Francesca Hong, the outspoken democratic socialist leading in the polls for the party’s nomination for Wisconsin governor, is making waves for comments she made about an annual American tradition during an interview with CNN on Monday.While appearing on "The Source with Kaitlan Collins," Hong fielded questions from Collins regarding a previous social media post she made in which she suggested that Americans should cancel their celebrations of the Thanksgiving holiday."Do you still believe that Thanksgiving should be canceled?" Collins asked.SOCIALIST FRONTRUNNER IN THE HOT SEAT AFTER 'CANCEL THANKSGIVING' POST EMERGES ONLINEGovernor candidate Francesca Hong speaks on stage during the Wisconsin Democrats 2026 Convention on June 14, 2026, in Madison, Wis.(Getty Images for WisDems)"I’m a chef, and one of the first meals that I made that was for the community when I was 16 [years old] was a Thanksgiving meal," Hong said.
"I always think my hospitality background in owning a restaurant for seven, eight years, that bringing folks around the table to share conversation and build community is always a good thing."Hong, a 37-year-old state assemblywoman hailing from Madison, then seemed to double down on her condemnation of the annual American tradition."But Thanksgiving is also a time that’s incredibly painful for many people in our communities," Hong continued."And so I think there, I wanted to make sure that people understood that there are multiple views, but 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," she concluded.WISCONSIN DEM SOCIALIST GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL DODGES WHETHER SHE STILL WANTS TO ‘ABOLISH POLICE’Wisconsin state Rep.
Francesca Hong, a Democratic Socialist candidate for governor, poses for a portrait at St.Paul Baptist Church on July 19, 2026, in Racine, Wis.
(Sara Stathas/For The Washington P...