Reports from the Associated Press found Crowley, 40, to be the victor, receiving 39.8% of the vote, followed by Hong’s 39.4%. Her concession in the race led AP's team to call the race early Wednesday.

A recount could have been requested by Hong since Crowley’s margin of victory was less than 1 percentage point, but because it was wider than .25 points, her campaign would have to pay for it. Instead, the 37-year-old single mother and former line cook opted to concede the race.

While a blow to momentum for progressives, as Hong was expected to ride the wave of recent victories by progressive candidates, including Abdul El-Sayed in neighboring Michigan’s U.S. Senate race last week, the movement is far from over.

Crowley, however, is en route to potentially becoming Wisconsin’s first Black governor, pitching himself as the candidate best positioned to win in November against Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump.

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Tiffany decimated his opponent, Andy Manske, receiving 95.3% of the Republican vote. Crowley could face an uphill battle, as the GOP has maintained a firm grip on Wisconsin, except in the governor’s mansion.

Democratic voters in the state felt Crowley would be a safer bet come November, as he received an endorsement from the current governor, Tony Evers.

Crowley, who dropped out of the governor's race early in the campaign cycle, citing low poll ratings and scarce campaign funds, relaunched his run after Evers began backing the Milwaukee representative. Both men then made considerable efforts, traveling throughout the state to shift momentum away from Hong, who was leading her gubernatorial candidates by a large margin in early polling.

A possible contributing factor to Hong’s loss may be her blunt and controversial opinions, including her past support for defunding the police, which drew criticism towards her campaign and may have undermined the progressive candidates' win equity.

Now energized by his win, Crowley, whose platform ran on being a better match-up against Tiffany come November, must now appeal to both moderates and progressives, as the historically purple state relies more heavily on the politically undecided voters to clinch the victory.