Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong is moving to contain political fallout after critics resurfaced and mocked her past description of Thanksgiving as a “celebration of colonialism.”
Hong, a democratic socialist who has been leading polls ahead of Tuesday’s primary, faced fresh questions this week about a 2020 post on X in which she criticized the holiday during the Covid pandemic.
Now viewed as a front-runner for the Democratic nomination, Hong sought to clarify her position in an interview, insisting she has no interest in trying “to cancel Thanksgiving.”
“My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, so there you have it. I don’t want to cancel it, I actually love it,” she told Politico.
Hong, a 37-year-old political newcomer backed by figures including Hasan Piker and Rep. Ilhan Omar, also described herself as “kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to holidays in general” before steering the conversation back toward her campaign message.
The attempted clarification quickly drew attention online, where opponents accused her of reversing course.
“Less than 48 hours ago, she told CNN that Thanksgiving is a ‘painful time,’” Greg Price wrote.
Corey Walker also weighed in, writing: “The media’s attempts to help this woman whitewash her image are so obvious. No way they’d give a conservative multiple tries to ‘correct’ a gaffe and let them just laugh it off.”
Woke Democrat Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong (pictured) is attempting to do damage control after she was mocked for calling Thanksgiving a ‘celebration of colonialism’
Dan O’Donnell wrote: ‘I am increasingly becoming convinced that Francesca Hong is a conservative patriot who has gone deep undercover to destroy the socialist movement by making it sound as stupid and unserious as humanly possible.’
A spokesperson for Hong took a jab at the media frenzy around her take in a statement to The Daily Mail.
‘There’s already plenty of coverage about a 6 year old tweet. There are however 111 pieces of policy on our website to address permanent affordability so working families can celebrate holidays as they wish without worrying so much about overwhelming inflation under MAGA leadership,’ Hong campaign manager Becky Cooper said.
‘We’d be happy to share more about any of those, so please reach out if you have questions on universal childcare, paid leave, fully funded public schools, healthcare, or Rep. Hong’s data center moratorium.’
Hong has been facing derision and criticism after her anti-Thanksgiving tweets were unearthed.
The since-deleted tweet read: ‘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 folx and women, so be it.’ ‘Folx’ is a woke gender-neutral term meant to include transgender and non-binary people.
When asked by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins over whether she still wants to cancel Thanksgiving celebrations, Hong failed to give a yes or no answer.
She gave a meandering response instead, replying: ‘I’m a chef, and one of the first meals that I made that was for the community when I was 16 was a Thanksgiving meal.
‘I always think my hospitality background and owning a restaurant for 7-8 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. So I think there I wanted to make sure people understood there are multiple views, but views can evolve.
Hong, a 37-year-old newcomer supported by Hasan Piker and Ilhan Omar, admitted she’s ‘kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to holidays in general’ before trying to pivot back to her campaign’s talking points
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‘And the position 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.’
Hong’s refusal to say she wouldn’t try to ‘cancel Thanksgiving’ drew mockery and backlash on social media, with even her own supporters saying they felt it was unnecessarily divisive.
Her since-deleted post about Thanksgiving is among a number of extreme policy positions the socialist has come under scrutiny for amid her bid for the governor’s office.
She has repeatedly called to ‘defund the police’, and has gone as far as saying she wants to ‘abolish’ the police.
Hong has also said in a social media post: ‘Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be a option.’
As recently as January 2026, Hong completed a candidate questionnaire re-affirming her ‘commitment to police and prison abolition’, as well as the ‘liberation of the Palestinian people.’
But with her gubernatorial campaign gaining traction, Hong has attempted to walk back some of these positions, and last month said on X: ‘Once again: I am not running to defund the police. And to be clear, the governor cannot defund the police. My administration will prioritize public safety & justice for victims.’
When asked by Collins this week if she was still intent on abolishing police or prisons, Hong said she was ‘not interested in abolishing prisons’ or police, if she is elected.
When asked by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins over whether she still wants to cancel Thanksgiving celebrations, Hong failed to give a yes or no answer
Hong’s since-deleted post about Thanksgiving is among a number of extreme policy positions the socialist has come under scrutiny for amid her bid for the governor’s office – including repeat calls to abolish the police
Despite her extreme policy views, Hong has emerged as a front runner in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor.
A recent Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsin voters found Hong came in first with 38 percent support, far ahead of former Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes at 16 percent.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley came in a distant third at seven percent.
Another of Hong’s questionable social media posts came in 2019, when she declared to her followers that she left a restaurant because there were ‘too many old white people’ inside.
Hong, 37, posted on X in 2019 that anxiety drove her to leave the fast-food restaurant Culver’s after the ‘white people’ allegedly thought she and her son didn’t speak 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,’ she wrote.
‘Mostly just wanted to leave because I was on the verge of an anxiety attack… too many old white people who didn’t think we spoke English.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Hong’s campaign for comment.
