Francesca Hong Backlash
A Wisconsin socialist faces criticism from Democrats and conservatives over a Thanksgiving post.
1 left3 center8 right
Updated Aug 4, 7:41pm ETEvery side, every morning
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The reporting
Wisconsin state Assembly member Francesca Hong, a Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed candidate for governor, declined in a CNN interview to answer yes or no when asked whether she still stood by a 2020 post calling to “cancel Thanksgiving.” The deleted post said Thanksgiving celebrates colonialism and compared the COVID-19 pandemic to diseases transmitted from settlers to Indigenous populations. Hong also faced renewed scrutiny over earlier remarks about “proximity to whiteness,” including comments about her biracial son, who is half-white and half-Korean.
Analysis & opinion
Democratic liabilityBalanced
Candidates associated with DSA-style democratic socialism are politically risky because unpopular radical positions make them easy targets. Democrats and left-wing candidates should choose pragmatic politics and clearly reject slogans or ideas that alienate voters.
Far-left worldviewMostly Right
Francesca Hong’s resurfaced posts and recent answers reveal a far-left worldview that is hostile to mainstream American traditions and obsessed with ideological culture-war fights. Her record, from anti-Thanksgiving rhetoric to other radical slogans, shows she is too extreme and unfit for higher office.
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