Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) declined to endorse leftist Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, who has made headlines in recent days over her past calls to cancel Thanksgiving and abolish the police.
Sanders was asked Wednesday on the “Pod Save America” podcast whether he planned to endorse Hong, the Democratic frontrunner in Wisconsin’s governor race. The leftist senator, who has endorsed other far-Left candidates this cycle like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, said he did not know much about the race and did not plan to get involved at this point.
“I don’t think so. I met Francesca a couple of years ago [when] I was in Wisconsin. And she was very, very nice. But, again, this is a race I just am not that familiar with,” Sanders said. “We have not gotten involved in many governors races, and we did one in Maine with Troy Jackson. You know, obviously, my major concern right now is seeing that we have a Senate and a House that is going to stand up to Trump. That’s really where my focus is. So, as of now, we have not been involved in that race.”
Hong, who polling shows has a commanding lead in the Democratic primary, has faced scrutiny in recent days over her extreme rhetoric. In one post from November 2020, she said Thanksgiving should be canceled.
“Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” she said. “If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed indigenous folx and women, so be it.”
In other posts on social media, Hong said the police should be defunded and then abolished.
“Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option,” she said in October 2021.
Hong also took aim at white people in one post, complaining about how many “old white people” were dining at Culver’s, a popular Wisconsin fast food chain.
“I ate two bites of my kid’s cheeseburger at a Culver’s in black river falls [sic] and told him they ran out of ice cream. Mostly just wanted to leave bc I was on the verge of a anxiety attack…to [sic] many old white people who didn’t think we spoke english,” Hong posted on X.
While Hong has distanced herself from some of her old posts, she has doubled down on her leftist priorities. On Sunday, she campaigned alongside Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and streamer Hasan Piker, who infamously said America “deserved” 9/11 and called for Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) to be killed. She is backed by Democratic Socialists of America chapters in Madison and Milwaukee.
Establishment Democrats in the state have lined up behind Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who more than doubled Hong’s fundraising in July. Despite the backing of Governor Tony Evers and his monetary advantage, Crowley still trails Hong in the polls. Republicans are set to nominate Rep. Tom Tiffany, who has raised more funds than any Democratic candidate.
The Wisconsin primary is on August 11.
