Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a Democrat, has dropped out of the governor’s race, leaving former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and Francesca Hong, a state representative and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, as the leading Democratic candidates ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
Hong has a history of anti-Israel activism, having accused Israel of committing genocide, opposed Wisconsin’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism and introduced legislation to repeal the state’s contracting law against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
She also drew criticism for her appearance on the podcast of left-wing political commentator Hasan Piker, who has referred to the Israel Defense Forces as a “Nazi army” and called Orthodox Jews “inbred.”
Hong, who has called for defunding the police, recently apologized after reporting a December 2023 social-media image of an Israeli flag splattered with red paint as a possible antisemitic hate crime. She later said the post did not warrant such a report. In 2024, she said she brought her child to a university protest “demanding justice for Palestine.”
After Gov. Tony Evers announced he would not seek a third term, Hong launched her gubernatorial campaign, comparing herself to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
She has been endorsed by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), as well as Wisconsin DSA chapters. The Milwaukee DSA said Hong is “advancing our socialist movement to the state level.”
Her next campaign event, “Dive into Democratic Socialism,” invites supporters to “organize for Fran.”
Hong announced on Friday that she had raised more than $1 million for her campaign.
Barnes, her chief rival, belonged to the anti-Israel organization Peace Action until 2019 but received the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s endorsement during his 2022 U.S. Senate campaign after affirming his support for continued U.S. aid to Israel.
Following Rodriguez’s withdrawal, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Evers is considering backing an effort to persuade Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to reenter the race after he suspended his campaign last week.
“The Sara Rodriguez dropout, followed by the latest developments involving Gov. Evers, says it all,” Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), who is running for governor as a Republican, stated. “Even Tony Evers is acknowledging that Mandela Barnes and Francesca Hong are too radical for Wisconsin. At least we can all agree that socialism would destroy our state.”
