Republican Strategy Backfires Spectacularly | Milwaukee News

Milwaukee News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 17, 2026 · 2m

Republicans gambled big on Francesca Hong, betting her extremism would make their own candidate look moderate — but their ads backfired spectacularly, accidentally making her seem unelectable by highlighting wild stances like wanting to abolish Thanksgiving. As voters questioned her viability, David Crowley — who’d dropped out and was trailing badly — surged back into the race, riding a wave of GOP self-sabotage and a key governor endorsement. With nearly $9 million spent, the GOP’s strategy didn’t just fail — it handed the election to an unexpected underdog, proving political maneuvering can…