For the political left, the new trend is running straight off the radical cliff. The Democratic Socialists of America have been gaining ground within the Democratic Party, with elected officials like NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani leading the pack. The DSA has been working to spread their influence across America, including in Wisconsin, where member Francesca Hong is running for governor. And the liberal media, eager to promote extremism, is behind the DSA, even if the established Democratic Party is not. On Thursday, MS NOW’s Ali Velshi welcomed Hong onto The 11th Hour to frame her radical platform as common-sense policies, and never pushed back on her word salad answers.
“She supports universal child care and abolishing ICE,” Velshi commended in his introduction. “She's also generated enthusiasm by building a strong ground game and focusing on affordability issues. . . If Hong wins in November, it will be an historic moment. Wisconsin has never elected a female governor in its history, let alone an Asian American woman.”
The media has never gotten over the left’s fixation on identity politics.
“Talk to me about how you campaign in a place like Wisconsin on your platform,” Velshi invited, referencing Wisconsin’s purple battleground state status.
“Most folks want to be able to care for themselves,” Hong answered. “I think many people are starting to feel that a system, the economic system now, is deeply rigged against them.”
Velshi never asked what Hong meant when she said the economy “is deeply rigged,” or her solutions to that supposed problem.
He happily moved on to the next talking point, "You identify as a democratic socialist. I grew up in Canada where a lot of things that democratic socialists espouse here, many people in democracies around the world take for granted."
There, Velshi exposed his socialist biases. Very few, if any, of Canada’s socialist policies have worked out well for their citizens. He also omitted that Hong refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
“However,” he continued, “in America, the term 'democratic socialist' has negative connotations for many Americans. Talk to me about how you address that.”
Velshi didn’t suggest that democratic socialists were going in the wrong direction. Instead, he asked how Hong planned to lie to her potential voters and dupe them into believing socialism would work well in Wisconsin.
“This is a state where sewer socialism was born,” Hong answered. “Social Security, kindergarten, environmentalism. We have deep progressive roots. And it's about time that we dig into these roots and build something even better.”
Again, Velshi didn’t ask what “something even better” meant, or how to implement it. He moved on:
It’s creating a discussion in the Democratic Party about whether this party is big enough for everybody. Talk to me about how you think about that. I, again, I would not characterize this as some sort of a democratic socialist takeover of the Democratic Party. . . But how do you characterize it? How do you think about it when the accusations come about the fact that the Democratic Party is being sort of taken over by this - this set of people who are generally further to the left of the mainstream?
“I'm excited to be growing a Democratic coalition,” Hong said. “You know, especially when we are fighting an authoritarian regime.”
No one in America is fighting an authoritarian regime, except for maybe those in New York or California.
Velshi also eventually asked Hong about her previous wish to eliminate the police, but did not challenge the sincerity of her campaign conversion. With all these softball questions and phony answers, it’s clear where the liberal media stands. They want the Democratic Party, and the country as a whole, to plunge into the civilization-destroying pit of socialism and communism.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
MS NOW's The 11th Hour
7/30/2026
11:32:50 p.m. EasternALI VELSHI: Hong's campaign has been compared to Zohran Mamdani's mayoral run in New York last year.
Like Mamdani, Hong is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. She supports universal child care and abolishing ICE. She's also generated enthusiasm by building a strong ground game and focusing on affordability issues.
Now, if she were to win the primary, she will likely face Tom Tiffany, the Republican congressman endorsed by President Trump.
If Hong wins in November, it will be an historic moment. Wisconsin has never elected a female governor in its history, let alone an Asian American woman.
Joining me now is Francesca Hong. She's a member of the Wisconsin state assembly and a Democratic candidate for Governor of Wisconsin. Welcome to the show. Thank you for being with us this evening.
FRANCESCA HONG: Thanks for having me.
VELSHI: Let's talk a bit about this. I'm a big fan of Wisconsin, but it is one thing to win as a democratic socialist in a place like New York City. Most of us from New York City think Wisconsin is a different ballgame. It's a battleground state. Big races are often won by very slim margins. Both of your senators, the Democrat Tammy Baldwin, the Republican Ron Johnson, each won by about one percent. In 2018, Tony Evers won his first term by one percent, he won his reelection by three percent. Even Donald Trump didn't win by a full percent when he defeated Kamala Harris. That was the narrowest result of the entire year.
So, talk to me about how you campaign in a place like Wisconsin on your platform.
HONG: You campaign by going to communities in every corner of the state, rural, urban, suburban, and you go and listen to the voters and affirm the different struggles, how they're feeling, what they want for themselves, their families, and communities.
And most folks want to be able to care for themselves. They want to be able to afford to live in Wisconsin. And I think many people are starting to feel that a system, the economic system now, is deeply rigged against them, and they deserve an affordable Wisconsin that actually puts government as a force of good, and it puts working class people first.
VELSHI: You identify as a democratic socialist.
I grew up in Canada where a lot of things that democratic socialists espouse here, many people in democracies around the world take for granted. Even if you're a conservative or liberal, you assume that people should have universal health care and people should have universal child care. And there should be handy - a good minimum wage.
However, in America, the term "democratic socialist" has negative connotations for many Americans. Talk to me about how you address that.
HONG: Well, first of all, let's remember that here in Wisconsin, we have the only publicly owned NFL football team. We're very proud of our Green Bay Packers.
And this is a state where sewer socialism was born. Social security, kindergarten, environmentalism. We have deep progressive roots. And it's about time that we dig into these roots and build something even better.
And I think working class folks all across the state who have felt very much left behind, are ready for a new politics to reclaim working class power and make sure we have a government that actually puts working class people first.
VELSHI: We've seen a number of democratic socialists win in primaries around this country, and then we've seen them win either in elections or in primaries like New York City, where it's very clear that the democratic socialists who won their primaries will be elected to Congress in November.
That said, it's creating a discussion in the Democratic Party about whether this party is big enough for everybody. Talk to me about how you think about that.
I, again, I would not characterize this as some sort of a democratic socialist takeover of the Democratic Party. There have been a handful of people who have won.
But how do you characterize it? How do you think about it when the accusations come about the fact that the Democratic Party is being sort of taken over by this - this set of people who are generally further to the left of the mainstream?
HONG: I'm excited to be growing a Democratic coalition that we are actually actualizing the big tent party that we know that we can be, that we know we need to be.
You know, especially when we are fighting an authoritarian regime, we need everyone to come together and make sure that we're fighting for an economy that puts working class people first, the workers and the work first, that we're taking on the ultra-wealthy, the mega corporations whose tax breaks are working class folks are paying for.
I think that when it comes to the party, it should be less about the brand and what we're able to deliver for Americans and how we're able to actually run on the issues. I think this is an opportunity for our campaign to really show that we deserve to be the bipartisan coalition, the diverse coalition that I know we can be.
VELSHI: You've called for the abolishing of ICE. That's not a - that's not a particularly out-there position these days, given the way ICE is going. But in August of 2020, you put this post up. It was in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer. Jacob Blake was left paralyzed.
Your statement read in part, quote, "I support defunding the police as a first step toward abolishing the police."
Tom Tiffany, the likely GOP nominee, is already treating you as his general election opponent, and he's focusing on that statement. "I support defunding the police as a first step toward abolishing the police." Is that what you believe?
HONG: There's not going to be a governor, except for the Hong administration that is going to be more serious about public safety that - to actually be serious about public safety, we better be tough on causes and not just tough on crime.
I think it's important to recognize that as governor, I cannot defund the police.
And - but I do want to make sure we're fully funding our public schools, that there's free childcare, great out-of-school programs for our kids to be able to go and thrive, that we're actually making sure we're getting justice for victims, and that we're getting guns out of our street and that incarcerated folks can live with a life of dignity. I won't defund the police.
VELSHI: Francesca Hong, great conversation with you tonight. Thank you for being with us. We appreciate it. We hope to talk to you again soon.
HONG: Looking forward to it. Please take care.
