Francesca Hong, a Wisconsin state assembly member who is running for governor, called the first Thanksgiving “the original superspreader event.”
In the height of coronavirus panic, in 2020, the Democratic Socialist assembly member posted a now-deleted post on x in support of canceling Thanksgiving, arguing that it celebrates colonialism – and that the first Thanksgiving was “the original superspreader” of deadly disease:
“Cancel Thanksgiving.
“Should have done this in 1621.
“If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader (sic) event that killed Indegenous folx (sic) and women so be it.”
On Monday, when CNN asked if she still wanted Thanksgiving canceled, Hong shifted her criticism of the holiday and avoided addressing the “superspreader” slur. Instead, she claimed that her experience as a chef would help her be a good governor:
"Thanksgiving is also a time that is incredibly painful for many people in our communities.
"And so I think there I wanted to make sure that people understood that there are multiple views, but you know, views can evolve and the position that I'm running for right now and I think my background as a chef will actually help me become a better governor that's able to bring more people to the table.”
Thanksgiving is not the only holiday she has criticized. In a 2022 X post, Hong relayed her negative experiences working in a restaurant on Valentine’s Day, and characterized the holiday itself as a capitalist ploy that attracts “the worst of humanity”:
“I miss working in a restaurant every day … except of VDay
“As if we weren't invisible enough to those who don't recognize the emotional & physical labor of service work, the worst of humanity comes out from folks ‘celebrating’ on another day capitalism tells you how to show love.”
While not as directly, Hong also expressed her disapproval of Christmas in a 2019 X post, in which she felt “slightly attacked” by the sight of Christmas trees:
“IT bro who was working on ‘our’ computer remotely changed the background theme to snow and Christmas trees. I feel slightly attacked…”
Hong is not endorsed by the national Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), though she is endorsed by multiple local DSA chapters, including the Madison, Milwaukee, and Twin Ports (Duluth, MN and Superior, WI) branches.
Hong recently defended both Socialism and Democratic Socialism in an interview with The Lever, an independent news outlet. She claimed that Socialism is merely the government providing essential goods and services, and that Democratic Socialism is the freest government system:
“I think the word socialism has become politicized and the connection to it is about the people who have harmed uh others through socialism as opposed to talking about what it is which is a government that provides the essential public goods and services to help people live the lives that they want to live. I think democratic socialism is actually more about freedom than any other form of government. And the scariness that surrounds the word really comes from the people who want to maintain the status quo.”
Hong is currently favored to win the Democrat primary for Governor of Wisconsin, which will be held on August 11. According to a recent Marquette Law School Poll, the state assembly member is leading the field with 38% support. No other candidate received half as much support, while only 34% of voters are still undecided.
