Behind Francesca Hong’s flighty campaign is a – Latest News
“We need more witch poems written by fabulous asians.”
“We need more algorithms written by immigrant trans folk.”
“We need more supreme court decisions written by activist p.o.c. [people of color].”
“We need more speculative fiction written by indigenous latinx.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong poses for a picture on Friday, July 24, 2026, in Milwaukee. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
In a Sheboygan, Wis. café, a collection of posters assert as a lot earlier than following up with a haunting query.
“What are you doing to help make that happen?”
On Saturday evening, attendees of an occasion hosted by the institution might reply with their chin up: they’re going to elect Francesca Hong governor.
A democratic socialist member of the state Assembly and the prohibitive favourite to succeed Gov. Tony Evers because the Democratic nominee for his workplace come Tuesday, Hong has featured in headlines for all of the improper causes over the previous couple of weeks.
In a much-maligned November 2020 tweet, she referred to as on officers to “Cancel Thanksgiving.”
Posters seen at a campaign occasion for Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong in Sheboygan on Aug. 8, 2026.
“If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed Indegenous [sic] folx and women so be it,” declared Hong, then 32.
Needless to say, she picked the best place for Saturday’s get-together.
Still, whereas the lawmaker’s risible social media historical past and untidy clean-up efforts have been the subject of a lot mockery, Hong is well-positioned to capitalize on the craze of a fist-clenching voters able to show up to the polls to punish, not construct.
From the stage, Hong submitted that “what’s been missing from our politics for far too long is creativity, joy and commitment.”
A number of moments later, she repeated the plea, this time figuring out “joy, positivity and unity” because the foundations of her motion.
If solely.
Hong’s message is a resentful, revanchist one — and it’s touchdown on the best ears.
The first query she fielded on the Sheboygan city corridor was about what she would do to progressives’ favourite boogeyman: Elon Musk.
Answer: “I will use every tool in the executive’s office to make sure that we are not only holding Elon Musk accountable, but that we are prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law individual ICE agents who break the law.”
Thunderous applause.
A number of moments later, Hong scoped in on Madison police, whom she vowed to carry accountable for the death of Corey Ruiz, a black man who was shot within the capital after pulling a knife on officers final month.
“I’m following that case in conversations with local government, and have been demanding accountability and justice,” stated the would-be governor.
“It’s important for folks to know that, as someone who believes in the rule of law, we investigate every murder to make sure that there is justice for the victims.”
“Murder.”
More applause.
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Her doubtless common election opponent, Republican congressman Tom Tiffany, fared little higher.
Hong deemed him a “pedophile protector” and “traitor” — the sort that meet their Maker within the gallows.
Their business, the defined, was nothing short of “fighting fascism.”
She is aware of her viewers.
A largely nice younger man sitting exterior the café earlier than its doorways opened wished her to go even additional.
He attended a related occasion with the identical candidate on the similar venue final yr and stated that his impression of her was that she was taking “a very safe route of appealing to your average Wisconsinite … being as in the middle as possible, which eight years ago I would have loved.”
“But these days I really want the energy of, ‘we have essential Nazis in the White House, they’re doing unconstitutional and illegal things on a daily basis, they’re committing war crimes, we will hold them accountable and punish them,’ ” he stated.
He will need to have preferred what he heard on Saturday.
And his ideas on Israel?
“The best two phrases can be: ‘F—k Israel.’ “
Hong’s disdain for the world’s solely Jewish-majority state, he stated, is a “big point” in her favor.
An older couple concurred that freezing out Israel was “important,” and cited her plan to “get rid of ICE” as one of their principal causes for supporter her.
Check and examine.
Nationally, Hong has been portrayed as a variety of residing joke, a ditzy relic of Peak Woke who compares unfavorably to more polished far-left figures like New York’s Zohran Mamdani and Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed.
Those portrayals miss the which means of her candidacy totally.
Because beneath the flighty requires more witch poems and empty appeals to pleasure, there’s an irrepressible anger that she’s offering a vengeful, self-righteous seeming outlet for.
And hatred dressed up as love is nearly essentially the most alluring factor there is.
