Francesca Hong, a leading contender for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Wisconsin, is publicly retracting past political statements made between 2019 and 2021.
Hong recently disavowed her 2020 call to "cancel Thanksgiving" to "stop celebrating colonialism." She also abandoned earlier positions advocating to "defund then abolish" police departments and walked back her 2021 demand to "abolish the Senate" — a stance she took after the Senate declined to convict President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial.
"I had some hot takes, some bad takes on Twitter," Hong told reporters over the weekend. "But I've evolved, I've learned. I think it's more dishonest not to learn."
She did not address whether those original positions, expressed when she was in her early 30s, should concern voters. Hong is now approaching 40.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), appearing on ABC News's "This Week" on Sunday, offered a defense of candidates who have shifted ground. "I have a local city councilman that has this saying: Woke 1 was crazy," she said. "I think that what's important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now."
Other Democratic candidates have faced similar scrutiny over old social media posts. Graham Platner, who secured the Democratic Senate nomination in Maine, drew attention for past online activity but was not pushed out of the race over it — he ultimately withdrew only after facing accusations of sexual assault.
In Michigan, Abdul el-Sayed moved past many of his old posts to win the Democratic Senate nomination, showing that controversial statements do not automatically disqualify a candidate in a primary.
Neither Platner nor el-Sayed faced aggressive questioning from the press about their old posts during their respective primaries. Primary campaigns typically generate less pressure on such issues. General elections are another matter.
Republicans will likely use Hong's past statements against her if she wins the primary, drawing sharp contrasts for a broader electorate.
Kamala Harris experienced that dynamic in 2024. Her 2020 presidential campaign left a record of comments that opponents used against her during her 2024 White House run.
The pattern is now familiar: candidates seek to distance themselves from earlier positions to appeal to general-election voters, while opponents use those same shifts to question their consistency and judgment.
