Wisconsin Democratic socialist candidate speaks through a megaphone at a rally.Democratic Socialist Front-Runner Splits Wisconsin Democrats Ahead of Primary
Intra-Party Split Detected
Establishment Democrats, including Gov. Tony Evers, have rallied around moderate David Crowley and distanced themselves from Francesca Hong's democratic socialist campaign, revealing a rift between the party's progressive/DSA wing and its establishment/electability-focused wing.
Left says
- •Hong's rise reflects genuine grassroots enthusiasm and a coalition-building strategy aimed at expanding turnout rather than chasing a narrow 'electability' lane that has repeatedly failed to energize voters.
- •Her platform focuses on tangible economic relief like public grocery stores, marijuana legalization, and healthcare access, framed as responses to material struggles Wisconsinites face daily.
- •Attacks on her past social media posts and mental health history are viewed as bad-faith distractions from substantive policy debates, especially given she has clarified and evolved her positions over time.
- •Establishment Democrats like Gov. Evers see the focus on Twitter controversies as a distraction from real governance issues like disaster response, preferring to let Hong's actual record speak for itself.
Right says
- •Hong's willingness to appear alongside controversial figures like Hasan Piker, who has made inflammatory remarks about 9/11 and praised Mao Zedong, raises serious questions about her judgment and the company she keeps.
- •Her shifting explanations on abolishing the Senate, defunding police, and prison abolition suggest a pattern of moderating her public image while privately holding much further-left views, undermining voter trust.
- •As a dues-paying DSA member sitting on the Assembly's Socialist Caucus, her ties to socialist ideology are seen as disqualifying for statewide office in a swing state like Wisconsin.
- •Establishment Democrats' reluctance to fully embrace her, including Gov. Evers' visible frustration, signals internal recognition that her positions may be too extreme to win the general election against Tiffany.
Common Take
High Consensus- Francesca Hong has held a significant polling lead in the Democratic primary field ahead of the August 11 election.
- Hong is a two-term state representative from Madison and a self-identified member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
- Her past social media posts, including calls to 'cancel Thanksgiving' and statements on abolishing the Senate, have become central points of scrutiny in the campaign.
- Establishment figures within the Wisconsin Democratic Party, including Gov. Tony Evers, have shown hesitancy or discomfort in fully rallying behind Hong's candidacy.
The Arguments
Left argues
Hong's platform of public grocery stores, marijuana legalization, and healthcare access speaks to material struggles voters actually face, and her rally turnout suggests genuine grassroots enthusiasm rather than a manufactured campaign.
Right counters
Enthusiasm at rallies doesn't erase the fact that her most concrete, quotable answers on policy have been inconsistent, which raises doubts about whether her 'moderate' economic pitch is the full picture of what she'd govern on.
Right argues
Hong's shifting explanations on abolishing the Senate, defunding police, and prison abolition — including a deleted tweet her campaign initially denied existed — suggest a pattern of saying one thing to the base and another to general-election voters.
Left counters
Politicians refining or clarifying positions held years earlier, especially from their twenties, is normal political evolution, not evidence of deception, and her campaign has offered specific, current policy positions when pressed directly.
Right argues
Appearing alongside Hasan Piker, who has made inflammatory 9/11 remarks and praised Mao Zedong, and receiving a standing ovation from that crowd, reflects a genuine judgment call about who she's willing to align herself with publicly.
Left counters
Sharing a stage with a popular progressive media figure to reach and energize younger, disengaged voters is a coalition-building tactic, not an endorsement of every remark that figure has ever made.
Left argues
Gov. Evers' visible frustration wasn't about Hong's ideology but about the media's obsession with old tweets over substantive governance issues like disaster response, suggesting establishment discomfort is more about tone and press coverage than genuine policy disqualification.
Right counters
Evers' refusal to fully embrace Hong, paired with his backing of Crowley and past unwillingness to endorse other progressive Democrats, reveals real establishment concern that her record could sink Democrats' chances against Tiffany in a swing state.
Right argues
As a dues-paying DSA member on the Assembly's Socialist Caucus who has endorsed abolishing ICE, defunding police, and other DSA platform items on Piker's stream, Hong's socialist identity is a substantive statewide liability, not a media distraction.
Left counters
Attacking a candidate's party affiliation or past statements instead of engaging her actual gubernatorial platform is a bad-faith tactic designed to avoid debating the popular, material policies she's actually campaigning on.
Challenge Questions
These questions target genuine internal contradictions — meant to provoke honest reflection.
Right asks Left
“If Hong's past statements on abolishing the Senate, defunding police, and prison abolition were merely 'aspirational' phases she's since evolved past, why did her campaign initially deny that a still-public tweet even existed rather than simply explaining the evolution?”
Left asks Right
“If Tiffany's campaign strategy is to avoid being cast as a 'MAGA culture warrior' and instead run on folksy appeal, does relentlessly amplifying Hong's most inflammatory old tweets and DSA ties risk being seen as the same culture-war distraction Republicans claim to be running against?”
Outlier Report
Left Fringe
Figures like Hasan Piker and DSA-aligned activists represent maybe 10-15% of the left who fully embrace the socialist label and defund-the-police rhetoric without caveat; most Democrats, including Gov. Evers, are visibly uncomfortable with this framing.
Right Fringe
Some right-wing commentators (e.g., certain Townhall/Blaze contributors) push the narrative that Hong represents an existential 'communist' threat, a framing maybe 20-25% of the right fully embraces, while more moderate Republicans and independents are more focused on practical electability concerns than ideological alarm.
Noise Assessment
High noise ratio - much of the controversy is driven by resurfaced social media posts and manufactured viral moments (Twitter history, podcast soundbites) that generate outsized media attention relative to how most voters actually weigh gubernatorial candidates, who tend to prioritize economic and governance issues over old tweets.
Sources (8)
<img src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/meet-wisconsin-democrats-new-socialist-front-runner-for-governor.jpg?id=67569227&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=0%2C196%2C0%2C325" /><br /><br /><p>Wisconsin's gubernatorial race just gave voters a preview of what the modern Democratic Party looks like once the "electability" wing gets out of the way: a democratic socialist front-runner sharing a stage with Hasan Piker and Ilhan Omar, promising the crowd that Wisconsin will never elect a Republican again.</p><p>On Sunday, Francesca Hong <a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/08/02/francesca-hong-holds-milwaukee-rally-with-hasan-piker-and-ilhan-omar/" target="_blank">took the stage</a> at South Milwaukee High School with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Hasan Piker — <a href="https://bluewaterhealthyliving.com/news/national-news/wisconsin/francesca-hong-rallies-with-ilhan-omar-hasan-piker-in-south-milwaukee/" target="_blank">the Twitch streamer</a> who has previously said that America "<a href="https://kotaku.com/twitch-suspends-popular-leftist-streamer-after-controve-1837518859" target="_blank">deserved 9/11</a>."</p><p class="pull-quote"><span></span>'Wisconsin doesn't need Mao-inspired Chinese communism.'</p><p>None of that stopped the crowd from giving Piker a standing ovation at the rally. </p><p>Piker livestreamed the whole event, called Wisconsin the birthplace of the American socialist movement "long before Zohran [Mamdani] and Bernie Sanders," and promised that "a Republican will never be elected in this state ever again, once our movement is done."</p><p>Asked if campaigning with a figure like Piker is a liability, Hong said the real risk is "not building the broadest coalition possible."</p><p>Hong is a two-term state representative out of Madison, a former chef, and — by her own admission — a dues-paying, card-carrying DSA member, sitting on the Assembly's Socialist Caucus.</p><p><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://www.wpr.org/news/republican-tom-tiffany-campaign-wisconsin-governor-primary-2026" target="_blank">The Democrat civil war is real — and it is happening in Wisconsin</a></strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image image-crop-16x9"> <img alt="" class="rm-shortcode" id="b5199" src="https://www.theblaze.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=67569246&width=1245&height=700&quality=50&coordinates=0%2C53%2C0%2C54" /> <small class="image-media media-photo-credit">Joshua Lott/Getty Images</small></p><p>Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), a four-term congressman and the Republican front-runner for governor, has made Hong's socialist tendencies the spine of his campaign.</p><p>Last month, Tiffany <a href="https://x.com/TomTiffanyWI/status/2079288963454435504?s=20" target="_blank">posted</a> a response to Piker praising Mao Zedong: "Mao Zedong was responsible for the deaths of at least 40 million people. Wisconsin doesn't need Mao-inspired Chinese communism." </p><p>In another post prior to the rally, Tiffany <a href="https://x.com/TomTiffanyWI/status/2081492267835981902?s=20" target="_blank">attacked</a> Hong’s apparent agreement with the DSA platform: "Does she want to abolish the police? Yep. Does she want to abolish prisons? Absolutely. Did she call for abolishing the U.S. Senate? Yes. Socialism is knocking on Wisconsin's door. This November, we slam it shut."</p><p>Though Hong has since <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/francesca-hong-avoids-attacks-wisconsin-democrats-meet-amicable-govern-rcna589069" target="_blank">distanced</a> herself from the DSA outright, telling voters she doesn't support "the full platform of the national DSA," she signaled her support in late June for a number of socialist positions on <a href="https://x.com/thestustustudio/status/2071720987100405813" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Piker's stream</a>, where he rattled off a rapid-fire menu — repealing Act 10, abolishing ICE, public grocery stores, legalizing marijuana, a free Palestine, and many of the DSA’s priorities.</p><p>Hong said yes to essentially all of it, even tentatively backing a statue to be built of former Governor Scott Walker (R) solely for people to deface.</p><p>The "abolish the Senate" line has become the flash point of the race, largely due to how she has handled it. </p><p>She posted exactly that in February 2021, and as of Tuesday morning, the <a href="https://x.com/FrancescaHongWI/status/1360704499883536385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1360704499883536385%7Ctwgr%5E517d029c5dcda0823220fb752ce5d06a38036e0b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fmedia%2Fdemocratic-wisconsin-gubernatorial-candidate-doesnt-recall-abolish-senate-post-2021-campaign-says" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweet</a> is still live — yet her campaign told Fox News it "doesn't exist," <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/democratic-wisconsin-gubernatorial-candidate-doesnt-recall-abolish-senate-post-2021-campaign-says" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">saying</a>, "Rep. Hong has never called for abolishing the U.S. Senate. Tiffany cannot produce a single statement where she did, because it doesn't exist." </p><p>Days later, Fox News’ Dana Perino <a href="https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2026/07/31/francesca-hong-interviews-n2205004" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">asked Hong directly</a> if there was anything on the Piker list she now disavows. Hong responded "no." When pressed on the "abolish the Senate" line, she <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/wisconsin-democratic-socialist-candidate-forced-address-past-police-abolition-posts-live-tv" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">walked it back</a>, calling it "nonsensical and non-practical at this time." </p><p>She has since <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6002876-foxs-dana-perino-grills-wisconsin-gubernatorial-candidate-francesca-hong-over-democratic-socialism/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">softened</a> her stance on defunding police "as a first step towards abolishing" it, now arguing that "people can evolve."</p><p>"She has spoken about police and prison abolition in the past as an aspirational goal, but it is not her current position, and it's not something she will pursue as governor," Hong’s communications director, Allison Geyer, told Fox. "She does not support replacing the presidency with the Supreme Court. Eliminating national borders isn't her position either, and it's not even part of the official DSA platform." </p><p>In another notable but since-deleted <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wisconsin-dem-frontrunner-called-cancel-thanksgiving-resurfaced-post" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tweet from 2020</a>, Hong wrote, "Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621." </p><p>And in a <a href="https://x.com/FrancescaHongWI/status/1146100682589691905?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2019 post</a>, ironically filled with typos, she described leaving a Culver's restaurant early, "on the verge of a [sic] anxiety attack...to [sic] many old white people who didn't think we spoke english [sic]."</p><p>Hong’s campaign account <a href="https://x.com/FrancescaHongWI/status/2082837349323464891" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said</a> that she stands by it — and that the restaurant's fries "leave much to be desired."</p><p>There's also a more personal chapter that has resurfaced as a talking point about Hong's fitness for office. In <a href="https://www.meal-magazine.com/meal-digital/hong" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a 2023 magazine profile</a>, Hong spoke candidly about a mental health crisis at 18 — a breakdown, self-harm, a week-long psychiatric hospitalization, and a later bipolar diagnosis after SSRIs and a lithium overdose.</p><p><strong>RELATED: <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/wisconsin-democratic-socialist-candidate-forced-address-past-police-abolition-posts-live-tv" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Democratic socialist leader goes on Fox and admits every extreme thing they want to do</a></strong></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube"> <span class="rm-shortcode" style="display: block; padding-top: 56.25%;"></span> </p><p>Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez (D), viewed by many as the more electable option, <a href="https://www.wpr.org/news/sara-rodriguez-drops-out-wisconsin-governor-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dropped out in mid-July</a> after problems <a href="https://www.fox6now.com/news/wisconsin-governor-race-rodriguez-suspends-campaign" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">surfaced</a> about her campaign finance reports in which her fundraising was allegedly inflated by as much as $200,000. </p><p>Republicans cleared their field earlier. <a href="https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/republican-bill-berrien-quits-2026-wisconsin-governors-race-amid-pornography-fallout/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bill Berrien</a>, a manufacturer running on "family values," dropped out last September after it surfaced that he had allegedly been following sexually explicit accounts online, including a nonbinary porn performer.</p><p>That left Tiffany as the clear front-runner — and notably, he isn't running as a <a href="https://www.wpr.org/news/republican-tom-tiffany-campaign-wisconsin-governor-primary-2026" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MAGA culture warrior</a> despite boasting one of the most conservative voting records in Congress, leaning instead into a “folksy" identity of Packers and old-fashioned Wisconsin.</p><p>The <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2026/07/29/francesca-hong-abolish-senate-lie-tom-tiffany/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">polling </a>shows why Democrats should be nervous. <a href="https://law.marquette.edu/poll/category/poll-release/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Marquette Law School poll from late July</a> had Hong at 38% in the field, Barnes, who <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/democrat-mandela-barnes-drops-wisconsin-governors-race-rcna590096" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dropped out</a> last Thursday, at 16%, Crowley at 7% — more than 20 points ahead with a huge chunk still undecided — and Cook Political Report rated the race a toss-up. </p><p><a href="https://townhall.com/news/amy-curtis/2026/07/29/tiffanys-odds-surge-in-wi-gov-race-n2680283" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Betting markets have swung hard toward Tiffany</a> in the general: odds now have Hong at 57%, down 25 points since April, against Tiffany at 46%, up 34 points.</p><p>The Wisconsin primary election is August 11, with absentee voting under way and no way to change a ballot once cast. </p><p><em>Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/newsletters/theblaze-articlelink" target="_self">Sign up here</a>!</em></p>
State Rep. Francesca Hong’s (D) steady rise in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race is teeing up the biggest test yet for democratic socialists and the far left this election cycle. Hong has held a strong lead in the Democratic field ahead of Tuesday’s primary, while establishment Democrats, including Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, have rallied around Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.  Evers and others have suggested…
Democratic socialist and former Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong (D) on Monday defended a past social media post urging the country to “cancel Thanksgiving” further leaning into her progressive agenda that’s gained traction for her Wisconsin gubernatorial campaign.  Hong, a professional chef, said Thanksgiving is a “time that’s incredibly painful for many people in our…