MADISON – Did the decisions by prominent democratic socialists Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to pass on making endorsements in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary for governor spell problems for Francesca Hong’s candidacy?
Both national politicians said they chose not to endorse Hong because their focus is on congressional races and winning Congress. But after Hong, who was up double digits in almost every statewide poll, fell short of Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley by fewer than 4,000 votes, their absence from the race stood out.
Podcaster Hasan Piker, a popular but controversial voice in democratic socialist circles, took to X shortly after midnight to decry the lack of big endorsements for how election night was playing out, also blaming negative media and lack of TV ads. Hong earlier appeared with Piker on a livestream.
Anthony Chergosky, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political science associate professor, told the Journal Sentinel because the election was a very close race, “any small change could have tipped the result in the other direction,” but stressed the lack of endorsements was one thing among others that impacted Hong’s campaign in the final stretch.
“Ultimately, I think the lack of Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez endorsements mattered at the margins, but that was one part of a larger combination of factors that held her back, including her limited advertising, viral moments from national media interviews, and voters’ concerns about the general election,” he wrote in an email.
“I think the exceptionally high stakes of Hong’s candidacy may help explain the caution from Sanders, AOC, and other national progressives.”
Chergosky said their focus on congressional races makes sense especially because a majority in the U.S. House and Senate would equip Democrats with an institutional check on the Trump administration. This helps explain their investment in Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign, who narrowly won the Michigan U.S. Senate primary Aug. 4.
Sanders, who won the 2016 Democratic presidential primary in Wisconsin, got involved in multiple races, endorsing El-Sayed and Graham Platner in the Maine Senate primary before urging him to drop out after a sexual assault allegation. He also backed Troy Jackson in Maine’s governor’s race. Jackson lost that primary but is now the Democratic Senate nominee in the state in place of Platner.
“The absence of endorsements from AOC and Sanders was a bit of a warning sign because they had in fact been involved in state-level races elsewhere. Their backing would have given Hong more legitimacy as a candidate and made her platform seem more grounded,” UW-Madison Political Science Professor Barry Burden said in an email.
Hong’s campaign was a crucial test for the broader democratic socialist movement. Chergosky said it is reasonable to think prominent progressive politicians would want considerable confidence in Hong’s ability to win a general election before involving themselves in her campaign.
Chergosky said their absence shows that “prominent progressives had doubts about her ability to win the general election,” as their participation would have brough more “attention, money and enthusiasm” to her race.
Officials with the Democratic Socialists of America’s Madison chapter say they were not taken aback by the lack of endorsements from Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders.
“We don’t expect all these politicians to endorse all our races because they simply do not. We have some thoughts about maybe where the race could go that would lead to endorsements later on the line, but as of right now, we didn’t have huge expectations by getting those endorsements,” Madison DSA Communications Coordinator Robert Lasica told the Journal Sentinel.
He downplayed the role of Hong’s past controversial social posts played in the decision by Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez to sit out the race, but Chergosky said, it is “certainly plausible that Hong’s prior statements and social media posts increased the perceived risk of endorsing her.”
Hong’s past social media posts including calls to cancel Thanksgiving, criticizing Christmas and Valentines Day and expressing discomfort being around White people at a Culver’s in northern Wisconsin came under scrutiny in the campaign.
Burden also pointed to Hong’s previous statements about law enforcement, including abolishing the police, as a policy stance Sanders specifically does not support. Hong later distanced herself from those positions.
“Because AOC and Sanders have gotten involved in some state races, their absence so far in Wisconsin might be a sign of apprehension about Hong as a general election candidate,” Burden said in an email. “Sanders in particular views defunding the police as an unacceptable policy position.”
Hong’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
A Sanders founded group, Our Revolution Wisconsin, did endorse Hong. She also received an endorsement from Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who appeared with Hong alongside Piker at a Milwaukee area rally.
“Ilhan Omar may have reached a different assessment of that risk,” Chergosky said. “Sanders and AOC, however, have massive national profiles and would inevitably help nationalize the race with an endorsement of Hong. Their caution may reflect an awareness that Hong’s campaign could either substantially expand the credibility of democratic socialism or produce a massive setback that its critics would use for years to come.”
Clara Strecker is the state Capitol bureau intern for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at cstrecker@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bernie Sanders and AOC sat out the race. Did that hurt Francesca Hong?
Reporting by Clara Strecker, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Clara Strecker, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
