Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong is working to contain criticism after being ridiculed over past comments describing Thanksgiving as a “celebration of colonialism.” The Democratic socialist, who is leading polling ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic primary, was pressed this week about a 2020 X post criticizing the holiday during the Covid pandemic and offered a lengthy response that stopped short of a direct yes-or-no answer. In a subsequent interview with Politico, Hong sought to reframe her position, insisting she has no interest in ending the holiday. “My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, so there you have it. I don’t want to cancel it, I actually love it,” she said. Hong, a 37-year-old political newcomer backed by Hasan Piker and 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. Critics on social media quickly accused her of reversing course. “Less than 48 hours ago, she told CNN that Thanksgiving is a ‘painful time,’” Greg Price wrote.
Others argued the media was giving Hong room to soften the controversy. “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,” Corey Walker wrote. Dan O’Donnell added: “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.” Hong’s campaign responded by criticizing the attention on the old post. “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,” campaign manager Becky Cooper told The Daily Mail. “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.”
The backlash began after Hong’s since-deleted Thanksgiving post resurfaced. In it, she 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 folx and women, so be it.” “Folx” is commonly used as a gender-neutral term intended to include transgender and non-binary people. Asked by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins whether she still supported canceling Thanksgiving celebrations, Hong did not answer directly. Instead, she pointed to her background in food and hospitality, saying: “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.
“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 decision not to explicitly say she would not try to “cancel Thanksgiving” sparked mockery online, including from some supporters who said the issue was needlessly divisive. The Thanksgiving post is one of several past positions drawing renewed scrutiny as her campaign for governor gains momentum. Hong has repeatedly called to “defund the police” and has previously said she wanted to “abolish” police. In one social media post, she wrote: “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 reaffirming her “commitment to police and prison abolition,” along with the “liberation of the Palestinian people.” More recently, however, she has tried to distance her campaign from those positions, writing on X last month: “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.”
Pressed by Collins this week on whether she still wanted to abolish police or prisons, Hong said she was “not interested in abolishing prisons” or police if elected. Despite controversy over her past statements and policy views, Hong has become a front-runner in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor. A recent Marquette University Law School poll found her leading with 38 percent support among Wisconsin voters, well ahead of former Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes at 16 percent and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley at seven percent. Another resurfaced post from 2019 has also drawn attention. In it, Hong wrote that she left a Culver’s restaurant in Black River Falls because there were “too many old white people” inside. She said anxiety prompted her to leave after patrons allegedly assumed she and her son did not 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.
