Democratic socialist candidate for Wis. gov. dodges responding to past call to 'cancel Thanksgiving'

Does a Democratic Socialist candidate for governor of Wisconsin want to do away with Thanksgiving?

Francesca Hong, a former Wisconsin state lawmaker and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, declined to directly clarify whether she still supports a movement to "cancel Thanksgiving," which she endorsed in a pandemic-era social media post.

In a since-deleted post on X from Nov. 3, 2020, Hong, 37, wrote: "Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621. If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed [indigenous folks] and women so be it."

During an appearance Monday on CNN's "The Source with Kaitlan Collins," Hong sidestepped a direct question from Collins asking whether she still supports such a view. Collins asked plainly: "Do you still believe that Thanksgiving should be canceled?"

Instead, Hong described Thanksgiving — a 400-year-old tradition considered by many to be the “most Christian” American holiday — as a time of trauma for some, while emphasizing her own history with the holiday.

"I'm a chef, and one of the first meals that I made for the community when I was 16 was a Thanksgiving meal," Hong said. 

She added, “I always think my hospitality background in owning a restaurant for seven, eight years, that bringing folks around the table to share conversation and build community is always a good thing. But Thanksgiving is also a time that’s incredibly painful for many people in our communities. And so I think there I wanted to make sure people understood there are multiple views but views can evolve.” 

“And the position that I’m running for right now — and I think my background as a chef will actually help me become a better governor that’s able to bring more people to the table,” she added.

Hong's answer drew swift criticism, including from within her own party.

David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Obama, said "answers like these" cause "many to think if this chef wins the gubernatorial primary in WI, Ds may be cooked."

Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., the likely Republican nominee for governor, seized on the exchange as well, telling voters they would still be able to celebrate the holiday if he is elected governor.

Hong's campaign has since said she doesn't want to cancel Thanksgiving, seeking to move past the controversy surrounding the deleted post, though her answer to CNN left the question unresolved for many viewers and commentators.

A single mother and former business owner who is the first Asian American elected to the Wisconsin Legislature, Hong has stoked controversy in the past on social media. In 2019, she described having an “anxiety attack” at a restaurant in Black River Falls, about 196 miles northwest of Milwaukee, because there were “to[o] many old white people who didn’t think we spoke [E]nglish.”

Running on a self-described platform to “create permanent affordability for working people,” Hong’s campaign website includes a push to recognize medical procedures for gender dysphoric patients as “medically necessary” and calls to veto legislation that would ban such medical intervention for patients under 18 years of age. Hong also supports enshrining abortion “and other forms of reproductive justice” in the Wisconsin state constitution. 

The Christian Post reached out to Hong’s campaign for comment Tuesday and will update this story if a response is received.

Public opinion polling of the Wisconsin gubernatorial election shows Hong as the frontrunner in the Democratic primary. According to RealClearPolitics, Hong has led in seven of the nine polls taken of the Wisconsin gubernatorial race. In the four polls taken in July, Hong has led by double digits. 

A Marquette University poll released last week found Hong with 38% support, 22 percentage points ahead of former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who placed second before dropping out of the race.

Conversely, in the two polls measuring voter intentions in a general election matchup between Hong and likely Republican nominee Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate beats the Democratic frontrunner by 3 percentage points.

By contrast, the two polls examining a general election matchup between Hong and the other major Democratic candidate, Barnes, who has since dropped out, show Barnes beating Tiffany. The Wisconsin primary is slated to take place on Aug. 11, with the winners advancing to the general election.