Francesca Hong Draws A Crowd At The Tarlton
The excitement among young, liberal activists is palpable. The based and red-pilled Francesca Hong is running for governor!! Translation for old fogeys: “She gets it!”
WI Rep. Francesca Hong addressed a supportive and diverse crowd at the Tarlton Theater in Green Bay on Sept. 25th. Rep. Hong is the incumbent Democrat for WI-76. She is also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, the same not-for-profit organization that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez belongs to. She appeared courtesy of Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner, who has promised to host any candidate for Governor who wants to come to Green Bay. Francesca took him up on it.
Francesca describes herself as an everywoman. Her life experiences include being a single mother, a line cook, a dishwasher, a server, and a chef. She worked her way up through the food service industry and eventually opened her own restaurant.
Francesca’s campaign website showcases her allegiance to the grassroots. A banner reads, “We deserve leaders who care more about people than profits. Francesca Hong is running for governor to build a Wisconsin where we share the table—where everyone has a seat, a say, and a fair shot at a better life.”
The vision statement on her website suggests initiatives she would undertake as governor: “expand BadgerCare, guarantee abortion access and reproductive freedom, protect immigrant communities and LGBTQ rights, and fight fascism in Washington and at home—but that’s the bare minimum. Fran demands better—her serious, sensible, and achievable platform rejects a system that shovels public money to billionaires and massive corporations but asks regular people to find ways to get by with less and less.
This rigged game—in which you and your community scramble to survive while billionaires pull down incomprehensible amounts of money—is a policy decision that cannot be untangled by one politician alone. If we want something better, we need to organize for it; we beat the system by building power.” These ideas have informed her campaign slogan, “WE make better possible.”
Taking the stage to introduce her were Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner, Tarl Knight, owner of the Tarlton Theater, and UWGB Professor John Shelton, President of the American Federation of Teachers - Wisconsin. Rep. Hong’s past support of educational initiatives and free school meals were highlighted. Rep. Rivera-Wagner spoke poignantly about his childhood when school meals were sometimes the only food he had. He reminded the audience that the upcoming governor’s race will be the first time in a long time that there will be a primary race among Democrat candidates and that “there will be a battle of ideas”.
Rep. Hong presents as a warm, friendly, and well-spoken person. As she took the microphone she exclaimed, “Green Bay, y’all showed up!” to much applause.
After thanking the organizers, she became serious. The following are quotes from her approximately 20-minutes of remarks.
“We are in a moment that requires a movement.”
“How do we build that movement?”
“The system is designed to make sure that not only do the billionaire and oligarchs succeed, but that they remain in power.”
“There are more of us.”
“It’s not enough to be fighting for you all, we have to be fighting alongside one another.”
“We have to make better possible.”
“In times of fascism, they try to take away our vision for a better world and a shared future. They want us to believe that better isn’t possible.”
“What is organizing? Who is an organizer?”
“Now is the time to kick the status quo in the ass. They should not dictate our lives. It should be us.”
“Incrementalism right now is irresponsible.”
“I will hustle and work as hard as anyone in this state.“
“Don’t listen to anyone who says we can’t do this.”
Rep. Hong espouses the politics of care. Folks are struggling with rising costs. Labor can no longer organize. Schools aren’t being funded. Property taxes are being raised because the state has hoarded tax revenues, failing to return them to municipalities. She underlined that the following initiatives were not radical in her view but represent basic human rights: free universal child-care; guaranteed paid leave for family and medical needs, affordable health care; and a fair wage for care-giving work.
She then opened to floor to audience questions. The questions and answers are paraphrased below.
Q: What can be done to disrupt the preschool to prison pipeline?
A: Investment of care in birth-3yo. Parks and after school programs. Undo the hoarding of money at state level and give it back to local communities. We know what to do with it.
Q: I am a school board member concerned about diversion of funds from public schools and privatization. These schools get public dollars yet they are not held to the same high standards as our public schools.
A: Public dollars for public schools. None to private schools. Schools shouldn’t get to choose their students. Private schools discriminate at will. Keep the frame centered on our kids and our educators.
Q: What can be done at the State level to fight misinformation and disinformation?
A: We need to be organizers of community in third spaces. Game nights. Trivia nights. In person conversations. Storytelling. Anything that moves people away from doomscrolling and into in-person experiences. Public investments in pro-public experiences. Investing in municipalities to fund programs that allow leisure, such as parks, pools, outdoor concerts. And promote the arts and artists.
Q: I’m a disabled veteran. The homeless population in our state is growing. Veterans and homeless shelters have shut down. As a vet I get better care, but everyone should get the same high-quality care.
A: I don’t think it’s radical to house every single person. It’s not radical to offer universal health care. It’s going to require a lot of politicians. We’ll have to lobby our own Democratic Party members. Budget constraints are real. We need to help the grassroots organizations doing the work get funding and staff. We should be radically welcoming of new ideas that are better than the ones we have.
Q: What will you do if there is a split government and not a Democrat trifecta?
A: (Humorously) “I could veto the budget in full.” One idea that could garner bi-partisan support is extending state employment benefits for all public school educators.
As the Q&A session ended, and Rep. Hong came off the stage, the line formed to speak to her in person, and it appeared that every single attendee wanted to do so. This is a candidate to watch on the progressive side.