Wisconsin gubernatorial frontrunner Francesca Hong defends past call to cancel Thanksgiving
Francesca Hong, the Democratic Socialist candidate leading the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor, is confronting fresh attention to several of her earlier social‑media posts. A 2020 post in which she suggested cancelling Thanksgiving has been revisited, and a 2019 entry describing an anxiety episode after leaving a Culver's restaurant in Black River Falls because of older white patrons has also resurfaced. Hong has responded by tempering the Thanksgiving comment and emphasizing her culinary background as a way to bring people together. The renewed focus on these posts is adding pressure to her campaign as she seeks to maintain her polling advantage in the primary race.
Why it matters
Voters are weighing how a candidate’s past statements may reflect her values and suitability for statewide office.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTLeft-leaning coverage defends Hong and criticizes right-wing attacks, while right-leaning coverage repeatedly condemns her past anti-Thanksgiving and other extremist statements; Centrist coverage simply reports the viral backlash and mixed reactions without taking a clear stance.
LEFT
Defends Hong and frames right-wing coverage as hostile attacks while highlighting her progressive platform
RIGHT
Condemns Hong’s past anti-Thanksgiving remarks and other radical statements, portraying her as an extremist socialist
The left emphasises
- Hong’s progressive platform (Medicare for All, universal childcare, ICE abolition, cannabis legalization)
- right-wing outlets reviving her mental-health disclosures as attacks
- advises left-leaning candidates to bluntly reject outdated positions
The right emphasises
- Hong’s 2020 call to “cancel Thanksgiving” as evidence of anti-American sentiment
- past statements linking police to white supremacy and other radical views
- portrays Hong as a socialist extremist demanding the holiday’s abolition
How this story developed
- Aug 4 Wisconsin gubernatorial frontrunner Francesca Hong defends past call to cancel Thanksgiving
- Aug 5 A 2019 Culver's restaurant comment has been highlighted alongside earlier posts.
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