Democrats Terrified as Socialist Candidate Nears Primary Win in Battleground Gubernatorial Race

Wisconsin’s likely winner in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for governor is making Democrats shudder.

Francesca Hong is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who has been defending her past trashing of Thanksgiving in the closing days of the race, as noted by The Hill.

A social media post from her account in 2020 said America should “cancel Thanksgiving” in order to “stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed Indegenous [sic] folx and women.”

Democratic pundit James Carville, in a recent X post, called Hong “a font of zany liberal, faculty lounge exotica.”

But according to The New York Times, Hong is riding a series of polls giving her double-digit leads as Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary approaches.

The Wall Street Journal noted that the 37-year-old state representative has come to the top as other names left the race, and as the progressive movement to turn the Democratic Party further leftward has gathered steam.

“Establishment Democrats are concerned that Hong, on whom Republicans have spent millions because they think she would be easier to beat in November than any of the other Democrats in the race, could cost the party a winnable governorship in a key state,” The Wall Street Journal opined.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, shown trailing in the polls, said Hong makes Democrats shudder.

“There are a lot of people who are scared,” Crowley said. “She is a self-proclaimed socialist. There are a lot of people worried about not just this party, but this country moving in that direction.”

In a comment to Time, Crowley noted the gap between his platform and that of Hong.

“You can’t win this primary on ideology alone,” Crowley said.

“You have to be able to build a winning coalition to make sure that we can get over the hump come November and defeat the Republicans.”

The Hill noted that neither Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont nor Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York have endorsed Hong in the primary.

The winner of the primary will face U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican.

Former Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker summed up the contest as “common sense versus dangerously crazy,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

“That said, it will still be a close race,” he said.

Hong says she connects with voters because of her background.

“My multiple identities is what helps me connect with a lot of different types of people,” she said, calling herself “the only wage worker” in the race, the daughter of South Korean immigrants, a single mother, and a renter.

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