Key Highlights

  • Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist state legislator, has led polling in a crowded Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary field ahead of Tuesday's vote
  • A win would set up a general election matchup against Republican congressman Tom Tiffany, who has been endorsed by President Trump
  • Hong has faced criticism over past Social Media comments, including remarks suggesting the cancellation of Thanksgiving, which she has since walked back
  • The race follows a broader pattern of progressive candidates winning recent Democratic primaries ahead of November's midterm elections

Progressive Candidate Leads Crowded Primary Field

A democratic socialist state legislator is favored to win Wisconsin Democrats' primary for governor, in the latest example of progressive candidates gaining traction in the party's primary contests. Francesca Hong, a 37-year-old state legislator and former restaurant owner, has attracted criticism in recent weeks over past social media posts, including one from 2020 in which she said Americans should stop celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday due to its ties to colonialism.

Polling suggests Hong holds a significant lead over a crowded field of Democratic opponents ahead of Tuesday's primary in the battleground state, with particularly strong support among younger primary voters and those identifying as very liberal. If she wins, Hong will face Republican congressman Tom Tiffany in November, who has been endorsed by President Trump.

Establishment Democrats Express Concern Over Positions

Democrats across the party's ideological spectrum have expressed concern that some of Hong's positions, including support for abolishing police departments and prisons, could alienate general election voters in a state Trump carried by fewer than 30,000 votes in 2024. Hong's Thanksgiving comments drew renewed attention after she struggled to directly answer a television interviewer's question last month about whether she still supported canceling the holiday, before later clarifying that Thanksgiving was in fact her favorite holiday.

If Hong wins Tuesday's primary, she would become the latest in a series of progressive candidates to prevail in Democratic primaries ahead of November's midterm elections, following a similar result in neighboring Michigan's Senate primary last week. Unlike that race, however, Hong has not received public endorsements from prominent national progressive figures.

Wisconsin Seen as Pivotal Battleground

Wisconsin has long been viewed as a key battleground state in national elections, and Democratic officials in the state have said Hong remains beatable, noting that a significant share of likely primary voters remained undecided in recent polling. Wisconsin's outgoing Democratic governor has endorsed a rival candidate seen as the most viable alternative to Hong, though that candidate briefly dropped out of the race before restarting his campaign roughly a week and a half later.