A New Socialist Bartender Is Giving Democrat Elites Headaches

News admin July 28, 2026 0 Comments

A New Socialist Bartender Is Giving Democrat Elites Headaches

Another far-Left socialist bartender running for governor in the American heartland is giving Democrats a fresh headache as the party reels from deep ideological divisions and mounting financial woes.

Francesca Hong, a 37-year-old dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is leading the crowded field in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary in a race Republicans see as ripe for a flip.

In the mold of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the state representative’s Left-wing platform calls for a sweeping expansion of government into everyday life, including abolishing ICE, imposing a one-year moratorium on data centers, creating government-owned grocery stores, and providing universal childcare and paid leave for all.

Hong also supports legalizing marijuana to fund high-speed broadband and backs a state-run development bank, a 32-hour workweek with no reduction in pay, restoring voting rights to felons, and dramatically reducing the role of prisons and police, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“It’s so stressful to get by these days, and I know a lot about stress. I work in restaurants,” Hong said in a campaign launch video. “I’m a service worker, community organizer, and a mom. I work for a living, always have, still do.”

“The system is rigged. I’m running for governor to fix it. For years, we’ve been told that doing better is impossible. Well, let me tell you, that’s bullsh*t,” she added.

Hong also called for abolishing the U.S. Senate in a February 2021 social media post. In a statement to Fox News, Hong’s campaign denied that she had ever called for eliminating the upper chamber: “Rep. Hong has never called for abolishing the U.S. Senate. Tiffany cannot produce a single statement where she did, because it doesn’t exist.”

The leftist populist platform has resonated with much of the Wisconsin Democratic base, triggering a last-minute scramble among establishment leaders who fear that nominating a socialist in a state that President Trump won could hand the governor’s mansion to Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, the expected GOP nominee.

Recent polling shows Hong with a double-digit lead over established politicians, including former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who suspended his gubernatorial bid before reviving it two weeks later with the backing of outgoing Democratic Governor Tony Evers.

“The Republican Governors Association is bankrolling millions right now, not to attack a Democrat, but to boost one, because they’ve decided which Democratic nominee they can beat in November,” Crowley said, explaining his decision to get back into the race.

“That is a five-alarm warning sign. We cannot let the GOP choose the Democratic nominee for governor of Wisconsin,” he added.

NBC News recently uncovered old social media posts linking Crowley to a pseudonymous X account called “Dirt McGirk,” which the outlet said featured racist, sexist, and homophobic posts between 2010 and 2014. Crowley insisted other people had access to the X burner account and condemned the derogatory posts.

The August 11 primary will test the appeal of democratic socialists in the industrial Midwest, following a string of victories in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Denver. Prediction markets overwhelmingly favor Hong to win the primary.

A similar battle is playing out right next door in the U.S. Senate race in Michigan, where Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens is working overtime to fend off a stronger-than-expected challenge from leftist Abdul El-Sayed, who is leading in most polls.

The contentious race took an unexpected turn when a black Farmington school board member backing Stevens urged El-Sayed to stop embracing his Muslim identity on the campaign trail.

“The other candidate seems to be … doesn’t work a room. You have to know how to work the room. Don’t come out speaking only Arabic,” Angie Smith said at a Stevens campaign event. “Don’t come out with your Arabic music on. Represent everyone.”

“You know, I’m the mother of a lesbian. I’m Puerto Rican and Cherokee, with a grandfather that was a white man from Ireland. Represent us all. Don’t just represent one ethnicity or one race,” she added.

The Democratic Party’s heartburn, spilling out of deep-blue cities and into purple battleground states, comes as the cash-strapped DNC sinks deeper into internal turmoil.

DNC chairman Ken Martin is descending into fear and “a growing sense of paranoia” about his job security, The New York Times reported on Sunday. The chairman — responsible for fundraising, party operations, and campaign infrastructure — is “relying on a vanishingly small circle of people he trusts.”

And for good reason.

Heading into the midterms, the financial gap between the parties is striking. President Trump has amassed a $400 million war chest, the RNC has another $130 million available, and the DNC is reportedly about $2 million in debt, according to The New York Times.

“This is not sustainable,” said MS NOW host Joe Scarborough. “Anyone who cares about the Democratic Party — including Ken Martin — would say ‘Enough.’ The DNC is flat broke. This must change now.”