DSA Candidate’s Attempt To Walk Back Old Tweets Backfires Spectacularly: ‘Sometimes You Have Bad Takes’

Francesca Hong, a self-identified Democratic Socialist who is widely favored to secure the Democratic Party nomination for governor of Wisconsin, attempted to blame a number of her controversial tweets on her youthful desire to become a sports journalist. Despite her attempted walk-back, Hong was serving as an elected official when a number of the most viral posts were made.

A number of the posts were made in 2020. “Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” Hong posted in November of that year. She then claimed that the beloved holiday — which was established as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, in order to promote unity during the Civil War — is rooted in “genocide.”

Around the same period, she referred to Thanksgiving as a “colonizer holiday” in another post. Separate posts from that timeframe also expressed critical views of other holidays, including comments on Valentine’s Day and Christmas-related imagery.

Another post from 2019 described an experience at a Culver’s restaurant in Black River Falls. Hong wrote that she left after eating briefly because she was “on the verge of a anxiety attack” due to “to many old white people who didn’t think we spoke English.”

Additional posts from 2020 and 2021 included statements such as “Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option” and a call to “Abolish the Senate.” These posts have, among others, generated significant attention ahead of the August 11 primary.

Francesca Hong: “Cancel Thanksgiving.” pic.twitter.com/TZShfz6cvU

— DSA Watch (@DSA_Watch) July 31, 2026

During a recent press gaggle, Hong attempted to blame a number of her controversial posts on her past aspirations of becoming a sports journalist.
“I was actually trying to become a sports journalist when I first went to college. So I learned you sometimes have bad takes on Twitter,” she said with a smirk.

Despite her claims, Hong was an elected official when a number of the posts in question were made, as she was first elected to the Wisconsin State House in 2020. Several of the posts in question, including the October 2021 statement on police and the February 2021 call to abolish the Senate, were made while she was serving as a state representative. The November 2020 Thanksgiving post occurred after her election victory but before she was sworn into office.

She has also attempted to downplay some of the more eyebrow-raising posts in additional interviews and public statements. Regarding the Thanksgiving posts specifically, she stated in a Politico interview that Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, adding, “I don’t want to cancel it. I actually love it.” She has also said she is “kind of a curmudgeon when it comes to holidays in general.”

Despite this, she has still claimed that Thanksgiving is a holiday rooted in “genocide” while on the campaign trail.

HONG: "I was actually trying to become a sports journalist when I first went to college so I learned you sometimes have bad takes on Twitter."

Francesca Hong was a full grown adult and member of the Wisconsin Assembly when she said she wanted to abolish the police and prisons. pic.twitter.com/7rIQjg2e3G

— Tiffany War Room (@TiffanyWarRoom) August 10, 2026

With less than 24 hours to go before polls close in the Badger State, Hong holds a substantial lead in available polling and is widely projected to become the Democratic Party nominee. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, is widely projected to secure the Republican nomination.

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