Early in-person voting has begun in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor, after a series of campaign withdrawals and reversals unsettled an already crowded contest. The result matters nationally because Wisconsin is a closely divided swing state, and Democratic disunity could affect the party’s prospects in the November election for an open governorship.

State Representative Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, is seeking to hold off rivals including former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who re-entered the race with outgoing Governor Tony Evers’s endorsement. Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez withdrew after campaign-finance problems, leaving some voters who had already returned postal ballots for her unable to change them; the primary is on 11 August, while Republican Tom Tiffany faces only nominal opposition.