Wisconsin governor candidate Hong faces backlash over deleted Thanksgiving post

Francesca Hong tried to blunt a growing primary-week backlash on CNN on Aug. 4 by defending a deleted 2020 post that said, “Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621.” The Wisconsin governor candidate, a democratic socialist and former state representative, is now facing a broader question than one holiday post: whether a hard-edged progressive message can survive a statewide race in Wisconsin, where suburban, rural and union voters often decide close contests.

By the next day, Hong was walking that position back in an interview with Politico, saying Thanksgiving is her “favorite” holiday and that she “doesn’t want to cancel it.” The reversal came after renewed attention to other old posts, including criticism of Valentine’s Day as a day that brings out “the worst of humanity,” a comment about a Culver’s visit in which she said she was uncomfortable because of “many old white people who didn’t think we spoke english,” and older remarks about abolishing the U.S. Senate and earlier defund-or-abolish-police rhetoric.

The backlash did not come only from conservatives. Some Democrats also joined in, as Hong entered the final stretch before the Aug. 11 Wisconsin Democratic primary as one of the leading candidates in the race. That timing matters because the contest is already being read as a statewide electability test, not just a left-right intramural fight, and Hong’s defenders have had to explain language that sounds more like activist shorthand than general-election outreach.

That contrast is sharp in Wisconsin. Tammy Baldwin won re-election to a third U.S. Senate term by 28,781 votes with a message built around meeting people where they are, listening to their concerns and getting things done. Tony Evers, who won the most votes of any statewide candidate in 2022, has also benefited from a less combustible brand of politics. Hong’s remarks, by comparison, hand critics a simple line of attack: that a candidate who has spoken about canceling Thanksgiving and abolishing institutions may energize a primary base, but could struggle to reassure suburban moderates, rural voters and union households once the general election begins.