Democrats have apparently found a socialist candidate who is even too crazy for Vermont socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders to endorse.
Sanders delivered a clear rebuff to Wisconsin’s leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong this week, refusing to endorse the democratic socialist just days before voters head to the polls.
The Vermont independent’s decision leaves Hong without the backing of one of the progressive left’s most prominent figures as she tries to secure her party’s nomination to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Appearing Wednesday on the “Pod Save America” podcast, Sanders was asked directly by host Jon Favreau whether he would support Hong.
He responded flatly: “I don’t think so.”
Sanders described Hong as “very, very nice” but admitted he was not closely following the contest.
“We have not gotten involved in many governors’ races…. My major concern right now is seeing that we have a Senate and a House that is going to stand up to [President] Trump,” Sanders said.
“That’s really where my focus is,” Sanders added. “So as of now, we have really not been involved in that race.”
The timing is striking.
Wisconsin Democrats vote Tuesday to choose their nominee for the November general election, where the winner is expected to face Rep. Tom Tiffany, the likely Republican standard-bearer.
Polling has shown Hong, a state lawmaker and former professional chef, leading the Democratic field.
Yet she carries significant baggage that even members of her own party have flagged as a liability.
Hong has spent recent weeks scrambling to contain fallout from a since-deleted 2020 social media post in which she wrote: “Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621.”
Her explanations have shifted repeatedly. On Monday she told CNN the holiday is “incredibly painful for many people.”
By Wednesday she told Politico that Thanksgiving is actually her “favorite” holiday.
Tiffany has already highlighted Hong’s prior criticism of holidays, including Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, positioning the comments as out of touch with mainstream Wisconsin values.
Layered on top of that controversy is Hong’s earlier advocacy for defunding and abolishing the police.
At a debate last month, she attempted to soft-pedal the stance, saying she needs to be “sensible and practical on what we can achieve.”
This pattern of advancing radical positions only to walk them back when scrutiny intensifies has become familiar among progressive candidates.
Moderate Democrats have poured millions into efforts to stop democratic socialists from winning primaries precisely because such views energize activists but collapse with general-election voters.
Sanders is not alone in keeping his distance.
Evers endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in July after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez exited the race and Crowley reentered.
This week Evers went further, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Hong would likely lose to Tiffany in November.
Hong’s campaign has received support from Our Revolution Wisconsin, an affiliate of the national group Sanders founded, as well as some progressive lawmakers.
Yet Sanders’ absence of an endorsement, along with Evers’ open preference for Crowley, highlights fractures within the Democratic coalition.
Progressive insurgents have captured primaries by mobilizing activist bases, but their general-election track records remain mixed.
In Wisconsin, the establishment is not mounting a massive spending campaign against Hong; it is simply withholding support.
