斯特任命达琳·格雷厄姆·诺登填补林赛·格雷厄姆的席位。（福克斯新闻）
在这场开放提名的决战中，特朗普背书了已故参议员的妹妹达琳·格雷厄姆参议员，共和党州长亨利·麦克马斯特上个月任命她完成剩余的参议院任期。本次初选的其他主要竞争者包括众议员拉尔夫·诺曼、拉塞尔·弗莱，以及前州长、前国会议员马克·桑福德。
本次初选是对特朗普在共和党提名战中的背书影响力及其对共和党的掌控力的最新考验。但在坚定的红色州南卡罗来纳州，特朗普的背书在本届选举周期中并非万无一失。
特朗普在6月初该州初选前，背书了副州长帕梅拉·埃维特参加共和党州长提名竞选，以接替任期届满的麦克马斯特。
埃维特在初选中获得最高票数，但在随后的 runoff 选举中以压倒性劣势输给了南卡罗来纳州总检察长艾伦·威尔逊。特朗普此前曾在 runoff 选举前几天为埃维特背书，此次也为威尔逊背书。
在深蓝州康涅狄格州，民主党州长内德·拉蒙特正寻求第三任期的连任提名。拉蒙特正面临来自左翼的初选挑战，对手是州众议员乔希·埃利奥特。
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在民主党占主导的佛蒙特州，共和党州长菲尔·斯科特在共和党初选中无人对手，正寻求连任第六届两年任期的州长职位。佛蒙特州和邻近的新罕布什尔州是美国仅有的两个每两年选举一次州长的州。
前游说团体首席执行官艾丽·理查兹和经济学家阿曼达·贾诺将争夺民主党提名，获胜者将在大选中挑战斯科特。
在阿拉巴马州，这个坚定的红色州的第一、第二、第六和第七国会选区的选民将参加特别初选。共和党州长凯·艾维在美国最高法院命令阿拉巴马州可以使用2023年共和党绘制的国会选区地图，而非法院要求的包含第二个黑人选民多数席位的地图后，呼吁举行这次特别选举。
保罗·施泰因豪泽为福克斯新闻报道遍及全国的全国竞选活动
Socialist winning streak puts prized Democratic battleground at risk as radical leftists advance
Far-left frontrunners Francesca Hong and Peggy Flanagan worry moderate Democrats about general election prospects
August 11, 2026 5:00am EDT / Fox News
By Paul Steinhauser
Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner candidate Francesca Hong answers questions for Fox News Digital on the eve of the state’s primary elections.
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MADISON, Wis. – For a second straight week, the Midwest is the key battlefield in the high-stakes fight between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party.
After far-left candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly edged out more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens a week ago in battleground Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, which was the biggest stage to date in the party’s ideological civil war, the spotlight now shifts to statewide nomination showdowns Tuesday in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
At stake: a top-tier Senate showdown in Minnesota that’s among a dozen races nationwide that will determine if the Democrats can win back control of the chamber from the GOP, and a gubernatorial face-off in crucial swing-state Wisconsin where Republicans are aiming to flip the governor’s mansion.
Also on the ballot, as Minnesota and Wisconsin join Connecticut, Vermont, South Carolina, and Alabama in holding primaries: incumbent governors in Connecticut and Vermont are running to extend their tenures, and the power of President Donald Trump’s endorsement in a GOP nomination contest is on the line in South Carolina, in the race to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
DEMOCRATIC GROUP LAUNCHES $15 MILLION WAR ON DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS: ‘MORTAL DANGER’
DSA member and state Rep. Francesca Hong is running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Wisconsin
Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, greets supporters at a campaign stop in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, on August 10, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
“Michigan proved that working people are ready for something different, and Wisconsin is next,” Democratic candidate for governor Francesca Hong wrote following El-Sayed’s victory.
Hong, a state representative and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member, is the polling frontrunner in a Democratic gubernatorial nomination showdown that’s been rocked this summer after two major contenders dropped out, and another candidate re-entered the race.
The primary winner will likely face off in the general election with Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, the overwhelming polling and fundraising frontrunner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, in the race to succeed Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who decided against running for a third term. Tiffany, who is backed by Trump, is a hard-right member of the House Freedom Caucus.
DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin
Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, a GOP gubernatorial candidate, speaks at a campaign event in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, on August 10, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Hong, a 37-year-old former chef and single mother, is backed by top nationally known progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ro Khanna of California, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender. But Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a longtime champion of the left, last week said he didn’t plan on endorsing Hong, arguing that he was not familiar enough with her campaign or the race. And Hong also didn’t land the backing of another top progressive champion: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Hong is running on a platform that includes guaranteed paid leave, boosting the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 per hour, and a one-year moratorium in Wisconsin on building AI data centers. Hong has faced scrutiny over years-old social media posts calling for defunding and abolishing the police. But she says she no longer supports cutting police budgets or abolishing police departments.
“I’m not defunding the police, not abolishing police. I am serious about public safety,” Hong emphasized on Saturday as she took questions from voters.
Hong also made national headlines over the past two weeks for a resurfaced social media post from 2020 where she argued that the country should “cancel Thanksgiving” in order to “stop celebrating colonialism.”
Hong walked back her Thanksgiving comments, amid backlash, and now says that Thanksgiving is her “favorite holiday.”
On her resurfaced tweets, Hong told reporters on Saturday that she has “evolved” and “learned.”
Tiffany, in an interview on the eve of the primary as he teamed up for a couple of campaign events with former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, told Fox News Digital that Wisconsin will be a “firewall… We’ll be the place that stops socialism.”
MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS
Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Tom Tiffany tells Fox Digital ‘Wisconsin will be the place that stops socialism”
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, two of the major contenders for the Democratic nomination, exited the race this summer. And Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who earlier suspended his campaign and backed Rodriguez, re-entered the contest.
Crowley is backed by Evers, who joined him on the campaign trail in the closing stretch leading up to the primary.
There’s a growing number of more moderate Democrats concerned that if Hong captures the gubernatorial nomination, as many expect, it will give Tiffany a big boost in his bid to flip the governor’s office.
A Wisconsin-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely argued that with Hong at the top of the ticket, “it will hurt Democrats down ballot, in key congressional and legislative races” in the Midwestern battleground.
Meanwhile, pro-GOP super PACs, including one aligned with the Republican Governors Association, have shelled out millions of dollars to boost Hong in the primary, because they view her as the weakest Democratic candidate.
Asked about electability concerns, Hong told Fox News on Sunday that “this election belongs to the voters. We let the voters decide. The candidate that’s the most electable is the one that earns the most votes. So we’re focused on meeting voters up until Election Day, until the polls close.”
TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE SOUNDS ALARM IN WISCONSIN: ‘COMMON SENSE AGAINST CRAZY’
Peggy Flannagan, left, pictured alongside Angie Craig, D-Minn., right.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. and candidate for U.S. Senate Peggy Flanagan, left, pictured alongside her Democratic challenger Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., right.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; David Berding/Getty Images)
The Democratic Party’s civil war is also on display in Minnesota, as progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and more moderate Rep. Angie Craig are the top two contenders battling for the party’s nomination. The current senator, Democrat Tina Smith, is retiring at the end of this year.
It’s been 24 years since a Republican won a U.S. Senate election in Minnesota. But a primary victory by Flanagan, who is backed by Sanders and another progressive heavyweight, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, may boost the GOP hopes of flipping the seat in a blue-leaning but competitive state.
Former longtime TV sports reporter turned political activist and conservative commentator Michele Tafoya, who is backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is the polling and fundraising frontrunner in the GOP Senate nomination race. The field also includes former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze, 2024 Senate nominee Royce White, a former NBA basketball player, and retired U.S. Navy officer Tom Weiler.
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Michele Tafoya Fox News interview
Michele Tafoya is interviewed by Fox News Digital as she launches a Republican Senate campaign in Minnesota.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Embattled Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, announced at the beginning of the year that he wouldn’t seek a third term as governor amid heavy political pressure and national scrutiny over the state’s handling of a major child care fraud investigation.
Longtime Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is the overwhelming frontrunner for the party’s gubernatorial nomination.
Mike Lindell, the My Pillow founder and former CEO who is a close Trump ally who joined the president in denying former President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 White House race, is a leading contender for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, along with Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth. The field also includes healthcare technology executive Kendall Qualls.
In South Carolina, Tuesday’s special Republican Senate primary is being held one month to the day after Graham’s sudden death. At the time of his death, Graham was seeking re-election and had won renomination.
Governor Henry McMaster appoints Darline Graham Nordone to fill Lindsey Graham’s seat.
Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham Nordone to fill Lindsey Graham’s seat.(Fox News)
In the showdown for the open nomination, Trump is backing the late senator’s younger sister, Sen. Darline Graham, whom GOP Gov. Henry McMaster appointed last month to serve the remainder of the current Senate term. Among the other major contenders in the primary sprint are Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry and Mark Sanford, a former governor and former congressman.
The primary is the latest test of Trump’s Republican endorsement clout and his sway over the GOP. But the Trump endorsement hasn’t proven to be a sure bet this cycle in solidly-red South Carolina.
Trump backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette for the GOP gubernatorial nomination — in the race to succeed the term-limited McMaster — ahead of the state’s early June primary.
Evette was the top vote-getter in the primary but lost the ensuing runoff election against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in a landslide. And Trump, ever hungry for a victory, endorsed Wilson in addition to Evette days before the runoff.
In deep-blue Connecticut, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont is running for renomination for a third term. Lamont is facing a primary challenge from the left, from state Rep. Josh Elliott.
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And in Democrat-dominated Vermont, Republican Gov. Phil Scott is unopposed in the GOP primary, as he seeks a sixth two-year term as governor. Vermont and neighboring New Hampshire are the only two states in the nation to elect governors every two years.
Former lobbying group CEO Aly Richards and economist Amanda Janoo are facing off for the Democratic nomination, with the winner challenging Scott in the general election.
In Alabama, voters in the reliably red state’s 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts go to the polls in special primary elections. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey called for the special contests after a U.S. Supreme Court order allowed Alabama to use a 2023 GOP-drawn congressional district map instead of a court-ordered one that included a second Black-majority seat.
Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News