WI-GOV: Democrat Francesca Hong promises to be 'wild card' in Wisconsin governor's race

[RandySF]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Democratic state lawmaker who is promising to be a “wild card” joined Wisconsin’s open race for governor on Wednesday, saying she will focus on a progressive agenda to benefit the working class.

State Rep. Francesca Hong, who lives in the liberal capital city of Madison, is embracing her outsider status. In addition to serving in the state Assembly, Hong works as a bartender, dishwasher and line cook. As a single mother struggling with finding affordable housing, she said she is uniquely relatable as a candidate

“I like considering myself the wild card,” Hong said. “Our campaign is going to look at strategies and movement building, making sure we are being creative when it comes to our digital strategies.”

Part of her goal will be to expand the electorate to include voters who haven’t been engaged in past elections, she said.




https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/democrat-francesca-hong-wisconsin-governors-race/

[Celerity]

1. Leader of anti-Biden protest vote announces bid for Wisconsin governor

State Rep. Francesca Hong helped spearhead the state's "uninstructed" vote in the 2024 Democratic primary. Now she's leaning into her working-class background for her campaign.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/17/francesca-hong-wiconsin-governor-campaign-00566485

The latest candidate to enter the crowded Wisconsin race for governor is a progressive who helped spearhead a protest vote against former President Joe Biden over his stance on Israel in the Democratic primary last year.

State Rep. Francesca Hong, a member of Legislature’s fledgling Socialist Caucus, is amplifying her working-class background as chef and community organizer in her campaign launch on Wednesday. She’s likely a long-shot candidate, but her presence in the race is a sign that Democrats are still sorting through what they stand for on a host of issues after their steep losses last November.

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The 36-year-old Hong, whose district includes heavily Democratic-leaning Madison, the state capital and home to the state’s largest university, helped lead the state’s “uninstructed” push ahead of the state’s presidential primary last April with some 25 Democratic elected state and local officials signing onto a pressure campaign attempting to sway the Biden administration’s policies on Israel.

The effort garnered more than 48,000 votes, amounting to 8.3 percent of the vote. It was seen as a shot across the bow and a harbinger of how the party’s handling of Israel would present significant headwinds for Democrats.

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[mcar]

2. Thanks but no thanks. nt