Socialist Gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong has been receiving criticism from both sides of the aisle about her policies. Including things such as previous statements criticized by Democrats and their news outlets.
Hong, who’s running in a crowded 2026 democratic primary, had shown support for defunding and abolishing police departments. In a statement to CNN, Hong did not seem to walk back her ideas. She told CNN that her comments spark a “wider conversation around police abolition” rooted in her belief that “the current system is not working.”
Despite Hong’s comments, some of her socialist counterparts in deep blue portions of the country have toned down the “abolish” and “defund” game plan. In 2025, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani walked back his “defunding the police” comments. Back in 2020, during the heightened tensions with the BLM movement, even socialist Senator Bernie Sanders distanced himself from the abolish police movement. (RELATED: Milwaukee Public Schools Approves $1.6 Billion Budget Amid Low Proficiency Rates)
Hong has also displayed criticism of prisons, so far to say that she would prefer to not have them at all. In a rally, Hong told her supporters that her “perfect world would be a world without prisons.” Hong says that she wants to spend more money on job training programs and helping convicts earn their educational degrees.
Hong received criticism from within her own party after the “world without prisons” remarks. Ann Jacobs, a Milwaukee attorney and Democratic appointee to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, challenged the idea that crime can be explained mainly by economic instability. Jacobs pointed to serious crimes committed by people who do not lack basic needs. State Sen. Kelda Roys, another Democratic candidate for governor, also criticized Hong’s opinion, saying criminal justice reform must still focus on “actual public safety” in the real world. (RELATED:Tom Tiffany Tells Graduates to Find Jobs AI Can’t Replace)
Hong can win her campaign with just as little as 30% of the vote. Mark Belling says that a “radical like Hong” won’t be able to win the November election. Especially with the strong base that Hong is building, there is a very real chance she wins the primary. Belling says this can allow the Wisconsin GOP to target their campaign towards Hong’s soft on crime, anti-capitalist mentality.
