Nothing says "vote for me to lead your entire state" quite like telling millions of Americans their favorite holiday should have been scrapped four centuries ago. A Wisconsin Democrat running for governor is finding out that old social media posts have a funny way of coming back to haunt you, especially when you are trying to win over normal people who enjoy stuffing and football.
Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, one of the top Democratic contenders for governor, previously posted on social media that Americans should "Cancel Thanksgiving" because it supposedly celebrates colonialism. As The American Tribune reported, the post from November 2020 declared the holiday should have been axed way back in 1621. She also called it the original "superspreader event" that harmed indigenous people. Yes, she combined pandemic panic with anti-colonial rhetoric into one spicy little post. A political turducken, if you will.
Hong currently represents the 76th Assembly District in Madison, won her seat in 2020, and has filed to skip reelection in 2026 so she can pursue the governor's mansion instead. She is also a self-described democratic socialist with endorsement support from the Democratic Socialists of America. Her platform reportedly features publicly funded grocery stores, a state-run bank, and grants for social workers allocated by race. So basically, she looked at the political center and ran screaming in the opposite direction.
The resurfaced post matters now because Hong is no longer some backbencher tweeting into the void during lockdowns. She is a legitimate frontrunner in the Democratic primary to replace outgoing Governor Tony Evers, with voters heading to the polls on August 11th. Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the race on Thursday, leaving Hong and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley as the two main competitors. Suddenly those old tweets carry a lot more weight.
And the Thanksgiving post is not the only gem making the rounds. Another resurfaced post from 2019 showed Hong describing an anxiety attack she nearly experienced while visiting a Culver's restaurant in Black River Falls because she felt there were too many elderly white customers inside. She wrote that she "mostly just wanted to leave" because she was on the verge of panicking, blaming it on "too many old white people who didn't think we spoke english." Imagine campaigning to govern an entire state while simultaneously being uncomfortable around a significant chunk of its population eating cheese curds.
Voters are also revisiting her previous statements about defunding police, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and eliminating the United States Senate entirely. That last one is particularly bold for someone who might eventually need the Senate to, you know, cooperate with her on things.
Wisconsin Democrats now face a fascinating choice. Do they nominate someone whose greatest hits include canceling a beloved national holiday and having a panic attack at a fast food restaurant? August 11th should be quite the show.
Read more American news stories at: The American Tribune
