Hong Ruthlessly Mocked After Bernie Sanders Refuses To Endorse Campaign
Democrats have apparently found a socialist candidate who is even too crazy for Vermont socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders to endorse.
Sanders delivered a clear rebuff to Wisconsin’s leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong this week, refusing to endorse the democratic socialist just days before voters head to the polls.
The Vermont independent’s decision leaves Hong without the backing of one of the progressive left’s most prominent figures as she tries to secure her party’s nomination to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Appearing Wednesday on the “Pod Save America” podcast, Sanders was asked directly by host Jon Favreau whether he would support Hong.
He responded flatly: “I don’t think so.”
Sanders described Hong as “very, very nice” but admitted he was not closely following the contest.
“We have not gotten involved in many governors’ races…. My major concern right now is seeing that we have a Senate and a House that is going to stand up to [President] Trump,” Sanders said.
“That’s really where my focus is,” Sanders added. “So as of now, we have really not been involved in that race.”
Wisconsin Democrats vote Tuesday to choose their nominee for the November general election, where the winner is expected to face Rep. Tom Tiffany, the likely Republican standard-bearer.
Polling has shown Hong, a state lawmaker and former professional chef, leading the Democratic field.
Yet she carries significant baggage that even members of her own party have flagged as a liability.
Hong has spent recent weeks scrambling to contain fallout from a since-deleted 2020 social media post in which she wrote: “Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621.”
Her explanations have shifted repeatedly. On Monday she told CNN the holiday is “incredibly painful for many people.”
By Wednesday she told Politico that Thanksgiving is actually her “favorite” holiday.
Tiffany has already highlighted Hong’s prior criticism of holidays, including Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, positioning the comments as out of touch with mainstream Wisconsin values.
Layered on top of that controversy is Hong’s earlier advocacy for defunding and abolishing the police.
At a debate last month, she attempted to soft-pedal the stance, saying she needs to be “sensible and practical on what we can achieve.”
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This pattern of advancing radical positions only to walk them back when scrutiny intensifies has become familiar among progressive candidates.
Moderate Democrats have poured millions into efforts to stop democratic socialists from winning primaries precisely because such views energize activists but collapse with general-election voters.
Sanders is not alone in keeping his distance.
Evers endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley in July after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez exited the race and Crowley reentered.
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This week Evers went further, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Hong would likely lose to Tiffany in November.
Hong’s campaign has received support from Our Revolution Wisconsin, an affiliate of the national group Sanders founded, as well as some progressive lawmakers.
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Yet Sanders’ absence of an endorsement, along with Evers’ open preference for Crowley, highlights fractures within the Democratic coalition.
Progressive insurgents have captured primaries by mobilizing activist bases, but their general-election track records remain mixed.
In Wisconsin, the establishment is not mounting a massive spending campaign against Hong; it is simply withholding support.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
