Hong's Defeat Highlights Rise of Far-Left Candidates in Primaries

Political voices from every corner of the spectrum rushed out for a victory lap after Francesca Hong, the left-wing contender, slipped away in her tightly contested Democratic primary. Even one Democrat took delight in mocking her recent Thanksgiving gaffe as she faced defeat by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Crowley edged her out with a razor-thin margin despite polls that had painted her as the clear favorite heading into the vote.

Hong serves as a state lawmaker based in Madison and sits within the Democratic Socialists of America. She drew intense national attention quickly, especially given the growing presence of far-left candidates across the country. Her past comments on culture-war topics fueled the fire, specifically her desire to "cancel" Thanksgiving and her earlier calls to abolish both the U.S. Senate and police forces before she backed off those positions.

Representative Tom Suozzi from New York sent a joke statement to CNN after the results came in. He said, Let's just say it's a day of Thanksgiving. This quip landed as Democrats celebrated their establishment striking back against the socialist challenger downed in this battleground primary. Democratic strategist Anna Greenberg told CNN that Hong was simply a bad candidate without national support. She warned everyone that candidate quality really matters in these tight races.

Tim Graham from the Media Research Center appeared on Fox News Digital to blast Hong's loss as part of a larger phenomenon. He argued some commentators thought she might not have lost if she hadn't granted interviews to national media outlets where she explained her hate for Thanksgiving. If a few minutes of interviews sink your entire campaign, how talented were you really? Graham noted that broadcast networks were extremely slow to notice DSA candidates in all these states. They ignored Graham Platner and his Nazi tattoo for months on end before finally ignoring Hong until about a week before the primary.

Theo Wold, a former Trump official, argued that the fact Hong came close to victory at all serves as a dire warning for Republicans now. Any Republican who thinks the DSA wave has crested or that these candidates cannot win outside urban areas isn't paying attention. The correct way to understand last night's results is that a radical Leftist with policy views more akin to Trotsky than Jimmy Carter nearly prevailed in one of the nation's most closely watched swing states. Hong's radical views, like those of AOC or Ilhan Omar, are persuasive to a large number of voters, especially naturalized foreign nationals. What she lacked was nearly any support from working class Americans.

The pattern remains the same every time. DSA candidates run on a platform they say is for the working class and then get firmly rejected by actual working-class voters. It turns out socialism is a luxury belief for wealthy, college-educated liberals that people who work with their hands simply cannot afford. Working-class communities just want to hold down a good job and live a good life. They do not want a politician telling them they need to cancel Thanksgiving or claiming a Master's Degree means an expert can organize other people's lives better than anyone else.

Hong conceded the race to Crowley this week and pledged to support him as he faces Republican Tom Tiffany in the general election coming up next. Republicans are trying hard to win their first governor's race in Wisconsin since 2014 now.