Francesca Hong, the Democratic Socialists of America member whose Wisconsin gubernatorial campaign has gained momentum, is seeking to soften her radical image ahead of the Democratic primary.
The shift appears aimed at easing concerns among moderate voters about the DSA, which is often associated with the Marxist far left, ahead of the August 11 primary.
In an August 5 interview with The Hill, Hong said that as a candidate for governor, she has to be smart, reasonable and pragmatic about what can realistically be achieved. She added that social media posts she shared in the past reflected personal beliefs she held before running for governor.
Although Hong is leading in the polls, she has faced growing resistance from establishment Democrats, including Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. Her recent emphasis on pragmatism over more radical policy positions is seen as an effort to appeal to moderate voters.
Hong, a member of the DSA’s Madison chapter, has taken sharply progressive positions in the past. In 2020, she called on social media for abolishing the police. She also called for ending Thanksgiving, describing it as a product of colonialism that displaced Native Americans, and for abolishing Culver’s, the Wisconsin-based fast-food chain, as a product of capitalism. Hong said in the interview that some of those posts may have been written jokingly.
The DSA recently unveiled a new platform that includes proposals to alter the separation-of-powers system, abolish the Senate, police and prisons, and nationalize major corporations, among other measures that would conflict with the current constitutional system. Hong has sought to distance herself from some of those positions but has not said she plans to sever ties with the DSA.
At a candidate debate last month, Hong said a governor cannot defund the police and that she is not running to govern through political slogans.
