Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Wednesday defended his endorsement of Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong after her loss, while accusing some of “caricaturing and labeling” her “based on a few statements.”
“I appreciate that Democrats can have differences over single payer healthcare, free childcare, pausing data centers and other issues @FrancescaHongWI fought for,” Khanna said in a post on the social platform X. “But caricaturing and labeling candidates based on a few statements is not a politics I believe in.”
“I have known Fran for years and remain proud to have supported her. She is a daughter of Korean immigrants, a single mother, a small business owner of a restaurant who struggled. As an Asian American, she had to fight for a seat at the table of our party and country. Nothing was handed to her,” he added.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley notched a victory in the Democratic gubernatorial primary versus Hong, a democratic socialist, Decision Desk HQ called early Wednesday morning.
Crowley’s success in the primary gave center-left and more mainstream Democrats their first major win in recent weeks, after progressive and democratic socialist candidates racked up a number of Democratic primary wins in the last few months.
Republicans and some Democrats had gone after Hong for previous comments backing defunding the police and a 2021 call to “cancel Thanksgiving.” In July, Hong said she would not be able to defund the police as governor.
“I categorically reject the idea that the Democratic party must play the same name calling games as [President] Trump, reducing people’s identity to labels for political games,” Khanna said in his post.
“This country cries out for moral leadership. We want to rise above division. Let us start to provide it,” he added.
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