Radical Socialist Francesca Hong Takes Lead in Wisconsin Governor Primary as Democrats Fracture
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State Assemblywoman Francesca Hong, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, is now leading Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary, as moderate candidates drop out and Republicans warn about her extreme record.
State Assemblywoman Francesca Hong, a 37-year-old from Madison and an avowed democratic socialist, has alarmingly emerged as the front-runner in Wisconsin's Democratic primary for governor, set for Aug. 11. Polls from late July show her with about 38% support among Democratic voters, well ahead of former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who was forced to re-enter the race after previously withdrawing.
Hong’s radical campaign has effectively pushed her opponents out of the race in recent weeks. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez exited amid a campaign-finance scandal, and Barnes dropped out on Thursday, leaving the field open for Hong’s far-left agenda. Party leaders, clearly concerned about Hong’s extremism, have tried to rally behind the more moderate Crowley, who received Governor Tony Evers’ endorsement, but Crowley’s support is lagging far behind Hong’s.
Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, likely to face Hong in the general election, has begun exposing Hong’s ties to the Democratic Socialists of America and highlighting her troubling past statements on defunding the police and other radical issues. While Hong claims she does not endorse the national DSA platform and insists a governor cannot defund the police, she conveniently ignores the fact that her rhetoric and allies have fueled anti-police sentiment. Meanwhile, she blames Republican legislators for cutting local police funding, deflecting responsibility from her own party’s anti-law enforcement stance.
"Wisconsin is the quintessential swing state, but it’s also a very polarized state," said Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson, who supports Crowley. "This is going to be a new chapter in a political science theory book: how do far left-wing and far right-wing candidates build a coalition and win elections."
Hong’s supporters claim her campaign is expanding the Democratic coalition by energizing fringe voters who feel alienated from the party establishment. State Sen. Chris Larson argues she brings new voters into the party and represents a different, more radical approach to politics.
The primary comes as Democrats desperately seek to seize full control of Wisconsin’s state government for the first time in a generation, hoping to hold onto the governor’s office and flip both legislative chambers. A Marquette Law School poll shows Hong’s base is mostly younger, more left-leaning voters, while her rivals perform better among older and more moderate Wisconsinites.
In a recent interview, Hong described herself as a single mother and service-industry worker who supports sweeping legislation for Wisconsinites, and dismissed calls to eliminate the U.S. Senate as "nonsensical and nonpractical at this time."