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‘Common sense against crazy’: Trump-backed candidate sounds alarm on socialist Hong in Wisconsin race
By Hannah Brennan, Paul Steinhauser, Jessica Sonkin
Published August 10, 2026
OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is expected to win Tuesday's Republican gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin, is warning voters that a likely general-election match up with socialist state Rep. Francesca Hong could determine whether socialism gains a foothold in the Midwestern battleground state.
Tiffany, speaking to Fox News Digital alongside former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, said on the eve of the primary that the election could determine whether Wisconsin becomes a "firewall" against the spread of socialism as far-left candidates continue to topple more moderate Democrats in high-profile primary elections this spring and summer.
"Is the heartland going to be the firewall that stops this movement of socialism coming from, especially the East Coast?" Tiffany said. "And I think Wisconsin will be. We’ll be the place that stops socialism."
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Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, a GOP gubernatorial candidate, speaks at a campaign event in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, on August 10, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Hong is the polling frontrunner in a Democratic gubernatorial nomination showdown that's been rocked this summer after two major contenders dropped out, and another candidate re-entered the race.
A member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the 37-year-old former chef and single mother is backed by top nationally known progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ro Khanna of California, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender
Hong is running on a platform that includes guaranteed paid leave, boosting the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $20 per hour, and a one-year moratorium in Wisconsin on building AI data centers. Her "TAX THE RICH" plan proposes raising state income taxes by 1% for couples making over $431,000 and individuals making over $323,000.
Hong has faced scrutiny over years-old social media posts calling for defunding and abolishing the police. But she says she no longer supports cutting police budgets or abolishing police departments.
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Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, greets supporters at a campaign stop in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, on August 10, 2026 (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
"I'm not defunding the police, not abolishing police. I am serious about public safety," Hong emphasized on Saturday as she took questions from voters.
"I think what Francesca Hong stands for is the antithesis of America," Youngkin said. "She wants to defund police, close prisons. She wants to get rid of the military. She wants to get rid of the presidency. I mean, these are all the things that the DSA stands for and she is a card-carrying member."
"[Tiffany] is what's gonna be on the ballot against someone who literally wants to deconstruct America," Youngkin said.
"This is what this election eventually is gonna be about — common sense against crazy."
Youngkin and Tiffany spoke with Fox News after holding a campaign event at a new home development in this outer western suburb of Milwaukee, where Tiffany unveiled his "Unlocking Homeownership in Wisconsin" agenda.
"I just know my friends and neighbors, including some who are Democrats, they are not crazy," Tiffany said. "They do not believe in some of these crazy policies, abolish prisons, abolish police, highest tax rates that you could possibly have. I mean they do not accept that."
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Former GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, left, teams up on the campaign trail on the eve of the Wisconsin primary with Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, on August 10, 2026 in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )
Past social media posts from Hong have drawn scrutiny, including a 2021 post stating that police "exist to uphold white supremacy" and posts calling to abolish the U.S. Senate and criticizing Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.
Hong walked back her Thanksgiving comments, amid backlash, and now says that Thanksgiving is her "favorite holiday."
On her resurfaced tweets, Hong told reporters on Saturday that she had "evolved" and "learned."
But Tiffany told Fox News ,"[They are] going to do everything they can to walk them back, but people see through this. Those flip-flops, people know about that already and they're going to know about it as we go through the final, you know, couple months of the campaign. They see through that type of stuff when you are not genuine."
When asked by Fox News Digital to respond to Tiffany's criticism by Fox News Digital, Hong characterized her past posts as some "bad takes."
"You have some hot takes, sometimes bad takes on Twitter," Hong said about the posts, as she spoke with reporters following a campaign stop in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. "And I let my feelings out into the world."
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Republicans, like Tiffany and Youngkin, have sought to portray Hong’s progressive record as a liability for the battleground state.
"This is a moment for the heartland of America to stand up for America," Youngkin said of the race.
Tiffany, a hard-right member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and a former dairy farmer who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, emphasized, "Some people may not agree with a few of the policies that I'm for, but they know I'm genuine. They know I'm authentic."
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Hong has argued that Democratic voters are fed up with the party establishment, claiming her candidacy appeals to a variety of both Democrats and Republicans, who disagree with Trump and his aligned candidates.
Tiffany and Hong enter Tuesday as the frontrunners in their respective primaries, with Tiffany running against medical service technician Andrew Manske, and Hong facing off against three other Democratic candidates — Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is backed by retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, former Wisconsin Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan, and democratic state Sen. Kelda Roys.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/common-sense-against-crazy-trump-backed-candidate-sounds-alarm-socialist-hong-wisconsin-race