WASHINGTON — Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker warned mischief-minded Badger State Republicans Sunday not to cross party lines to vote for socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong in Tuesday’s Democratic gubernatorial primary.
“Crossing over to vote for Francesca Hong is a big risk because she would be VERY dangerous if she was Governor,” Walker wrote on X, discussing the prospect of GOP voters boosting a candidate perceived as weaker in the general election.
Under Wisconsin law, both parties have to have open primaries, giving voters the choice where to cast their ballots.
Polls show Hong, 37, holding a commanding lead over Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and three other candidates in the Democratic primary, despite the resurfacing of some of her ultra-woke rhetoric in recent days.
Francesca Hong is widely seen as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Scott Walker warned that Republicans would be playing with fire if they cross-vote for Francesca Hong. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
A member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Hong called in November 2021 to get rid of Thanksgiving due to its “colonialist” undertones.
When pressed on CNN last week, Hong initially argued that the holiday “is also a time that’s incredibly painful for many people in our communities” before backtracking to claim she had no interest in abolishing the festival.
Hong has also insisted that she “would not abolish the police,” after previously calling for just that.
In a viral interview on Fox News last month, Hong stood by many pillars of the DSA platform and refused to disavow lefty streamer Hasan Piker, who said in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.”
Francesca Hong’s numerous past far-left stances have been coming back to haunt her in her gubernatorial run. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
In a sign of how the far-left in DC views Hong, both Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have refrained from endorsing her.
In contrast to the competitive Democratic primary, Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) is heavily favored to win the GOP nomination and leads Hong by 1.7 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average.
Outgoing Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has tried to rally support for Crowley, warning that a Hong victory will be a gift for Republicans in November.
Walker, Wisconsin’s most recent GOP governor, made clear that he intends to stick with the GOP primary and back Tiffany for governor, Will Martin for lieutenant governor, and Eric Toney for attorney general.
“It will not be easy, but @TomTiffanyWI can defeat either Hong or Crowley if he stays on message: cutting red tape, limiting spending & lowering property taxes will help push down costs while the radical views of the others will drive up costs,” he added in another X post.
