Wisconsin state Representative Francesca Hong, a Democratic socialist, is locked in a tight race against Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the party establishment’s chosen candidate, in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary.

The race remains too early too call, with Crowley leading Hong by about 2,000 votes - or 0.4 percent - with 98 percent of the votes counted as of 2 a.m. local time, The Associated Press reported.

Both candidates were waiting for the final ballots to come in before announcing next steps. If the margin is less than one percentage point, the losing candidate can seek a recount.

The results of about 28,000 absentee ballots from Milwaukee, which could determine the race, were delayed after a human error related to uploading the data, the city’s election leader said shortly before midnight. The results were not expected to be posted until early Wednesday.

“We have built something that will change politics forever,” Hong told supporters late on Tuesday night. “The work we have done will be remembered forever. I know we don’t have the final results right now, but what I do know is we are ready to keep fighting.”

“We’re still waiting for all the results to come in,” the Crowley campaign said early Wednesday. “We feel optimistic, but it’s not over until the votes are counted.”

The winner of the primary will take on Republican U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany in November in an open election that could test the limits of progressives’ appeal in a critical battleground state.

Democrats are hoping to capitalize on low approval ratings for President Donald Trump in a state he won in 2016 and 2024 to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to gain full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010.

This is a developing story. More to follow.