KENOSHA, Wisconsin \u2014\u00a0<\/b>The progressive movement\u2019s midterms march has arrived in Wisconsin, where a democratic socialist is forcing establishment Democrats to mount an all-out, last-ditch effort to stop her.<\/p>\n

State Rep. Francesca Hong is the front-runner to become the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, fueled by a populist campaign tapping into voters\u2019 cost of living concerns. David Crowley, the Milwaukee County Executive backed by outgoing Gov. Tony Evers, has emerged as the top candidate trying to cut off Hong\u2019s bid.<\/p>\n

Ahead of Tuesday\u2019s primary, electability was top of mind for voters and both candidates as they raced to prove they could build the widest, strongest coalition against presumptive Republican nominee Tom Tiffany.<\/p>\n

Crowley and Evers have been barnstorming the swing state over the past week, warning a vote for Hong risks losing the governor\u2019s mansion in November to Tiffany, a hard-right member of the House Freedom Caucus backed by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, it’s the only time that I know that the governor \u2014 Tony Evers \u2014 the Republican Governors Association and Turning Point USA have ever been on the same page: in thinking that Francesca Hong is the best candidate to lose this race,\u201d Crowley said in an interview at a local tavern in Sheboygan on Friday.<\/p>\n

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Hong rejects those warnings. Speaking to voters at events across the state, Hong argues Democratic voters are fed up with the establishment ahead of November \u2014 and that she can appeal to a wide array of Democrats, Republicans and people who don\u2019t feel represented by either party.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to take this moment, a movement moment, and be bold with transformative change, and build the actual big tent that we can and we must be as Democrats,\u201d Hong told a crowd of about 50 people gathered at a senior community center in deep-red Siren.<\/p>\n

Hong, a 37-year-old former chef and single mother who represents the bluest district in the state assembly, has charted a remarkably rapid rise in a purple state that Trump won by just shy of 30,000 votes in 2024. She launched her campaign as a long shot, with far less name recognition than other Democrats in the race like Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. Both of them have since<\/a> dropped out<\/a>. And despite being at a consistent fundraising disadvantage \u2014 Hong still has not put out a single television ad<\/a> \u2014 the progressive has maintained wide leads in public polling.<\/p>\n

But Hong\u2019s campaign has also faced intense scrutiny over a string of controversial past social media posts, including advocating for defunding the police<\/a> and railing against Thanksgiving<\/a>. She was later slammed for being unable to give a straightforward answer to CNN<\/a> about whether she would \u201ccancel Thanksgiving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following those missteps, Hong’s team has clamped down on her interactions with both local and national media at campaign events in the final stretch. She has also moderated some of her past positions in public remarks, emphasizing repeatedly that she is \u201cserious about public safety\u201d and even attempting to eschew some of her anti-establishment ties.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, she reversed herself on Thanksgiving, telling POLITICO<\/a> that it was, in fact, her favorite holiday. And asked by Blue Light News on Saturday if she had any regrets about her past, she told reporters at a campaign stop in Sheboygan that she had learned from her tweets.<\/p>\n

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