FRANKLIN, Wis. — The first, second and third questions for Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong at her meet-and-greet Thursday night revolved around her affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America.
Voters described a “real fear” she can’t win a general election for governor, questioned whether she’d tailor her policy platform to reach swing voters and asked for a primer on “what we can say to others when that concern comes up.”
This standing-room-only event captured Hong’s appeal — a packed, generationally diverse crowd, surrounded by dozens of hand-drawn signs for the once little-known state legislator — but it also reflected the angst of voters here. At times, it bordered on group therapy, with voters airing their concerns over Hong’s ability to win the governor’s race in a closely divided state that President Donald Trump won two years ago.