Wisconsin’s socialist near-miss is a warning
In a shocking turn of events, on Tuesday, Democratic Socialists of America member Francesca Hong narrowly lost the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary by a half a percentage point to the Democratic governor’s handpicked successor, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. The narrative has quickly taken hold that sanity prevailed in Wisconsin; however, an alternative perspective should focus on the reality that roughly a quarter of Wisconsin’s primary electorate enthusiastically supported an avowed socialist for governor. Going forward, Wisconsinites need to consider the consequences of a socialist state executive branch hell-bent on replacing the constitution and eviscerating the separation of powers.
The primary was chaotic from the start, featuring Crowley withdrawing from the race when he failed to gain traction, only to reenter the race with a month to go when the campaign of the current Lt. Gov., Sara Rodriguez, completely imploded after it was revealed her campaign had double-counted campaign contributions, among other discrepancies. This then led to former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes withdrawing from the race after it was reported the state party had previously investigated allegations of harassing behavior by Barnes, a candidate many believed would be the front-runner after coming close to knocking off incumbent U.S. Senator Ron Johnson in 2022.
Despite this chaos, one thing has been consistent. Hong was the candidate with real grassroots energy and an organic base of support. The national media attention that shined a light on some of her outlandish positions, her decision to directly insert herself into the recent police involved shooting in Madison, and her insistence on running a social media focused campaign with little to no television advertising likely collectively contributed to the establishment machine, led by Gov. Tony Evers, directing enough last second support to Crowley to get him across the finish line.
Winning a governorship in a critical Midwest swing state would have represented a previously unbelievable outcome for the DSA.
Nevertheless, the fact that an extreme candidate like Hong came so close to securing the nomination should frighten every Wisconsinite and freedom-loving American. According to the DSA’s own online tracker, this year there are 169 “Team DSA” candidates running for elective offices across the country and following last night’s primaries, 61 have secured primary wins compared to 54 losses with another 54 races yet to be decided. In addition to statehouse and local wins, DSA-aligned candidates have won primaries for congressional seats in Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Colorado. And last week, Abdul El-Sayed secured the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan, besting establishment-supported Haley Stevens. While the El-Sayed statewide win represents a watershed moment for the DSA, if elected, he would still serve in a body of one hundred. Winning a governorship in a critical Midwest swing state would have represented a previously unbelievable outcome for the DSA.
As Hong surged during the primary, attention turned to her more extreme positions. Among other past positions, she was forced to explain a 2020 post in which she stated that she supports “defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police” and described police as existing “to uphold white supremacy.” The Heartland Post also discovered a 2025 podcast appearance where Hong committed to deploying the Wisconsin National Guard against ICE agents. And in May, Hong went into scramble mode to explain her vision of a “perfect world” without prisons. Most recently Hong was forced to pivot when it came to light she proudly left a Culver’s with her son in 2019 (for those unfamiliar, you have never experienced burgers and ice cream as they were meant to be consumed unless you’ve visited a Culver’s) because there were “too many old white people.” If that weren’t enough, last week Hong had to walk back a 2020 tweet where she called for the cancelation of Thanksgiving. But Hong’s extreme positions aren’t limited to social media posts. Just this year, she was one of only six legislators to vote against an anti-child grooming law that was ultimately signed by the Democratic governor. And she eagerly signed onto a proposal to add a 17% state income tax bracket.
None of this should come as a surprise to those who have examined the DSA platform. Among other policy prescriptions, the DSA advocates canceling all student debt, “free” healthcare for all, including government-funded abortions and “gender-affirming care,” housing for all, which would include “strictly regulating” investment properties and establishing “universal rent control,” no more fossil fuels, and “redirecting” police funding as the first step towards fully abolishing police and prison systems. Not content with economic controls, the DSA advocates “feminism for all,” abolishing ICE, legalizing all immigration, amnesty for all immigrants regardless of status, ending visa caps and quotas, and unions for all.
The new DSA constitution would no longer be based on the separation of powers, the bedrock of our republic.
Most problematic for candidates like Hong, the DSA isn’t satisfied with economic or cultural reforms. They want to destroy the entire system upon which this nation was established. With respect to seizing the means of production, the DSA aims to “establish public ownership of the largest corporation and essential industries” and enact “aggressive wealth taxes on the richest individuals,” conveniently leaving undefined who exactly is considered “rich.” Those pesky bills you have to pay? Don’t worry. “You don’t really have them anymore” under the DSA program.
Lastly, and most critically, the first principles that have directed the nation since 1789 are deemed no longer relevant by the DSA. The DSA program dictates that the Constitution must be eliminated, replaced by a new constitution that does away with the Electoral College, discards the Senate, and makes the executive and judicial branches subordinate to an expanded Congress. In other words, the new DSA constitution would no longer be based on the separation of powers, the bedrock of our republic.
Candidates like Hong, supported by the DSA, apparently think our grand experiment is no longer “worth keeping.” Instead, at the federal level (and presumably at the respective state levels as well), the DSA would consolidate all power in a singular legislative chamber. But the separation of powers is not just an organizing structural doctrine. It addresses the fundamental relationship between the government and the governed. As James Madison explained in Federalist No. 51, “[i]n a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign as in a state of nature.” And what is that state of nature? “But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
Men are not angels. Self-government organized around first principles like the separation of powers is necessary for an ordered society in which freedom and the individual rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness can flourish. As Madison explained, the alternative is a world in which the stronger faction can oppress the weaker. I’m sure this is not the last Wisconsinites will hear from Hong. She would be wise to consider the implications of embracing the DSA “program” and revisit (or visit for the first time) the vision laid out by the founders that has stood the test of time.
Jake Curtis is the general counsel for the Institute for Reforming Government (“IRG”) and previously served as an agency chief legal counsel in the Gov. Scott Walker administration and as an elected Ozaukee County supervisor.
