Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong, a leading candidate for Wisconsin governor, previously raised the idea of canceling Thanksgiving in a 2020 social media post.
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The Democratic candidates for Wisconsin governor met in a televised debate July 28, 2026.
MADISON, WI – A Wisconsin candidate for governor appeared to leave the door open to the idea of canceling Thanksgiving in a nationally televised interview.
Democrat Francesca Hong, asked on CNN whether she believed Thanksgiving should be canceled, said: “I’m a chef, and one of the first meals that I made was for the community when I was 16 was a Thanksgiving meal. But Thanksgiving is also a time that’s incredibly painful for many people in our communities.”
Hong’s comments to CNN came the same day she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that a now-deleted social media post from 2020 calling for ending the holiday was part of a series of “jokes” she made years ago.
Hong, a Democratic Socialist, is leading three other Democratic candidates in gubernatorial polling in the swing state, which holds its primary Aug. 11. Two Republicans are also running for their party’s nomination for the open seat.
In the CNN interview with reporter and anchor Kaitlan Collins, Hong also said on the Thanksgiving question: “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.”
Her earlier posts on X criticized popular holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day and the Fourth of July as well as America’s traditional fourth-Thursday-in-November gathering.
“Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” Hong wrote in November 2020.
“If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed indigenous folx and women, so be it.”
A spokeswoman for Hong did not immediately answer questions seeking clarification on the candidate’s position.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Tony Evers, who has endorsed David Crowley in the Democratic primary, said, “Wisconsinites can’t afford for November to come down to the most extreme things Tom Tiffany and Francesca Hong have said online.”
Tom Tiffany, the leading Republican candidate, said in a post on X: “Just so everyone knows where I stand, I won’t cancel Thanksgiving as governor.”
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.