Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong Surges in Wisconsin Governor Primary

Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, has seen a surge of support in the Democratic primary for governor. Hong placed second in an unscientific straw poll at the state party convention this month and led limited public polling from March.

Gov. Tony Evers is retiring, leaving an open race that includes Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. The primary is set for August. Hong, 37, represents Madison and has called for universal childcare and healthcare.

She posted on X on June 24 that “It’s a great day to be a democratic socialist. ” after three candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won U.S. House primaries and a democratic socialist won the Democratic mayoral primary in Washington, D.C.

Hong has faced scrutiny over past statements calling to defund and abolish the police. In May she said “my perfect world would be a world without prisons,” according to an audio recording obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She told NBC News that Republicans in the Legislature have been defunding local governments that fund law enforcement.

Rodriguez told NBC News that electability is crucial. “People are looking to November and making sure that we have the strongest candidate to beat Tom Tiffany, and they’re seeing that that’s what I bring to the table,” she said. ” A Marquette University Law School poll from March showed Hong at 14 percent and Barnes at 11 percent, with 65 percent undecided.

In the convention straw poll, Rodriguez finished first and Barnes sixth out of seven candidates. Former candidate Missy Hughes dropped out on June 22 and endorsed Rodriguez. Barnes, who lost the 2022 U.S.