Francesca Hong fires back at David Axelrod over ‘zany liberal’ criticism

Francesca Hong, the leading Democratic candidate in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race, hit back at criticism from Democratic political strategist David Axelrod on Friday. 

Axelrod, who served as the chief strategist for former President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, called the democratic socialist a “zany liberal” in a Thursday social media post. 

He suggested Hong’s loss in Wisconsin’s Democratic primary next week would benefit Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s Senate race. 

“He is a serious person. She is a font of zany liberal, faculty lounge exotica,” Axelrod said of the two Democratic candidates. 

Hong fired back in a social media post of her own. 

“This tweet is a perfect example of why the consultant class keeps losing elections,” she wrote. “They’re totally clueless, and they’re hellbent on keeping working-class people out of politics.”

“I’ve spent more time in kitchens than faculty lounges,” she added. “Perhaps you’d like to come to Wisconsin and work a Friday night dinner rush with me?”

The democratic socialist candidate has faced criticism from Republicans and some within the Democratic Party over her past support for defunding the police and abolishing the Senate and the Supreme Court. 

In an interview with Fox News’s Dana Perino last week, Hong did not renounce her position from social media posts in 2020 that the police should be defunded and said she believes “people can evolve.”

“The governor cannot defund the police, and I won’t defund the police,” Hong said. “But I will invest in the things we know prevent crime. … We have to be tough on causes if we want to prevent crime.” 

Hong is supported by progressive Democrats like Reps. Ro Khanna (Calif.) and Ilhan Omar (Minn.). A chef and former small business owner, the democratic socialist is running on a platform of affordability and universal childcare.

Wisconsin will hold its Democratic primary Tuesday.