Francesca Hong Calls for a ‘Movement Moment’ in Run for Governor

State Representative Francesca Hong is officially in the race for Wisconsin governor. She is framing her campaign as a call to action for working-class families across the state. Hong joins Mark Becker, host of Rational Revolution, to discuss how she’s feeling about the early response to her candidacy. 

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Listen to the complete discussion here:

“We already have over 500 volunteers signed up from all across Wisconsin—not just Madison,” she says. “This is about building a coalition of working-class people who are demanding the policies we deserve.”

The Madison Democrat is also a chef and single mother. And she calls the “care economy” central to her platform. Hong is prioritizing fully funding public schools, expanding access to affordable childcare, strengthening long-term care, and guaranteeing paid family and medical leave.

“These are practical policies,” Hong explains. “Regardless of your zip code, people are talking about education, healthcare, and the cost of living. Everyone deserves housing, healthcare, and childcare. And they should all be cheaper than they are right now.”

Hong has represented Madison in the state legislature since 2020 and often describes her experience as “banging my head against marble” while a part of the minority party. But she calls the struggle, along with her background in the service industry, as being the things that prepared her for the statewide campaign. 

“I’ll always be a community organizer first,” she says. “And I know what it’s like to hustle like so many Wisconsinites.”

She also addresses the political challenges of running as an openly democratic socialist in a purple state. 

“We should democratize our economy because right now it’s rigged against working-class people,” Hong says. “When I say ‘tax the billionaires,’ that’s just practical policy—everyone should pay their fair share.”

Her campaign is emphasizing small-dollar, grassroots fundraising, with an average contribution of $47. 

“That’s working-class power,” she tells Becker. “It shows people are ready for change.”

And as she begins to travel the state – from Green Bay to Chippewa Falls to La Crosse – Hong says she’ll continue meeting voters in bars, bowling alleys, and even stock car races. 

“I’m a normal working-class person,” she explains. “People want a governor who’s going to hustle as hard as they do.”