Francesca Hong, a candidate in Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary, has resurfaced online posts that include critical views of the United States and its institutions. Among the posts uncovered by Fox News Digital, Hong described America as "an abundance of suffering" in January 2022, stating, "I want this country to stop being an abundance of suffering but a wealth of opportunity." She suggested this could be achieved by "providing equal rights to Black and Brown folks" and electing "more Black and Brown folks who won't be racist obstructionists."
Another past social media post from Hong called to "Cancel Thanksgiving," arguing it should have been done in 1621 and referencing the holiday's connection to colonialism and the spread of disease. In a 2019 post, she also expressed anxiety in the company of White people, stating she felt "too many old white people who didn't think we spoke English."
In 2020, following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Hong voiced support for abolishing the police, posting, "Police exist to uphold White supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can't be an option." Her campaign stated at the time that police and prison abolition were "aspirational goals" and that "her values haven’t changed, but the way she talks about this issue has."
Hong, who is Korean American, has acknowledged that a governor does not have the power to defund the police. When asked about the scrutiny of her past posts, she told Fox News Digital that she learned during her time aspiring to be a sports journalist that "you have some hot takes, and sometimes bad takes on Twitter, and I let my feelings out into the world." She indicated her focus is on issues that voters are concerned about.