In Minnesota and Wisconsin, competitive primaries will again test power of progressive candidates

A voter fills out their ballot at the Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services building on September 20, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minn. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images hide caption

Minnesota and Wisconsin hold primary elections Tuesday that will determine how Democrats define themselves heading into the November midterm elections.

Wisconsin is a swing state in presidential elections and Minnesota has been a stronghold for Democrats over the last two decades.

Journalists from across the NPR Network in Minnesota and Wisconsin are covering the races in their communities. Here's what we are watching.

Gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong speaks on stage during Wisconsin Democrats 2026 Convention on June 14, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images North America hide caption

A week after progressive Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated a more moderate candidate in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, another test of progressive power will play out in a neighboring Midwestern swing state.

Francesca Hong, a 37-year-old democratic socialist, state lawmaker and chef, has been leading in the polls throughout much of the Democratic primary for governor of Wisconsin. She's run an energetic grassroots campaign , buoyed by progressive voters inspired by her atypical political background and left-wing politics.

As her command of the field has held going into Tuesday's primary, some Democrats are consolidating around other candidates they view as more palatable to a general electorate.