FRANCESA HONG MỘT ĐỆ TỬ RUỘT GIÀ CỦA KIM JONG UN VÀ CŨNG LÀ ĐÀN EM RUỘT NON CỦA MAMDANI ĐANG TRANH CỬ THỐNG ĐỐC TB WISCONSIN VỚI CHỦ TRƯƠNG BÃI BỎ CẢNH SÁT VÀ QUỐC HỘI ĐỂ TIẾN DỰNG ĐỨNG LÊN XÃ HỘI CHÓ GHẺ NHƯ BẮC HÀN VÀ VIỆT CỘNG./-Mt68
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Democratic socialists face a prove-it moment in
battleground Wisconsin
Aug 3, 2026
Francesca Hong poses for a portrait at the St. Paul Baptist
Church in Racine, Wisconsin, on July 19.
Sara Stathas/For The Washington Post/Getty Images
Francesca Hong, the democratic socialist leading Wisconsin’s
Democratic field for governor, could soon test whether the progressive
insurgency that notched primary victories in deep-blue districts this
summer can prevail statewide in a perennial presidential battleground.
Polls show Hong, the 37-year-old state assemblywoman from
Madison, at the forefront of the field of Democrats vying for the nomination in
the August 11 primary to replace outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The
winner is all but certain to take on Republican US Rep. Tom Tiffany in
November.
Hong was already the frontrunner entering July. But the
month saw her top two Democratic rivals’ campaigns implode. Lt. Gov. Sara
Rodriguez exited amid a campaign finance scandal, and former
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out Thursday.
Evers and others are attempting to rally at the last minute
around a more moderate alternative in David Crowley, the 40-year-old Milwaukee
County executive who dropped out of the race in early July and then re-entered
10 days later. But even Crowley’s supporters acknowledge Hong is the clear
frontrunner.
“Wisconsin is the quintessential swing state, but it’s also
a very polarized state,” said Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson, who is supporting
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.”
Adam
Gray/Bloomberg/Getty Images
CNN
Poll: A third of Democrats now identify as democratic socialists
Tiffany isn’t waiting for the primary votes to be counted:
He has already started to tee off on Hong, latching her to the Democratic
Socialists of America’s platform and accusing her of supporting abolishing
prisons, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the US Senate and more. He has
also highlighted her history of calling for the defunding of police — an issue
sure to feature prominently in a slew of Republican advertisements this fall.
Francesca Hong speaks alongside protesters in Madison,
Wisconsin, on July 22, near where a Madison police officer shot and killed a
man.
Kayla Wolf/AP
Hong, who worked her way up from low-level kitchen jobs to
become a top chef and restaurant co-owner, has tried to distance herself from
some of the more politically problematic planks of the DSA platform.
“I do not support the full platform of the national DSA and
I am not endorsed by DSA National,” she said in a recent debate. Hong also said
that she is “not here to govern by slogan” and that a governor cannot defund
the police.
But in an
interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Friday, Hong wouldn’t directly
answer when asked repeatedly if her views on defunding the police have changed.
Hong said Republicans who control the Wisconsin legislature
are the ones who have defunded police by slashing dollars directed to local
governments.
“People can evolve,” Hong said. “I am going to be a sensible
and practical governor that is going to make sure that public safety is a
priority.”
A party in flux
Supporters of Francesca Hong react during Wisconsin
Democrats 2026 Convention in Madison, Wisconsin, on June 14.
Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for WisDems
The election comes with the Democratic Party at a critical
juncture, and many within it looking to the governor’s race in Wisconsin, a
Senate primary this week in Michigan and other key races as potential signs of
what’s to come in 2028, with a wide-open presidential primary looming.
For much of the last year, democratic socialists have been
on the march — with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s win last
year serving as an inflection point.
Democratic socialist Katie Wilson was
elected mayor of Seattle last year and another, Janeese
Lewis George, is poised to win the mayoral contest in Washington, DC, this
November. In Los Angeles, democratic socialist Nithya Raman is
challenging incumbent mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat. They’ve also won a
series of congressional primaries, including ousting
House incumbents in New York and Colorado.
From
New York to Seattle to DC, more cities are picking democratic socialist leaders
But Hong is different: A democratic socialist running not on
deep-blue turf but in a true political battleground.
Her supporters say Hong’s brand of politics is a break from
a Democratic Party that polls show isn’t popular among voters — even those who
oppose President Donald Trump.
“She has brought a coalition into the Democratic Party that
otherwise had been shut out and told, ‘You don’t belong within this.’ And
they’ve been showing up continuously. They definitely look different and act
different than folks who have been around for a really long time, and frankly
they should, because the political system has not worked for them,” said state
Sen. Chris Larson, who represents parts of Milwaukee and is supporting Hong.
Republicans, meanwhile, have made no secret of how they
intend to run against her. Republican Governors Association communications
director Kollin Compton called Hong “the Mamdani of the Midwest.”
A chaotic primary
From left: Democratic gubernatorial candidates Mandela
Barnes, Joel Brennan, David Crowley, Francesca Hong and Kelda Roys attend a
primary debate in Milwaukee, on July 28.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Hong’s rise comes in an election year in which Democrats
have their first real shot at winning full control of Wisconsin’s state
government in a generation. Under Evers, the party has
won a majority on the state Supreme Court and forced a redraw of state
legislative districts that ended a Republican gerrymander. This fall, Democrats
hope to retain the governor’s office and flip both the state Senate and
Assembly.
However, as Hong climbed in the polls, the state’s jittery
Democratic establishment struggled to coalesce behind a more moderate
alternative.
Crowley had dropped out amid lagging poll numbers in early
July. But he re-entered the Democratic primary on July 18, and received Evers’
endorsement. Barnes’ exit left Crowley as likely the only viable contender in
the race aside from Hong.
Still, he’s far behind: A Marquette Law School poll conducted in late July found
Hong with 38% support among Democratic primary voters to 16% for Barnes, who at
the time was still in the race, 7% for Crowley, and no other candidate topping
the 2% mark. The poll found Hong is strongest among young and very liberal
voters; Barnes and Crowley performed better among older and more moderate
voters.
In an effort to rally Democrats who are concerned about
Hong, Crowley will campaign alongside Evers in the race’s closing days.
“I’m not here to protect the establishment. I’m here to
deliver real results for Wisconsinites all over our state,” Crowley said in the
recent Democratic debate.
How Hong defends her positions
Francesca Hong talks with Metcalfe Park Communications
Representative Nateya Taylor, during an event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July
24.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Hong addressed her status as a democratic socialist — she’s
a dues-paying member of the local Madison chapter — she said in a Fox News
interview on Friday.
“I believe that as a democratic socialist, you know, I am
less defined by just one organization, but clearly our bipartisan coalition
means I’m more defined by being a good single mom, that I am a service industry
worker, that I truly believe in legislation that helps everyone,” she said.
“And these are the things that people want to talk about in rural and urban
parts of the state.”
Tork
Mason/USA Today Network/Imagn
‘Defund
then abolish’: A leading Democrat in Wisconsin governor’s race urged abolishing
police
She walked back some of the stances she has taken, such as
supporting calls to eliminate the US Senate, which she said Friday is
“nonsensical and nonpractical at this time.”
But a social media post from Tiffany that followed Hong’s
Fox News appearance offered a preview of what she would face in the general
election.
Instead of clipping her comments, Tiffany on
X posted a still image of Fox News displaying Hong’s years-old social
media comments.
A 2021 post included in that image says: “Police exist to
uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option.”
“The facts speak louder than campaign spin,” Tiffany said.
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