Even as the radical left pushes the Democratic Party further into uncharted territory, a prominent architect of Barack Obama's presidential campaigns, David Axelrod, has publicly exposed a deep fissure within the party, voicing concern over one of its most extreme candidates.
Axelrod didn't mince words, taking to X to declare that "It would be good for Abdul El-Sayed if Francesca Hong loses her bid to become the Democratic nominee in Wisconsin next week." His reasoning was stark: "He is a serious person. She is a font of zany liberal, faculty lounge exotica. But the [Republicans] … would surely try to link Abdul and Hong as philosophical kin."
The subject of Axelrod's blunt assessment is Francesca Hong, a Wisconsin State Assembly member and self-proclaimed socialist, openly backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who is now a frontrunner for the state's governorship.
Hong's platform is a radical wish list straight from the far-left playbook: universal childcare, a $20 minimum wage, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), state IDs for non-citizens, publicly run grocery stores, and opposition to U.S. support for Israel. These aren't just fringe ideas; they represent a fundamental rejection of American common sense and fiscal responsibility.
Beyond policy, Hong has garnered national attention for her embrace of extreme cultural positions. She faced scrutiny for past calls to "cancel Thanksgiving," citing colonial-era smallpox, and to "defund the police," blaming them for "White supremacy." In a stunning display of anti-constitutional fervor, she even advocated for abolishing the U.S. Senate after its vote to acquit President Trump during a failed impeachment effort in 2021.
While attempting to brush off some of these resurfaced comments, Hong has consistently doubled down on her hardline socialist stance. "I’m a proud democratic socialist. I’m not advancing a brand. I’m focusing on the policies, the socialist policies that improve lives," she declared last week to NOTUS.
Hong fired back at Axelrod's critique, dismissing his comments as typical of an out-of-touch "consultant class" she claimed "keeps losing elections." "They're totally clueless, and they're hellbent on keeping working-class people out of politics," Hong wrote on X, adding, "I've spent more time in kitchens than faculty lounges. Perhaps you'd like to come to Wisconsin and work a Friday night dinner rush with me?" A curious defense, suggesting her culinary background somehow inoculates her from the consequences of advocating for policies that would fundamentally reshape America and dismantle its institutions.
Hong's rise from a "dark horse candidate" to a frontrunner highlights the chaos gripping the Democratic primaries. The landscape shifted dramatically when Mandela Barnes, the state’s former lieutenant governor and a presumed frontrunner, abruptly dropped out. This left Hong and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley as the primary's leading contenders, with outgoing Governor Tony Evers quickly endorsing Crowley.
This very public spat between an establishment Democrat strategist and a surging socialist candidate reveals the deep chasm tearing through the modern Democratic Party. As figures like Hong continue to gain traction, pushing policies that defy common sense, American values, and law and order, it's clear the left is battling itself. But while they squabble over who is "serious" enough to carry their radical banner, conservative Americans remain vigilant, recognizing that the battle is not just within the Democratic Party, but for the very soul of the nation against the forces of extremism.
