Years after mayors from Democratic cities reversed course on calls to defund police departments, one of the leading Democratic candidates for governor of Wisconsin is running with a starkly different record: she didn’t just back defunding police — she called to abolish them. And unlike many in her party, she has neither deleted those posts nor renounced them.
Francesca Hong has repeatedly called for abolishing police departments, according to a CNN KFile review of her social media posts, interviews and statements.
Hong, a 37-year-old state representative and democratic socialist, wrote on X in 2020 she supported “defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police.” She later argued in 2021 that “police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option.”
She is competing in a crowded Democratic primary field that includes Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and state Sen. Kelda Roys for the right to face Republican US Rep. Tom Tiffany in the closely watched battleground state.
Hong and Barnes are the only candidates in double digits, 14% and 11% respectively, according to a Marquette Law School poll released in March. A significant share of potential Democratic primary voters – 65% – were still undecided.
