Francesca Hong, a self-identified Democratic Socialist and Democratic candidate for governor of Wisconsin, is facing renewed attention over social media posts she made between 2019 and 2021 as voters prepare to cast ballots in the state’s August 11 primary, as reported by Trending Politics News.

Hong has sought to explain several of the controversial posts by pointing to her earlier ambitions of becoming a sports journalist.

During a recent press gaggle, she said, “I was actually trying to become a sports journalist when I first went to college. So I learned you sometimes have bad takes on Twitter,” she said with a smirk.

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Several of the posts were published in 2020. In November of that year, Hong wrote, “Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” and described the holiday as being rooted in “genocide.”

Francesca Hong: “Cancel Thanksgiving.” pic.twitter.com/TZShfz6cvU

— DSA Watch (@DSA_Watch) July 31, 2026

Thanksgiving was established as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the Civil War, with the holiday intended in part to promote national unity.

In another post from roughly the same period, Hong referred to Thanksgiving as a “colonizer holiday.”

Other posts from the same general timeframe included critical comments about holidays such as Valentine’s Day and Christmas-related imagery.

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Hong also drew attention for a 2019 post concerning an experience at a Culver’s restaurant in Black River Falls.

She wrote that she left after eating briefly because she was “on the verge of a anxiety attack” due to “to many old white people who didn’t think we spoke English.”

I ate two bites of my kid's cheeseburger at a Culver's in black river falls and told him they ran out of ice cream. Mostly just wanted to leave bc I was on the verge of a anxiety attack...to many old white people who didn't think we spoke english

— Francesca Hong For Governor (@FrancescaHongWI) July 2, 2019

Additional posts from 2020 and 2021 included strong statements about policing and the U.S. Senate.

In one post, Hong wrote, “Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option.” In another, she called for the “Abolish the Senate.”

The timing of the posts has also become part of the discussion surrounding Hong’s explanation. Hong was first elected to the Wisconsin State House in 2020.

Some of the posts now receiving attention were published after she had been elected but before she formally took office, while others were written during her tenure as a state representative.

The November 2020 Thanksgiving post came after her election victory but before she was sworn into office.

The October 2021 statement concerning police and the February 2021 call to abolish the Senate were made while she was serving as a state representative.

Hong has separately attempted to clarify her comments about Thanksgiving in interviews and public statements.

In an interview with Politico, she said Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday and stated, “I don’t want to cancel it. I actually love it.”

She has also described herself as “kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to holidays in general.”

At the same time, Hong has continued to characterize Thanksgiving as a holiday rooted in “genocide” while campaigning.

The controversy comes as Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans prepare for the August 11 primary.

With less than 24 hours remaining before polls close in the state, Hong holds a substantial lead in available polling and is widely projected to win the Democratic nomination for governor.

On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, is widely projected to secure the GOP nomination.

The outcome of Tuesday’s primary will determine the nominees who advance to the general election for governor.

Hong’s past social media activity has become a prominent issue in the final stretch of the Democratic primary campaign as voters consider the candidates seeking the party’s nomination.

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