ByJesus Mesa
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Francesca Hong, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for governor of Wisconsin, told Newsweekthat a resurfaced 2019 social media post in which she said she nearly had an anxiety attack at a Culver’s restaurant because of “old white people” was “a silly tweet” that does not reflect how she views voters
“That’s how I was feeling and tweeting about a feeling that happened years ago doesn’t mean that that is how I view all people,” Hong said in an exclusive interview. “This was a silly tweet.”
Asked what she wanted white voters in rural Wisconsin to take from the post, the Democratic socialist pointed to her plans for the office rather than the post itself
“I truly think that I know that as governor, I care about people, every single Wisconsinite, and making sure the state is doing everything that it can to make sure people not only feel cared for, but have the things that they need to care for themselves and their loved ones,” she said
Hong has upended Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary by running to the left in a state where statewide elections are often decided by independents and moderates. A single mother and former line cook, she has energized liberal Democrats frustrated with the party establishment and has led every recent public poll of the race
A new survey from State Navigate showed Hong leading the field with 44 percent, followed by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley at 15 percent; former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes received 14 percent support in the poll, while other candidates polled in the single digits
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Hong Speaks About Her Own Record
The final week of Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary has been dominated by the resurfacing of social media posts Hong wrote between 2019 and 2021, several of which she has since deleted. Asked about a 2020 post calling for Thanksgiving to be canceled as a celebration of colonialism, Hong was unequivocal
“I’m not going to cancel Thanksgiving, but I know I’m going to be fighting the Republicans who are voting on policies that are making Thanksgiving dinners more expensive,” she said. “I will be celebrating Thanksgiving with my family this year.”
She said she deleted the post because she wants voters focused on her agenda rather than past social media posts
“I want to talk about the issues like child care, moratorium on data centers, funding our schools, and taxing the ultra rich and the billionaires, and not about canceling Thanksgiving, because I’m not going to cancel Thanksgiving,” she said
Hong also declined to say directly whether she still believes a 2021 post in which she wrote that police exist to uphold white supremacy, instead emphasizing that she would not pursue defunding law enforcement as governor
“The governor cannot defund the police, and I won’t defund the police,” she said. “We have to invest in the things that prevent crime, as well as ensure that law enforcement has the tools and trainings that they need to help keep communities safe, while also holding law enforcement that break the law accountable.”
Pressed on whether her views had changed since 2021, Hong said her values had remained consistent but argued that governing requires a different approach than organizing
“My values have not changed in ensuring that we are fighting for everyone to feel safe,” she said. “As an organizer, it’s important to amplify the issue and where the community is at. And now I am running for governor…”
Hong also defended herself against criticism over the resurfaced posts, arguing that progressive candidates are judged by a different standard than Republicans
“We live in a world right now where candidates like me, we are held to different standards,” she said. “That’s only going to motivate me to make sure to fight harder for the people of Wisconsin, and that I will be even better prepared because I’ve taken on more battles to get to the position of being a governor for all.”
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Hong on Trump, El-Sayed and the Democratic Left
Hong welcomed Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, calling it proof that progressive candidates can overcome well-funded opponents through grassroots support
“I think that this means that the people are supporting a progressive candidate because of the issues that he is running on, that more and more folks support Medicare for All, lowering costs, raising wages,” Hong said. “This is a case of, I believe, the many overcoming the money and I think it is good for democracy.”
Asked what distinguishes her campaign from El-Sayed’s and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s, Hong did not draw sharp contrasts, instead pointing to the coalition she says she has built in a perennial swing state
“I think people see themselves in our vision for a Wisconsin that’s affordable for all, and that’s permanently affordable. And people are engaging in ways that I think we haven’t seen, particularly with younger voters,” she said
Hong also outlined where she would draw the line in dealing with President Donald Trump’s administration, saying she would refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement
“No, I do not plan on cooperating and working with ICE,” she said
“My job in working with the Trump regime will be to ensure that we are protecting all Wisconsinites. With me, it’s important to wield the full power, use the full force of the executive to protect all Wisconsinites.”
At the same time, Hong distanced herself from one plank of the national Democratic Socialists of America platform, saying she does not support abolishing the U.S. Senate. She again pointed to El-Sayed’s victory as evidence that progressives can achieve their goals by winning elections rather than eliminating institutions
“I have concerns around abolishing the Senate,” she said. “We have an opportunity to elect candidates like Dr. Abdul El-Sayed into the Senate to fight for issues like Medicare for All. I don’t want us to miss out on opportunities to deliver for working class people. So that is where I disagree with the platform.”
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Hong’s Past Becomes Campaign Issue
Hong’s resurfaced social media posts have shaped the closing days of Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, giving Republicans, rivals and some Democrats fresh ammunition against the front-runner
Republicans have already previewed how they would campaign against Hong in a general election. Republican Governors Association communications director Kollin Compton called her “the Mamdani of the Midwest,” casting her as part of a new generation of democratic socialists. Wisconsin Representative Tom Tiffany, the presumptive Republican nominee, has also referenced the controversy, telling voters they will still be able to celebrate Thanksgiving if he is elected governor
The issue has since spread beyond conservative media. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins questioned Hong this week about her past posts, while Pod Save America host Jon Favreau pressed her on her previous comments about policing
Her answers have drawn criticism from some Democrats. Former Obama adviser David Axelrod wrote on X that “many people watching are going to conclude that if she is our nominee, we’re going to lose Wisconsin,” after Hong declined to directly disavow her Thanksgiving post during a CNN interview. Axelrod had earlier described the primary as “a slow-rolling car headed for a cliff.”
Hong’s chief rival, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, has also argued Democrats risk nominating a candidate who lacks the experience, record and coalition needed to win a statewide general election. She dismissed the criticism, arguing that her platform is broadly popular
“The issues, these are things that are electable, and the person who wins the most votes is the most electable,” she said. “Fully funding public schools is a unifying universal electable issue.”
The State of the Race
Hong has led every recent public poll of the primary
A Marquette University Law School poll conducted in late July found Hong at 38 percent among Democratic primary voters, with former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes at 16 percent and Crowley at 7 percent. No other candidate topped 4 percent, and 34 percent were undecided. The poll surveyed 407 registered voters who said they planned to vote in the Democratic primary and had a margin of error of plus or minus 6.6 percentage points
A separate survey conducted July 23 to July 26 by State Navigate for Main Street Action and UpNorthNews found Hong at 44 percent, Crowley at 15 percent and Barnes at 14 percent, with 13 percent undecided. That poll surveyed 1,085 likely voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points
The Marquette poll found Hong strongest among young and very liberal voters, while Barnes and Crowley performed better with older and more moderate voters
Barnes suspended his campaign last week, narrowing the field to Hong, Crowley, state Senator Kelda Roys and former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan
Crowley dropped out of the race earlier this summer and reentered after Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez ended her campaign, picking up an endorsement from Democratic Governor Tony Evers, who is retiring at the end of the year
Hong said she did not know what Evers has told voters about her
“I don’t know what the governor is telling voters about me on the trail. I’ve seen that he thinks that I am talented,” she said, adding that her campaign has held more than 300 events statewide and covered almost 50,000 miles. “I look forward to hopefully seeing him on the trail.”
Wisconsin backed Trump by less than a percentage point in 2024, the narrowest margin of any state. The governor’s race is expected to be among the most competitive of the 2026 midterms
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Sam Wilson
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