• Wisconsin GOP primary sets up a bigger fight over socialism
• Tom Tiffany frames the race as a test of common sense versus far-left politics
• Francesca Hong’s progressive platform and past posts draw heavy scrutiny
• The matchup centers on taxes, public safety, and homeownership
• National figures and intraparty tensions are pushing the race into the spotlight
Rep. Tom Tiffany is heading into Wisconsin’s Republican primary with a clear message: the state is about to face a much bigger battle than a routine nomination fight. He is warning that a likely general election matchup with Democratic state Rep. Francesca Hong could decide whether socialism gets a real opening in a key battleground state.
Speaking in Oconomowoc with former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Tiffany cast Wisconsin as a possible wall against the far left. He argued that the heartland should be the place that stops the spread of socialist politics, especially as more moderate Democrats keep getting pushed aside in primaries across the country.
“Is the heartland going to be the firewall that stops this movement of socialism coming from, especially the East Coast?” Tiffany said. “And I think Wisconsin will be. We’ll be the place that stops socialism.” That kind of language is exactly what he wants voters to hear as he tries to turn the race into a broader warning about the direction of the state.
Hong has become the frontrunner in the Democratic contest after a summer of shake-ups that narrowed the field and changed the tone of the race. A member of the Democratic Socialists of America, the 37-year-old former chef and single mother has drawn support from nationally known progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar and Ro Khanna.
Her platform leans hard left. She is pushing for guaranteed paid leave, a minimum wage jump from $7.25 to $20 an hour, and a one-year pause on new AI data center construction in Wisconsin. Her “TAX THE RICH” plan would raise state income taxes on high earners, a pitch that plays well with activists but is sure to light up critics.
Hong has also been pressed on old social media posts that called for defunding and abolishing police departments. She has since said she no longer backs those ideas, and on Saturday she told voters, “I’m not defunding the police, not abolishing police. I am serious about public safety.”
Youngkin took direct aim at Hong’s politics, arguing that her ideology clashes with basic American values. He said, “I think what Francesca Hong stands for is the antithesis of America,” adding, “She wants to defund police, close prisons. She wants to get rid of the military. She wants to get rid of the presidency. I mean, these are all the things that the DSA stands for and she is a card-carrying member.”
For Tiffany, the pitch is less about abstract ideology and more about what ordinary voters actually want. After campaigning at a new home development in a Milwaukee suburb, he pointed to families and neighbors who may vote Democratic but do not buy into the most extreme ideas floating around the left.
“I just know my friends and neighbors, including some who are Democrats, they are not crazy,” Tiffany said. “They do not believe in some of these crazy policies, abolish prisons, abolish police, highest tax rates that you could possibly have. I mean they do not accept that.”
The race has also become a referendum on credibility. Hong’s past posts on social media, including a 2021 comment saying police “exist to uphold white supremacy,” have followed her around, along with old remarks about abolishing the Senate and criticism of holidays like Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day.
Hong has tried to move past that baggage by calling some of the old posts “bad takes” and saying she has “evolved” and “learned.” She also walked back her Thanksgiving comments and now says it is her “favorite holiday.” Still, Tiffany says those reversals are not convincing and that voters can tell when a candidate is trying to clean up a trail of old statements.
He said, “[They are] going to do everything they can to walk them back, but people see through this. Those flip-flops, people know about that already and they’re going to know about it as we go through the final, you know, couple months of the campaign. They see through that type of stuff when you are not genuine.”
Hong brushed off the criticism by calling the posts “some bad takes,” saying, “You have some hot takes, sometimes bad takes on Twitter,” and adding, “And I let my feelings out into the world.” That kind of plainspoken defense may resonate with some voters, but it also keeps the spotlight on whether she is trying to reboot a reputation or simply repackage it.
As Tuesday’s primaries approach, both candidates are in position to lock down their parties’ nominations. Tiffany is running against medical service technician Andrew Manske, while Hong faces Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, former Wisconsin Department of Administration secretary Joel Brennan, and state Sen. Kelda Roys.
The stakes go beyond one primary night. Tiffany is already trying to define the race as a fight over where Wisconsin stands on taxes, policing, housing, and the whole direction of the country, while Hong is betting that a restless Democratic base wants a sharper break from the establishment and is willing to embrace it.
