Francesca Hong

Francesca Hong was born on November 4, 1988, in Madison, Wisconsin, to Korean-American immigrant parents.^[3][12][13] As a child, she attended public schools in Madison, graduating from Madison West High School in 2007.^[3][13] Hong played soccer growing up and played for West High.^[14][13] Hong then attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she studied Spanish and journalism, hoping to become a sports journalist.^[15][13]

Hong dropped out in 2009 to work a full-time job, starting as a dishwasher and later becoming a line cook and sous chef.^[12][16] In 2011, she became executive chef of the American bistro 43 North in Madison, which closed in 2016.^[17][12][18] In 2016, Hong and her then-husband, Matt Morris, opened Morris Ramen in Madison.^[15] The restaurant closed in 2024.^[19] Also in 2016, Hong helped found the Culinary Ladies Collective, alongside fellow business owners Tami Lax and Laila Borokhim.^[20][16]

After incumbent governor Tony Evers announced he would not run for a third term in the 2026 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, Hong expressed interest in seeking the Democratic nomination to succeed him.^[46][47] She formally launched her campaign for governor on September 17, 2025, making comparisons to Rosie the Riveter, calling to fund public education and universal childcare, and vowing not to take corporate PAC campaign donations.^[48][49] By the end of the 2025, the Democratic primary field included incumbent lieutenant governor Sara Rodriguez, former lieutenant governor Mandela Barnes, Milwaukee County executive David Crowley, Madison state senator Kelda Roys, former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration Joel Brennan, and Missy Hughes, the former CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.^[50][51]

Hong was the only democratic socialist in the crowded primary field,^[4][51] and she used a similar media strategy and messaging to that of Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who had recently been elected mayor of New York City.^[52] In September, during a campaign stop in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Hong proposed the creation of a public bank in the state, modeled on the Bank of North Dakota.^[53] The proposed bank would provide affordable loans to small farms, butcheries, and bakeries; according to Hong, it would also promote competition and make goods more affordable.^[54] Hong also supports repealing Wisconsin's right-to-work law, reversing former governor Scott Walker's law denying public employee unions bargaining rights (2011 Wisconsin Act 10), and allowing union members to deduct their union dues from their income tax.^[55] In January 2026, Hong's campaign issued a press release calling for a moratorium on the construction of new AI data centers in the state; data centers had become a hot-button issue in many Wisconsin communities, and Hong's moratorium became a signature issue of her campaign.^[56][57]

After a year of campaigning, the race began to consolidate in June 2026 after the Democratic Party of Wisconsin state convention, in which Rodriguez won the informal straw poll.^[58] Hughes and Crowley withdrew from the race and endorsed Rodriguez.^[59] But in July, Rodriguez fired her campaign manager and announced significant errors in campaign finance reports, and on July 17, she withdrew from the race.^[60] Crowley reentered the race on July 18, whereupon Governor Evers ended his neutrality in the race and endorsed Crowley.^[61][62] Hong continued to rise in the polls in July, with several polls showing her in the lead; after Rodriguez's departure, many journalists and analysts began to call Hong the front-runner. Barnes ended his campaign on July 30 and acknowledging Hong would likely win the nomination.^[4][51]

At a debate with other Democratic candidates, Hong said she would not sign a bill that reduced police funding despite previous support for reducing police funding. Less than a week earlier, Hong used the word "execution" to describe the fatal shooting of a man in Madison. At the debate, Hong said she would not use that kind of language as governor because of the "deep responsibility" of having "the largest microphone in the state".^[63][64] During this time, Hong also came under increased scrutiny for her past statements, with interviewers asking her about comments about "whiteness", "cancel Thanksgiving", "defund the police", and "abolish the Senate". She attempted to distance herself from the past comments and tried to put them in context, but the interviews resulted in a national media spectacle.^[65][66]

Hong lost the August 11 primary to Crowley by a margin of 0.5%.^[67] The next day, she endorsed Crowley and said she would work to help him win the general election.^[68]

Hong lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her son.^[3] She works part-time as a bartender.^[5] She was previously married to Matt Morris, with whom she opened Morris Ramen.^[15][5] In a 2023 interview, Hong said that she experienced a mental health crisis at age 18, was hospitalized for a week, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.^[69][70] Hong is a supporter of the Milwaukee Bucks and Forward Madison FC.^[71][72] In 2021, she got a tattoo featuring the popular slogan "Bucks in Six" after the team's 2021 NBA championship.^[71] Hong serves as volunteer Board Vice President of the Madison-area not-for-profit "Rooted", which builds sustainable local food systems through production, land access, and urban agriculture education.^[73]