Wisconsin voters face a stark choice as the primary looms and Francesca Hong looks poised to win the Democratic nomination, raising concerns about the direction of state policy and who would shape it if she prevails in November.
Today is Wisconsin’s primary election and Francesca Hong appears likely to be the Democratic nominee for governor. I’m debating whether to cross over and vote for her to push her across the finish line, but that hesitation isn’t casual. Polling surprises in nearby states, like the Michigan result where Abdul El-Sayed was expected to dominate only to lose by less than a percentage point, linger in my mind.
On one hand, upsets happen and elections can tilt on a few thousand votes; on the other hand, the stakes here feel personal. If Hong were to defeat Tom Tiffany this fall—an outcome that would be unexpected but not impossible—I don’t want to carry the responsibility for the consequences. My worry is not some abstract policy disagreement; it’s the real possibility that people with extreme views would start shaping statewide policy.
People like this young man would be effectively running the state of Wisconsin.
“I support Francesca Hong,” the man said. “She wants to get ICE out and all of her … there’s so many different policies and I consider myself to be a leftist and I think there needs to be a huge change in how we view our politics in Wisconsin, the entire state. I think she will bring us in the right direction.”
https://x.com/NateFriedman97/status/2086588371845939648
When asked about his message to Democrats worried about the rise of socialism, the leftist said, “Don’t be worried that we’re going to head towards communism because it’s the United States and that’s never going to happen realistically, and we’re headed towards fascism right now, so what’s worse?”
That logic doesn’t hold up. Seeing as we’re not “headed towards fascism right now,” communism is definitely worse. It killed more than a hundred million people in the 20th century alone, and suggesting the two are interchangeable dismisses the historical reality and the dangers inherent in radical economic experiments.
On the topic of border security the same interview revealed more troubling views. When asked about criminals crossing the border, the man said, “They already do. And they don’t use the border. They’ll just find a way around. I feel like they are just as worried about our criminals heading into their countries.”
That claim misunderstands incentives. There isn’t a single American criminal who would head to Mexico or most other nations to escape justice, because foreign countries often enforce the law more strictly and punish serious offenses severely. The idea that criminals would flee north to south ignores how different legal systems and penalties actually work.
This is the Left in a nutshell: confident in ideological fixes and surprised when those fixes don’t produce tidy results. The young man from the interview exemplifies a movement that too often substitutes moral certainties for practical solutions. Policies framed as compassion—like leniency toward criminals or sweeping promises of free services—can have unintended consequences for public safety and community well-being.
Milwaukee offers a cautionary example. The city once elected socialist mayors and even names municipal buildings after them, yet its public school district now ranks near the bottom nationally. Milwaukee remains highly segregated and struggles with persistent violence and crime. Those outcomes are a reminder that lofty ideals don’t automatically translate to safer streets, better schools, or more opportunity.
If Wisconsin becomes a laboratory for broader socialist experiments at the state level, there’s reason to fear similar results writ larger. Conservative voices argue that the state must act as a firewall against radical shifts that could upend law enforcement, budgets, and personal freedoms. That argument isn’t about fearmongering; it’s about preserving institutions that protect citizens and maintain order.
Tom Tiffany has positioned himself as that firewall, warning that the state needs protection from a rise of socialism. Imagine the policy direction shaped by the kind of supporters in that interview, and consider whether those ideas would produce safer neighborhoods or stronger schools. For many Republicans, the choice in November will be about preventing a different ideological experiment from taking hold across Wisconsin.
