Wisconsin Democratic Candidate Advocates Police Abolition

Francesca Hong, a Democratic socialist running for governor in Wisconsin, has expressed strong views on policing. In several social media posts, she called for the defunding and eventual abolition of the police. Hong’s stance came to light following the deaths of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake.

In a specific post from August 2020, Hong stated, ‘I support defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police.’ This post was initially reported by CNN.

Jacob Blake is fighting for his life, but he shouldn’t have to be. We must also fight for his life and get justice for all those harmed by state-sanctioned violence.

Blake’s incident occurred in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he was shot seven times after police responded to a domestic disturbance call. The shooting left Blake partially paralyzed and led to widespread protests. Blake was reportedly holding a pocket knife during the encounter.

As an elected official, Hong addressed the issue again in October 2021, after federal prosecutors decided not to charge Officer Rusten Sheskey, the officer involved in Blake’s shooting. Hong questioned online, ‘How is 7 bullets in the back not excessive force?’ She argued that police exist to uphold systemic issues and reiterated her call to defund and abolish them.

In response to these posts, Hong engaged with Fox News Digital but did not definitively state her plans as governor regarding police funding. Hong emphasized her commitment to public safety resources and opposed crime and the misuse of power in law enforcement.

Hong, who has endorsements from Reps. Ilhan Omar and Ro Khanna, competes in a competitive primary for the Democratic nomination. The primary is scheduled for August 11, and Hong faces former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, the 2022 Democratic Senate nominee.

The winner of their primary may confront Rep. Tom Tiffany, a prominent Republican candidate. Tiffany criticized the Democratic Party, highlighting Hong’s stance on police abolition and Barnes’ past proposals on prison reform.

Tiffany’s campaign cited Barnes’ previous efforts to reduce the prison population and eliminate cash bail.

Fox News Digital also sought comments from Barnes’ campaign but did not receive an immediate response.

Alex Miller reports for Fox News Digital on U.S. Senate affairs.